Every year, we are celebrating International Women's Day. This event is being remembered every 8th day of March as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
This article will introduce you to a lady who is very empowering among women. Meet Mary Rose Alejo. An Aeta, who is in her early stage of being, so badly wanted to be a Doctor, and I bet she would, someday.
The Aeta, Agta, or Dumagat, are collective terms for several Filipino indigenous peoples who live in various parts of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They are also known as "Philippines Negrito", and included in the wider Negrito grouping of Southeast Asia, with whom they share superficial common physical characteristics such as dark skin tones, short statures, frizzy to curly-hair, and a higher frequency of naturally lighter hair colour (blondism) relative to the general population. They are thought to be among the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines, preceding the Austronesian migrations. Regardless, modern Aeta populations have significant Austronesian admixture and speak Austronesian languages.
Aeta communities were historically nomadic hunter-gatherers, typically consisting of approximately 1 to 5 families per mobile group. Groups under the "Aeta" umbrella term are normally referred to after their geographic locations or their common languages.
The Aeta build only temporary shelters made of sticks driven to the ground and covered with the palm of banana leaves. The more modernized Aetas have moved to villages and areas of cleared mountains. They live in houses made of bamboo and cogon grass.
Imagine the lifestyle, imagine how remote their places are and how they are both lacking and hungry about knowledge.
Mary Rose Alejo is no doubt an Aeta, not just by the looks of her, which she might not admit, but indeed a burden in her shoulders, having a dark complexion and distinctively curly hair. Yet these, she will take as a great challenge.
You might have watched the Movie What Happen to Monday, or watched a famous character Wednesday from Adam’s Family, Mary Rose is known by her friends as Sunday. According to her teachers from K to 12 program, she is one of the most studious type. Against all odds, she persevered to finish the program.
“I knew that this was the only way to uplift our family from poverty. My father is now deceased and I have 5 younger siblings. So I knew that I had to take my studies seriously.” According to her.
She felt so overwhelming when she heard about the community health work program of the University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences (UPM-SHS). This is her ticket for her dream to become a Doctor.
The first in Asia, UPM-SHS’ innovative step-ladder program “integrates the training of the broad range of health manpower from the midwife, nurse, nurse practitioner, and Doctor of Medicine in a single, sequential and continuous curriculum.”
“No Aeta had imagined that they could become a doctor. We’ve been experiencing discrimination in the lowlands for so long that we’ve grown to fear studying with non-Aetas,” Sunday exclaims
“In high school, some of my classmates used to call me names just because I looked different from them. I could not forget when one of them used to shout ‘basta kulot, salot (if you’re curly-haired, you’re a pest)’ when Aetas were around,” she added.
UP Manila Associate Professor Fresthel Climacosa and a few friends from the academe along with some generous and very helpful people compiled the requirements for her admission to UPM-SHS. One requirement was a petition signed by the community endorsing her admission to the program.
According to Sunday, “Entering UP is the fulfillment of not just my family’s dreams, but of the community’s. Malaki ang pressure (The pressure is huge), but this drives me to prove to everyone who believes in me that I can succeed; that we can succeed.”
Mary Rose's school starts on August 12, 2023 at UPM-SHS’ Baler campus. She will be facing yet another challenge, this time carrying the weight of the Aeta’s hopes and dreams.
All of us will monitor her progress and one day, this will be a great day to celebrate not just by the Aeta’s, but all of us Filipinos.
Cheerio!
