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Barangay Palale: Amidst the Struggles, Amidst the Odds

ASKI is about and will continue to be its identity- transformation beyond microfinance. As part of the advocacy for the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, ASKI in partnership with Hagdan sa Pag-uswag Foundation Incorporated (HSPFI) in Mindanao, Taytay Sa Kauswagan Incorporated (TSKI) in Visayas & support from TEARFund New Zealand, and was chosen to lead a project focusing in organizing Indigenous People and identified five (5) areas of project. One of these is the community of Palale. Located in the mountainous part of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, within the military area reservation of Fort Magsaysay is a small community called Palale. The name came from a tree growing abundantly in the area. The community lies amidst the remoteness of the mountain; exists though miles away from the city; lives despite transportation and communication obscurity; and survives in the hub of night and day military practices.

Comprising of 3,816 hectares of land, Barangay Palale is home to the tribes of Igorot- Applai from Mountain Province, Bago from Ilocos, Ibaloi, Kankanaey and Ifugao, and Dumagat. It was during late President Marcos’ regime (1955), when Indigenous Peoples (IP) started living in Palale which is part of the 35,000 hectares military area reservation in Nueva Ecija. In 1975, due to election propaganda Palale was transferred to Palayan City (the capital of Nueva Ecija) but was transferred back to its original municipality which is General Tinio thru a Court Order released after the election on December 2007. Palale is an hour away from Cabanatuan City where ASKI Head Office is located. Located at the heart of Fort Magsaysay, the way going to Palale is tough with unforgiving terrains with lush vegetation and no houses on both sides of the road. The residents are used to witnessing and hearing military practices such as bomb tests and drills day and night. But they cannot voice out their concerns since Palale still is part of the military area reservation and the Indigenous Peoples being the residents are considered to be “squatters”. Primarily, upland farming (root crops, upland rice, and fruits) is the main source of income in the community. Some are engaging in gold panning because of the extensive mining practices in the mountains. The only means of transportation for the residents to go in and out of Palale and to trade their products is a jeepney owned by a resident with a single trip everyday leaving the village at 7:00 in the morning, and return 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon depending on the time the passengers will arrive. Comprising of 3,816 hectares of land, Barangay Palale is home to the tribes of Igorot- Applai from Mountain Province, Bago from Ilocos, Ibaloi, Kankanaey and Ifugao, and Dumagat. It was during late President Marcos’ regime (1955), when Indigenous Peoples (IP) started living in Palale which is part of the 35,000 hectares military area reservation in Nueva Ecija. In 1975, due to election propaganda Palale was transferred to Palayan City (the capital of Nueva Ecija) but was transferred back to its original municipality which is General Tinio thru a Court Order released after the election on December 2007. Palale is an hour away from Cabanatuan City where ASKI Head Office is located. Located at the heart of Fort Magsaysay, the way going to Palale is tough with unforgiving terrains with lush vegetation and no houses on both sides of the road. The residents are used to witnessing and hearing military practices such as bomb tests and drills day and night. But they cannot voice out their concerns since Palale still is part of the military area reservation and the Indigenous Peoples being the residents are considered to be “squatters”. Primarily, upland farming (root crops, upland rice, and fruits) is the main source of income in the community. Some are engaging in gold panning because of the extensive mining practices in the mountains. The only means of transportation for the residents to go in and out of Palale and to trade their products is a jeepney owned by a resident with a single trip everyday leaving the village at 7:00 in the morning, and return 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon depending on the time the passengers will arrive. The Indigenous Peoples in Palale strive for developments. They hunger for growth yet thirst for their culture to survive for the next generations. Like the lowlanders, they wanted to live in a just environment. Thru the effort of Barangay Council, day care centers and elementary schools were constructed. Non-Government Organization’s interventions are few in the area. But considering ASKI’s mission and vision- socio-economic development and holistic transformation, nothing or no one, even the political and natural barriers can stop ASKI from bringing about sustainable developments. ASKI Community Development Team saw a lot of opportunities for Palale. Community issues were laid down- potable water system, concrete bridge, farm to market road and culture preservation. These issues were carefully analyzed by the elders, barangay officials, tribal leaders and the community development officer and came to conclusion that the need for a Potable Water System should be the priority of the community since safe drinking water is essential to their health. Given that there are four (4) live springs in Palale, these however are three (3) kilometers away, the residents would have to walk that far just to fetch a pail of water. The residents found out that one of these live springs passed on the examination conducted by Palayan City Bureau of Soil and is proven to withstand drought. They connected plastic pipes from the live springs to their respective houses. This however is temporary and cannot sustain the needs of the whole community. The Barangay Council addressed ASKI that if only these temporary pipes will be developed, there is an assurance that it can provide the needs of Palale regarding potable water. Not to mention the percentage of children infected with diseases such as cholera and diarrhea is fast rising. An immediate solution must take place.

The affected families acted on the issue with the assistance of ASKI. The funding for the project’s materials costing Php 733,405.75 (US 15,651) was approved and funded by TEARFund New Zealand. The enthusiastic action of the community in formulating the proposal for water system development and the strong support from the barangay council, elders, and tribal leaders was seen. The community shouldered the labor amounting to Php 180,000 (US 3,841.23).The Barangay Council’s counterpart was Php 50,000 (US 1,067.01) which came from their monthly honoraries they saved. The Municipal Administration Office guaranteed their technical support for the water system project because no funding was allocated in the municipal for the said project. The residents took part in constructing their potable water system- every household took part as workers everyday. Thru collaborative effort of the community and coordination with TEARFund New Zealand and ASKI, the potable water system was constructed in August 2008 and was inaugurated in October 3, 2008. The inauguration was turned into a festivity and cultural presentations. Tribal elders had begun the inauguration with Kanyaw, a traditional Igorot ritual which entails slaughtering animals as offering. “We are really overwhelmed. Thru this water system, with a capacity of 7,180 gallons, 171 households will gain an access of the potable water,” Barangay Chairman Mario Sib-at said as he delivers his speech during the inauguration.