GRADUATION DAY. Eleven Agtas/Dumagats graduate under the Home Education Literacy Program for Indigenous People (HELP IP) project of the 2nd Aurora Provincial Mobile Force Company (APMFC) in Sitio Dumaguipo, Barangay Cozo, Casiguran, Aurora on Sunday (Jan. 19, 2019). The APMFC is continuously helping the IPs become more productive members of the society by implementing the literacy project. (Photo courtesy of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company)
BALER, Aurora -- The 2nd Aurora Provincial Mobile Force Company (APMFC) of the Aurora Police Provincial Office (APPO) is continuously helping the indigenous peoples (IPs) in this province by implementing a literacy project to help them become more productive members of the society.
The project dubbed "Home Education Literacy Program for Indigenous People" (HELP IP) aims to address the learning needs of IPs who lack access to basic education services.
Capt. Michelle C. Paulino, who initiated the HELP IP project, said literacy plays an important role in a person’s life as it enables him or her cope up with different demands from various aspects of society.
“The increasingly complex and rapidly changing world requires individuals to be literate to keep up with the pace of change. Literacy provides easier access and gives wider range of communication with others that will further place a person to opportunities, employment and most especially, to his/her security or safety,” she said.
Paulino said illiteracy rate is high especially among those who are members of minority groups or indigenous peoples whose culture and way of living do not demand them to have it.
“What makes everything worse is the fact that this illiteracy was being used by lawless elements or insurgents to lure them to become one of them and become their victims,” she said.
Paulino said indigenous peoples are in the midst of every problem nowadays.
She added that physical isolation does not exempt them from being caught in the middle of conflicts and crimes like terrorism and insurgencies or armed conflicts in the country.
To avoid being in the middle, Paulino said that some chose to be on the wrong side of the government.
“Some of them did not choose any side but become victims of the armed opposition groups. Either way, all of these happened with illiteracy as one of the main reasons. In many cases, the onslaught of commercialism and modern culture came at the expense of maintaining their own culture and tradition (and thus their identity),” she added.
Paulino said in the province of Aurora, the Agta/Dumagat is among the groups that lack literacy.
“Their distance does not give them the opportunity to have one since they live in far-flung areas,” she said.
The Agta/Dumagat group can be found in the towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran, Dilasag (DICADI) and in the villages of Dinadiawan and Calaocan in Dipaculao town.
Based on the census of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in 2017, there are 13 settlements of Agta/ Dumagat living in remote areas in Aurora with a total population of 1,448.
Out of this figure, 17 percent or 255 Agta/Dumagat tribe members, especially adults aged 25 years and above, are considered illiterate due to poverty and lack of resources.
With this situation, Paulino said, “they are prone to be victims of lawless elements and can be easily recruited by communist insurgents.”
From 2018 to date, she said there are 40 non-violent reports/sightings indicating the presence of leftist groups in this province.
“One makes it worse is the presence of indigenous people in some reports and this made us to intervene knowing the vulnerability of IPs especially those who are illiterate,” she added.
Aside from this, out of every five rebel returnees, one is a member of an IP group.
“This prompted, us to launch the HELP IP in Barangay Calabgan, Casiguran in November 10, 2018,” Paulino said, adding the project adopted the basic literacy program dubbed Alternative Learning System (ALS).
In consonance with its concept, selected police personnel who are capable and have attended related seminars/trainings, are implementing the project.
Police teachers, Paulino said, underwent seminars from ALS personnel to become more equipped in handling basic literacy.
During the expansion of the project last Sunday, there were 11 Agta/Dumagat tribesmen who enrolled under the HELP IP project.
Records showed that out of seven IP settlements in Casiguran with 159 uneducated members, 23 have already graduated while 16 are still enrolled under the project.
In August last year, 10 IP learners graduated at Dumaguipo settlement in Barangay Cozo, Casiguran.
In July last year, 13 IP learners passed the assessment examination conducted by ALS mobile teachers.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091533
The project dubbed "Home Education Literacy Program for Indigenous People" (HELP IP) aims to address the learning needs of IPs who lack access to basic education services.
Capt. Michelle C. Paulino, who initiated the HELP IP project, said literacy plays an important role in a person’s life as it enables him or her cope up with different demands from various aspects of society.
“The increasingly complex and rapidly changing world requires individuals to be literate to keep up with the pace of change. Literacy provides easier access and gives wider range of communication with others that will further place a person to opportunities, employment and most especially, to his/her security or safety,” she said.
Paulino said illiteracy rate is high especially among those who are members of minority groups or indigenous peoples whose culture and way of living do not demand them to have it.
“What makes everything worse is the fact that this illiteracy was being used by lawless elements or insurgents to lure them to become one of them and become their victims,” she said.
Paulino said indigenous peoples are in the midst of every problem nowadays.
She added that physical isolation does not exempt them from being caught in the middle of conflicts and crimes like terrorism and insurgencies or armed conflicts in the country.
To avoid being in the middle, Paulino said that some chose to be on the wrong side of the government.
“Some of them did not choose any side but become victims of the armed opposition groups. Either way, all of these happened with illiteracy as one of the main reasons. In many cases, the onslaught of commercialism and modern culture came at the expense of maintaining their own culture and tradition (and thus their identity),” she added.
Paulino said in the province of Aurora, the Agta/Dumagat is among the groups that lack literacy.
“Their distance does not give them the opportunity to have one since they live in far-flung areas,” she said.
The Agta/Dumagat group can be found in the towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran, Dilasag (DICADI) and in the villages of Dinadiawan and Calaocan in Dipaculao town.
Based on the census of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in 2017, there are 13 settlements of Agta/ Dumagat living in remote areas in Aurora with a total population of 1,448.
Out of this figure, 17 percent or 255 Agta/Dumagat tribe members, especially adults aged 25 years and above, are considered illiterate due to poverty and lack of resources.
With this situation, Paulino said, “they are prone to be victims of lawless elements and can be easily recruited by communist insurgents.”
From 2018 to date, she said there are 40 non-violent reports/sightings indicating the presence of leftist groups in this province.
“One makes it worse is the presence of indigenous people in some reports and this made us to intervene knowing the vulnerability of IPs especially those who are illiterate,” she added.
Aside from this, out of every five rebel returnees, one is a member of an IP group.
“This prompted, us to launch the HELP IP in Barangay Calabgan, Casiguran in November 10, 2018,” Paulino said, adding the project adopted the basic literacy program dubbed Alternative Learning System (ALS).
In consonance with its concept, selected police personnel who are capable and have attended related seminars/trainings, are implementing the project.
Police teachers, Paulino said, underwent seminars from ALS personnel to become more equipped in handling basic literacy.
During the expansion of the project last Sunday, there were 11 Agta/Dumagat tribesmen who enrolled under the HELP IP project.
Records showed that out of seven IP settlements in Casiguran with 159 uneducated members, 23 have already graduated while 16 are still enrolled under the project.
In August last year, 10 IP learners graduated at Dumaguipo settlement in Barangay Cozo, Casiguran.
In July last year, 13 IP learners passed the assessment examination conducted by ALS mobile teachers.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091533
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