FAQ with the founder, Fernando Briosos:
Who are the indigenous Aeta tribes?
The Aeta tribes are believed to be the first inhabitants of the Philippines. Aeta is pronounced “Eye Ta.” They are indigenous and their ancestors were the aborigines from Australia. There was a consensus from anthropologists that they migrated from the island of Borneo about 30 thousand years ago using a land bridge that was partially covered by water 5,000 years ago.
The Aeta are small, dark-skinned, and kinky-haired people who once occupied the forest areas of Mount Pinatubo. They were forced to leave their home/forest when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, and their social and cultural environment was forever changed. They were referred to as Pygmy Aeta or Negritos (little negroes) by the early Spanish settlers in the early 1500s. Ethnologists claim they belong to what is probably the oldest living race in the world. Today, the Filipinos referred to them as “Kulot” meaning curly hair. They appear to have similar characteristics and manner to the Melanesian from the Solomon Islands.
Where is Mount Pinatubo and what happened to the Aeta people?
Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano located in Central Luzon; it erupted in 1991. It was the second largest eruption of the 20th century rising some 1,745 meters above sea level in an area adjacent to the previous two United States military bases: Clark Air Force Base and Subic Naval Base. The eruption ejected massive clouds of volcanic material over a distance of more than one cubic mile and created an enormous cloud of volcanic ash that rose as high as 22 miles into the air. The cloud grew to more than 300 miles across and blanketed the surrounding mountains, forests, old plantations, villages, and other nearby regions with sulfuric acid, measuring about 25 centimeters deep. The eruption coincided with a typhoon known as Typhoon Diding, which caused fast-moving mudflows, and a tsunami that moved as fast as 40 miles per hour and traveled more than 50 miles. These mudflows destroyed crops, livestock, fisheries, and wild animals that roamed the forest. The destruction completely altered the environment and the topsoil and major rivers became clogged with or were covered by sulfuric acid. The violent eruption forced the Aeta to move down the mountain. They became homeless, their future imperiled. Their family structure and relationships were broken and many families were separated during the evacuation period; many are still searching for their families today, twenty-five years later.
In 1997, the Philippines government awarded 128,000 hectares of ancestral land to the Atea. However, this land was without water, sanitation facilities, electricity, roads, or bridges. This huge land area can bring in new economic opportunities for the Aeta people. All they need is water to drink, cook, bathe, and grow food. Once they have plenty of water, we can progress to the next stage of providing them with agricultural tools and highly valued and nutritious vegetables such as bitter melons, beans, and root crops rich in Vitamin A, Omega 3s, and iron to feed the entirety of the villages. Once we have provided the Aeta with the essential elements for a healthy environment, our programs will empower the Aeta to begin working and selling their excess produce to local communities in impoverished areas at a low cost, thereby, creating more jobs for the poor Aeta people and feeding the growing population. Aeta children will spend more time in school and focus on learning and will begin building the next generation of the workforce. The indigenous community will have income to pay for the installation of electricity, water systems, sanitation facilities, and roads in their villages. In the end, the Aeta will be much better at defending their lands and livelihood with a model of “Decent Life and Living Well for All” that is sustainable, shareable, and rich in natural resources.
What prompted you to start the foundation and why are you so passionate about helping the Aeta people?
I think empathy has got a lot to do with it. Imagine that you are running to save yourself from the destruction of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. You moved down the mountain along with your family to be safe. The government offered you a place in a resettlement area without food, water, or shelter. Twenty-five bitter years have passed, you realized you have just lost your culture and identity and you are now an alien, an immigrant in your own country. Your people were the first inhabitants of the Philippines and yet you have become a stranger in your own country. Your anxiety and fear have reached great heights because there is virtually no hope for a better life without any type of assisitance. As parents, you see your children suffering slowly as they are deprived of food, water, love, equality, and freedom, and there is not much you can do to save them. Then, you wondered if would it have been easier to die during the eruption at a place you called home than to live a very difficult life in a place you don’t know.
Empathy. As a member of the human race in the new 21st century, I feel badly for the Aeta people. It is this unseen humanity that is emerging and which causes me to increase awareness. I want to forge communication in the hope of expanding possibilities. It is why I do it; I am passionate about this cause.
Do you offer humanitarian aid services?
Unfortunately, our foundation does not fund temporary humanitarian aid. Instead, we utilize social media such as Facebook to assist our potential partners and various organizations both locally and internationally through collaborations for providing humanitarian efforts. It takes partnerships and collaboration with many individuals to address poverty.
What do you do exactly?
We are restoring and protecting spring waters as they show up in the forest to satisfy the very basic needs of the Aeta. The aim is to improve health and create a new economy without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We primarily focus on sustainable development for meeting human development goals while at the same time sustaining the ability to provide a new economy and natural resources upon which the Aeta people can depend.
Since 2015, we have helped 15,275 Aeta people out of 50,000, equaling 31% of the total population. By 2020, we hope to serve 80% of the population.
What other services do you provide?
Our foundation hopes to incorporate long-term land development that will eventually lead to improvements in education, public health, and an increased standard of living. Livestock and farming are key factors for environmentally friendly reforestation. Farming allows the production of crops and livestock. The same is true for seeds or plants. Providing any type of seeds for consumption is not enough to improve quality of life. Our foundation recommends specific seeds that are considered economic assets such as root crops, beans, and bitter melons, which are rich in Iron, Omega 3s, and Vitamin A. We plant banana trees, coconut trees, and bamboo for additional food and water as well as to provide shelter for both the Aeta people and their livestock.
Being a small foundation with very little donated funds, our benefit cost analysis of solving a problem and then assigning the best route for a solution to develop human, social, and economic progress is long overdue. Our fundamental goal is to provide the Aeta people with sustainable development that meets their needs within a limited pool of resources.
How do you handle donated funds?
Rebuilding the forest requires funds. Most of our donated funds come from participating in various Filipino fiestas and festivals as an exhibitor. Each year on average, we have collected between $5,000 and $10,000 in donated funds in the last two years. However, eight percent (8%) of the donated funds will be used for bank fees, postage, and fundraising expenses. Ninety-two percent (92%) of the donated funds will go directly to the sustainable development programs. Our development work has proven to be successful and is starting to attract potential donors. We have stories to tell and pictures to show to our list of donors. We are building momentum because of the positive results of our programs.
How will you measure the success of your organization?
The Board of Directors consists of volunteers that represent a total of over one-hundred years of experience in the fields of anthropology, archeology, geology, medicine, law, and business administration. We measure success based on the premise that each dollar spent must benefit one person. For example, a 5-gallon blue plastic container cost $5 and benefits a household with a maximum of 5 people. This is the formula, a guidebook, a map, and instruction set-forth for the Field Project Manager (FPM) to follow. Flexibility will be critical to the success of the plan as circumstances could change and that $5 could benefit only one person due to the remote location of the Aeta village, which may require renting a heavy-duty truck for transportation, food, and water for an overnight stay. We will create a progress annual summary report in Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets to show the total amount of US dollars spent and the number of people who benefited from each project. This timely report is intended to be a concise depiction of how objectives are being met according to schedule, timeframe, budget, number of volunteers, results, and quality of work.
What do you want to accomplish?
Aeta Tribe Foundation, a recognized as a tax-exempt non-profit by the IRS under Section 501 (c)(3) Federal Tax ID # 47-3714375, will implement the idea and the program with the Aeta villages throughout Central Luzon, Region III, Philippines.
We are committed to assist the present generation of Aeta people to improve the forest surrounding Mount Pinatubo. We want to help provide viable and sustainable solutions to regenerate, maintain, and improve the natural resources that will lead to a new economy and social development and will create activities at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally for future generations.
The forest surrounding Mount Pinatubo affords the opportunity to rebuild as it is now barren and unproductive due to the volcanic eruption. We will create a program that will establish and increase reforestation efforts and re-establishment of usable native trees such as bamboos and fruit trees, medicinal plants, and vegetables to encourage growth and prevent erosion. Livestock such as water buffalo, goats, miniature pigs, duck, fowl, and chickens will replace the wild animals that used to roam the forest but have since disappeared. The goal is to encourage the forest to generate soil carbon, plant carbon, and allow for water retention and conservation that will lead to food and water security.
In summary, we want to attain the soil carbon levels of the forest prior to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 by introducing more sustainable grazing, farming, and water-retention practices.
The Aeta tribes are believed to be the first inhabitants of the Philippines. Aeta is pronounced “Eye Ta.” They are indigenous and their ancestors were the aborigines from Australia. There was a consensus from anthropologists that they migrated from the island of Borneo about 30 thousand years ago using a land bridge that was partially covered by water 5,000 years ago.
The Aeta are small, dark-skinned, and kinky-haired people who once occupied the forest areas of Mount Pinatubo. They were forced to leave their home/forest when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, and their social and cultural environment was forever changed. They were referred to as Pygmy Aeta or Negritos (little negroes) by the early Spanish settlers in the early 1500s. Ethnologists claim they belong to what is probably the oldest living race in the world. Today, the Filipinos referred to them as “Kulot” meaning curly hair. They appear to have similar characteristics and manner to the Melanesian from the Solomon Islands.
Where is Mount Pinatubo and what happened to the Aeta people?
Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano located in Central Luzon; it erupted in 1991. It was the second largest eruption of the 20th century rising some 1,745 meters above sea level in an area adjacent to the previous two United States military bases: Clark Air Force Base and Subic Naval Base. The eruption ejected massive clouds of volcanic material over a distance of more than one cubic mile and created an enormous cloud of volcanic ash that rose as high as 22 miles into the air. The cloud grew to more than 300 miles across and blanketed the surrounding mountains, forests, old plantations, villages, and other nearby regions with sulfuric acid, measuring about 25 centimeters deep. The eruption coincided with a typhoon known as Typhoon Diding, which caused fast-moving mudflows, and a tsunami that moved as fast as 40 miles per hour and traveled more than 50 miles. These mudflows destroyed crops, livestock, fisheries, and wild animals that roamed the forest. The destruction completely altered the environment and the topsoil and major rivers became clogged with or were covered by sulfuric acid. The violent eruption forced the Aeta to move down the mountain. They became homeless, their future imperiled. Their family structure and relationships were broken and many families were separated during the evacuation period; many are still searching for their families today, twenty-five years later.
In 1997, the Philippines government awarded 128,000 hectares of ancestral land to the Atea. However, this land was without water, sanitation facilities, electricity, roads, or bridges. This huge land area can bring in new economic opportunities for the Aeta people. All they need is water to drink, cook, bathe, and grow food. Once they have plenty of water, we can progress to the next stage of providing them with agricultural tools and highly valued and nutritious vegetables such as bitter melons, beans, and root crops rich in Vitamin A, Omega 3s, and iron to feed the entirety of the villages. Once we have provided the Aeta with the essential elements for a healthy environment, our programs will empower the Aeta to begin working and selling their excess produce to local communities in impoverished areas at a low cost, thereby, creating more jobs for the poor Aeta people and feeding the growing population. Aeta children will spend more time in school and focus on learning and will begin building the next generation of the workforce. The indigenous community will have income to pay for the installation of electricity, water systems, sanitation facilities, and roads in their villages. In the end, the Aeta will be much better at defending their lands and livelihood with a model of “Decent Life and Living Well for All” that is sustainable, shareable, and rich in natural resources.
What prompted you to start the foundation and why are you so passionate about helping the Aeta people?
I think empathy has got a lot to do with it. Imagine that you are running to save yourself from the destruction of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. You moved down the mountain along with your family to be safe. The government offered you a place in a resettlement area without food, water, or shelter. Twenty-five bitter years have passed, you realized you have just lost your culture and identity and you are now an alien, an immigrant in your own country. Your people were the first inhabitants of the Philippines and yet you have become a stranger in your own country. Your anxiety and fear have reached great heights because there is virtually no hope for a better life without any type of assisitance. As parents, you see your children suffering slowly as they are deprived of food, water, love, equality, and freedom, and there is not much you can do to save them. Then, you wondered if would it have been easier to die during the eruption at a place you called home than to live a very difficult life in a place you don’t know.
Empathy. As a member of the human race in the new 21st century, I feel badly for the Aeta people. It is this unseen humanity that is emerging and which causes me to increase awareness. I want to forge communication in the hope of expanding possibilities. It is why I do it; I am passionate about this cause.
Do you offer humanitarian aid services?
Unfortunately, our foundation does not fund temporary humanitarian aid. Instead, we utilize social media such as Facebook to assist our potential partners and various organizations both locally and internationally through collaborations for providing humanitarian efforts. It takes partnerships and collaboration with many individuals to address poverty.
What do you do exactly?
We are restoring and protecting spring waters as they show up in the forest to satisfy the very basic needs of the Aeta. The aim is to improve health and create a new economy without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We primarily focus on sustainable development for meeting human development goals while at the same time sustaining the ability to provide a new economy and natural resources upon which the Aeta people can depend.
Since 2015, we have helped 15,275 Aeta people out of 50,000, equaling 31% of the total population. By 2020, we hope to serve 80% of the population.
What other services do you provide?
Our foundation hopes to incorporate long-term land development that will eventually lead to improvements in education, public health, and an increased standard of living. Livestock and farming are key factors for environmentally friendly reforestation. Farming allows the production of crops and livestock. The same is true for seeds or plants. Providing any type of seeds for consumption is not enough to improve quality of life. Our foundation recommends specific seeds that are considered economic assets such as root crops, beans, and bitter melons, which are rich in Iron, Omega 3s, and Vitamin A. We plant banana trees, coconut trees, and bamboo for additional food and water as well as to provide shelter for both the Aeta people and their livestock.
Being a small foundation with very little donated funds, our benefit cost analysis of solving a problem and then assigning the best route for a solution to develop human, social, and economic progress is long overdue. Our fundamental goal is to provide the Aeta people with sustainable development that meets their needs within a limited pool of resources.
How do you handle donated funds?
Rebuilding the forest requires funds. Most of our donated funds come from participating in various Filipino fiestas and festivals as an exhibitor. Each year on average, we have collected between $5,000 and $10,000 in donated funds in the last two years. However, eight percent (8%) of the donated funds will be used for bank fees, postage, and fundraising expenses. Ninety-two percent (92%) of the donated funds will go directly to the sustainable development programs. Our development work has proven to be successful and is starting to attract potential donors. We have stories to tell and pictures to show to our list of donors. We are building momentum because of the positive results of our programs.
How will you measure the success of your organization?
The Board of Directors consists of volunteers that represent a total of over one-hundred years of experience in the fields of anthropology, archeology, geology, medicine, law, and business administration. We measure success based on the premise that each dollar spent must benefit one person. For example, a 5-gallon blue plastic container cost $5 and benefits a household with a maximum of 5 people. This is the formula, a guidebook, a map, and instruction set-forth for the Field Project Manager (FPM) to follow. Flexibility will be critical to the success of the plan as circumstances could change and that $5 could benefit only one person due to the remote location of the Aeta village, which may require renting a heavy-duty truck for transportation, food, and water for an overnight stay. We will create a progress annual summary report in Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets to show the total amount of US dollars spent and the number of people who benefited from each project. This timely report is intended to be a concise depiction of how objectives are being met according to schedule, timeframe, budget, number of volunteers, results, and quality of work.
What do you want to accomplish?
Aeta Tribe Foundation, a recognized as a tax-exempt non-profit by the IRS under Section 501 (c)(3) Federal Tax ID # 47-3714375, will implement the idea and the program with the Aeta villages throughout Central Luzon, Region III, Philippines.
We are committed to assist the present generation of Aeta people to improve the forest surrounding Mount Pinatubo. We want to help provide viable and sustainable solutions to regenerate, maintain, and improve the natural resources that will lead to a new economy and social development and will create activities at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally for future generations.
The forest surrounding Mount Pinatubo affords the opportunity to rebuild as it is now barren and unproductive due to the volcanic eruption. We will create a program that will establish and increase reforestation efforts and re-establishment of usable native trees such as bamboos and fruit trees, medicinal plants, and vegetables to encourage growth and prevent erosion. Livestock such as water buffalo, goats, miniature pigs, duck, fowl, and chickens will replace the wild animals that used to roam the forest but have since disappeared. The goal is to encourage the forest to generate soil carbon, plant carbon, and allow for water retention and conservation that will lead to food and water security.
In summary, we want to attain the soil carbon levels of the forest prior to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 by introducing more sustainable grazing, farming, and water-retention practices.