Members of the Kabihug clan at Osmenia, with some of them displaying
transistor radio sets donated by the Coalition of Services of the Elderly
(COSE), an NGO looking after the welfare of indigenous people. With them are
two NGO volunteer-workers. The
building behind the group was built by COSE for use as a multi-purpose center.
– Facebookpic courtesy of A ANDAYA
SOME members of an indigenous group in Mambulao known as ‘Kabihugs’
have received transistorized radios from the Coalition of Services of the
Elderly (COSE), a non-governmental organization (NGO).
COSE said the Kabihugs, who live in a community at Baranggay Osmena
outside of the poblacion, would benefit much from the radio sets especially on
weather reports.
It said it was important for the group to know the weather condition
especially during stormy days so the members could prepare accordingly.
COSE said it was its way of helping the tribe to assimilate faster with
the Mambulao community.
It said the donation would make the Kabihug families feel that they are
part of the community.
In the latest donation, five elderly Kabihug members each received a
set.
COSE said it had donated similar items in the past and is trying to
cover all the Kabihug families.
The NGO has also built a “multi’purpose” roofed structure at the
Kabihug community where they can get together for recreation and meetings.
The tribe occupies at least 20 hectares of ancestral land at Osmena
where they do farming as part of their livelihood.
Transistor radio .... a cherished possession ...
The IPs do not need transistor radios to monitor the weather. They KNOW, simply by looking at the sun, or the moon. They know thru the changing environment, as they feel, hear, taste, see it. I pray they do not give our IPs electricity, unless it is free. WATER, is what they need... and it is much more simple to build a well that is sustainable. A transistor radio needs batteries to operate. Once they realize how much it costs to maintain this, the'cherished possesion' becomes a beast of burden.
ReplyDeleteOur Kabihugs need to be recognized and encouraged to revive their culture. They need to be inter-acting with the rest of the indigenous tribes all over the country, and the world. I have gone thru more remote places where IP's habitats are, and even without the transistor radios, they still possess the innate radar, so full of wisdom and beauty. Our Kabihugs simply exist. Uplifting them from that black hole isn't complicated at all. But it takes more than spending a day or two of transistor radio hand-out And it is not too late too.
Hi DEOBEX thanks for your react ... well, maybe we could just consider it a positive start to getting them know the society around them ... the radio could be a big source of info for them - specially the bicol broadcast-- which would help them understand us better, and thus, find a better way to interact. it's true ... what they need is clean water readily accessible to every kabihug. a source of water is what this NGO should start looking into.. it could be built right inthe community- since they have this place as their permanent home, the well would be safe and could be well looked after. cheers for your feedback. hope artem andaya reads this...
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