PORAC, Pampanga—Gov. Lilia Pineda and former President and now Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga led the inauguration and blessing of the deep-well pump and health and hygiene facilities in the Aeta upland community of Sitio Pidpid, Sapang Uwak, this town late last week.
The P175,000 facilities were the result of a joint project between Holy Angel University (HAU) and Kkottongnae University (KU) in Korea under the auspices of the Academy Partnership Program of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), an international overseas development agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea.
KU Dean of Planning and Director of Catholic Global Education Eun-MI Yang, said that aside from undertaking research activities, the project also aims to monitor the health and hygiene levels, as well as determine needs of the Aeta community in Sitio Pidpid and create and implement a health- education program for them.
Pineda expressed her gratitude to Eun-Mi Yang, Roberto Tantingco, vice president for student services and affairs of HAU, and other HAU officials for the project that will benefit some 75 Aeta families or at least 300 individuals living in the said sitio.
She said the provincial government acknowledges the initiatives of HAU and KU in advocating the cause of the Aeta community in Sitio Pidpid.
Pineda also disclosed that the provincial government would assist in the project of the partner schools to cater the needed social services of the Aetas in the said community.
“It’s my first time to visit this community. From now on, the provincial government will help our Korean partners to provide the needs of the Aetas in Sitio Pidpid,” the governor said.
During the event, former Arroyo announced that the land titles of Aetas in this town are already available at the National Commission for Indigenous People.
The former president added that she filed a bill to amend the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act to give tribesmen the right to subdivide the mother title based on what is appropriate and convenient for them.