JUST a few kilometers away from the Subic Bay Freeport exit off the spanking new Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is a village called Pastolan, where 400 Ayta (also spelled Aeta) families live.
Officially, the village is part of the town of Hermosa, Bataan. But long ago, in the days before the unats (straight-haired people) took over their land, home to these Aytas was the vast forest that stretched all the way to Zambales and included what is now the economic zone called Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
Last year, after a long struggle, SBMA authorities finally acknowledged that indeed, part of the SBMA perimetered area is Ayta land.
But that is just one part of the story. Another part is getting the SBMA to compensate the Aytas for the use of their ancestral land. And then there is also the Aytas’ effort to reforest the hills and mountains around Subic so that, they say, tourists and business people coming to SBMA will have water to enjoy.
In mid-October, a group of photojournalists visited Pastolan and captured the images and sounds of Pastolan in a series of slideshows, as part of a multimedia training workshop conducted by VERA Files and supported by the Canadian Embassy.
The producers:
Ariel Sebellino used to be the program director of the Philippine Press Institute, the association of newspapers in the country. He is also a writer and has taken on photography as a hobby.
Efren Ramos Jr. is publisher and the chief editor of The Ilocos Times, the longest running community newspaper in Ilocos Norte.
Harley Palangchao is a correspondent of The Manila Times and an editorial staffmember of the Baguio Midland Courier, the oldest newspaper in the Cordillera region.
Mikey Espinosa is the photo chief of The Benildean Press Corps of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. He also writes for Karilyon, the school magazine.
Reylynne Dela Paz is a research and advocacy officer of the Transparency and Accountability Network. She has recently taken interest in photography and is keen on using images to document government projects.
Vincent Go is a freelance photographer and is a member of the Philippine Center for Photojournalism Inc.
Luis Liwanag is a veteran photojournalist who has been part of various newspapers and wire services over the years. He was one of the trainers in VERA Files‘ multimedia course.
