By: Lorena Navallasca
Photo courtesy of: Reuters
To grasp the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic to the Aeta (Ati) tribes in Antique, PROCESS Foundation Panay conducted a survey to document the effects and the coping mechanisms employed by the communities. It aims to provide or facilitate response and support to the indigenous peoples (IP) communities as they continue to face the challenges brought by the pandemic.
The activity was conducted in March 2021 with the Aeta tribes in Barangay Tuno, Tibiao, Antique. The survey was participated in by 30 members of the IP communities, who complied with the minimum health protocols in the areas.
The following are the negative effects of the Covid-19 lockdown:
- Loss of livelihood/ employment: Barangay Tuno was a tourism site of the province of Antique. There, IPs were employed by resort owners and others were accredited tour guides. During the lockdown until March 2021, all resorts stopped their operations and tourism-related activities, which affected the IP families’ source of income and livelihood.
- Difficulty in accessing social services from government agencies due to travel restriction: Since mobility was restricted and online communications has been generally inaccessible in remote areas, the communities recorded two IPs who passed away (non-Covid cases). One was bitten by a dog and suffered complications due to a heart attack; unfortunately, immediate care could not be provided because of the restrictions.
- Difficulty of parents in tutoring their children: The IP parents have minimal education; most of them remain illiterate. They found distance education for children very challenging because they could not assist their children in answering their assignments or modules at home.
- Lack of access to government support during lockdown: Considering that they have lost their source of income, the IP communities expressed their disappointment that not every household received the financial assistance from the Special Amelioration Program of the government.
- Limited access to information related to COVID-19 pandemic and difficulty to comply with the minimum health protocols: Admittedly, the IP communities are not well-informed about the basic and growing knowledge on the Covid-19 disease and the necessary minimum health protocols. One of the reasons is the distance of their communities from sources of information.
The IP communities see these minimum health protocols as burdensome compliance, rather than mandatory protocols that can protect them. These protocols are frequent disinfection using alcohol, frequent washing of hands with soap and water, and use of face masks outside their homes. Additionally, according to the IP tribal leader, purchasing alcohol, soap, and masks are additional expenses that take their toll on their very limited income.
In response to these effects, the IP communities shared two coping mechanisms that they have adopted: 1) although short-term, they sought assistance and support from relatives/ family members who live outside the barangay; and 2) they have started cultivating the upland areas (public land) and planted those with cash crops.
The findings will be presented to the Local Government of Tibiao and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) – Region 6 for their appropriate action and response.
PROCESS Foundation Panay is a member organization of the Antique Federation of NGOs (AFON), one of the provincial networks of the Western Visayas Network of NGOs (WEVNet). WEVNet is a member of CODE-NGO.
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