‘Belen’ pays tribute to Aeta ingenuity
By Russell Arador
Philippine Daily Inquirer
TARLAC CITY – Every year, at the start of the “ber” months (September to December), Aeta families would descend from the mountains to beg for alms in Tarlac City.
They would set up camp on the bank of the Tarlac River under the Ninoy Aquino Bridge. To protect themselves from the elements, they would build round-shaped houses made of dried cogon grass collected nearby and skillfully woven together.
This annual scene under the bridge is depicted in a diorama created by students of the Our Lady of Peace College Seminary in the city’s Barangay San Isidro as an entry to this year’s province-wide belen-making contest. It features Joseph, Mary and the Infant Jesus as an Aeta Holy Family.
The contest is the main attraction of the “Belenismo sa Tarlac,” which was begun last year by Gov. Victor Yap, Tarlac Heritage Foundation president Isabel Cojuangco Suntay, Tarlac Diocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church head Alex Bautista, and Tarlac Convention and Visitors Bureau president Jun Baron.
“Belenismo,” in Spanish, means the art of making a belen, a representation of the Nativity scene in which the Holy Family is visited by the Three Wise Men who came to the manger through the guidance of a star.
The project aims to transform Tarlac into the “Belen Capital of the Philippines.”
5 contest categories
In 2007, 85 entries competed for prizes in five categories: personal, grand, diorama, monumental and municipal. This year, the number went down to 55, not because fewer participated but because the personal category, which drew 17 entries last year, had been dropped.
Elmer Bulaon, project development officer for tourism of the Tarlac government, said this year’s contests more than made up for the loss of a category with the increase in the number of city and town governments participating. In fact, only two towns failed to compete as against five last year.
Beyond the numbers, though, this year’s celebration was more successful because the Tarlaqueños have shown more creativity in craftsmanship, use of indigenous materials, and choice of theme, said Bautista, an architect-priest who helped start the project through a series of belen-making training seminars in September last year.
He pointed to the use of paper (derived from Tarlac grass), egg shells, lahar, plastic straws, painted beans, dried moss and baked clay as an improvement from commercially available materials, like Styrofor and figurines.
The craftsmanship is also noteworthy, he said, for its attention to detail.
Under the Aquino Bridge
One of his favorites is the diorama showing Joseph, Mary and Jesus as one of the Aeta families who seasonally “squat” under the Aquino Bridge. The miniature bridge looks familiar enough, especially on seeing the historic San Sebastian Cathedral at the far end.
Bautista also finds the diorama amusing due to the presence of a cat atop the bridge’s parapet.
“Architecturally,” he said, the Nativity scene at the Diwa ng Tarlak building was “most impressive.”
It places the Holy Family in front of what used to be the most popular structure in Tarlac, next only to the capitol building. A landmark in the past (where important public and cultural activities were held, including the hosting of some of slain Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.’s documents and memorabilia), it has been reduced to a deteriorating edifice whose rooms are mainly rented out to government offices.
The competitions also provided an opportunity to bring out unknown dimensions of community life in the province.
Take the case of the third-prize diorama entry that sets the Nativity scene at the foot of a little-known natural wonder at Sitio Dueg, Barangay Maasin in San Clemente town. Located about 1,000 feet above sea level, the Timangguyob Falls is a potential tourist destination.
Ecotourism site
Diogenes Simbol, a staff member of the provincial information office, said he created the diorama as a tribute to the Aeta community in the area and to promote the village as an ecotourism site. He said he first saw the place when he, as the logistics officer of the Tarlac Mountaineering Club, accompanied the crew of a cable TV network. Tribal chieftain Friday Rueda guided the group.
He said he visited the site twice and each time the Aeta people’s hospitality and knowledge of the terrain never failed to impress him. Both times, he said, the Aetas went out of their way to make their journey safe.
“They improvised railings out of bamboo stalks and wooden vines so we would not go over the edge of cliffs. They carried our things. They were quick in grabbing our arms to keep us from falling or sliding down slippery moss-covered rocks,” he said.
“Talagang asikaso kami (They really attended to us).”
They also taught him how to hunt river frogs and to cook them, how to prepare wild mushrooms and root crops for food, and how to use forest plants for medicinal purposes.
In return, Simbol used half of his prize money to buy sports equipment, like chessboards, basketball and volleyball, for the children of the Aeta community.
Christmas gifts
He said he would distribute the Christmas gifts, along with a call center company, to the community on Dec. 15.
The promotion of the place, he said, would help the Aeta abandon the practice of kaingin (slash-and-burn farming) because they would have the economic alternative of serving as guides to tourists.
“The Aeta changed my life. That’s why I made the belen. I just hope that after winning the contest I would be able to change their lives as well,” he said.
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