Footprints of Resiliency

"You may refer to and use any resource materials available in our G-class. See you next meeting, III-BSE," said Dr. Marie Grace Cabansag as she wrapped up the session by reminding us to use existing research about the indigenous people when working on our projects. After clicking the leave meeting button, immediately changed for a swift bike around my area and, in a flash, I remembered how much the place had metamorphosed. Before, I used to walk on a rocky path since the whole street had no concrete lane, and many houses, including fences, were primarily bamboo-made or out of other durable wood. Two decades have passed, and I witnessed how the residential area showed drastic changes—a proof that the community is consistently transforming with up-to-date and advanced technology.

While biking, went on the water irrigation canal and saw how different it looked today. In my close observation, there were no clams in the canal, which was shocking considering that when was a kid, could see clams even without burrowing in the sand. In addition, there seemed to be no fishing activities in the irrigation canal anymore. Are they banning people from catching fish from the canal nowadays? Clueless, I hurried home. On my way, saw my uncle heading home after catching fish in the river, looking gloomy. I noticed he had very little catch today, despite his industry pursuing fish for hours. Especially with the restricting pandemic magnified by the sudden price escalation of commodities, providing for the family can be challenging. When I was a kid, felt amazed each time saw my uncles able to catch many tilapia sewn together by a grass-like plant found near the riverbank. It made me wonder if his fishing nets were damaged, or so thought.

When reached home, went to my room to accomplish my projects. opened the posted file and started reading and annotating. It took me hours to finish the entire paper, but because was engaged in the rich discussion of educational data presented in the article, did not even take a rest. was late to realize that Dr. Cabansag and two other PNU lecturers authored the comprehensive ethnographic research enjoyed reading—the Indigenous Utilization of Resources and Conservation Practices of the Agta of Lupigue, Ilagan City, Isabela, Philippines.

Reading the paper has intensified my limited knowledge regarding the life of the Agta Community.

I was surprised to find out one could also use academic articles to discuss and record indigenous peoples' practices allowing readers and future generations to discover and grasp these practices and lifestyles. After reading, I answered the questions provided for us to discover new cultures and get cultured simultaneously. The Indigenous Knowledge, Systems, and Practices that decoded from learning through research made me think of the difference between the Agta community and the community am involved with.

What conservation practices can we mimic from the community regarded as the first indigenous peoples to inhabit the country and, therefore, is the foundation of Philippine society?The authors reported Agtas' sustainable utilization and conservation practices on the forest, wildlife, the body of water, and land resources.

While reading this

by Jimuel C. Sagario

article, list the practices you suppose could bring transformative changes to your community.

Have you ever seen a baki a hand-woven basket where hens lay their eggs? Agtas have these as well. They also make backpacks where hunts and food are kept during their travel. bet you have seen them in the market, or perhaps, one of your neighbors owns one of these intricately woven products. What makes these products eco-friendly and sustainable are the durable materials they were made of—rattan palm, identified under the Least Concern in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species. Fortunately, Agtas display an impressive awareness that these resources are not limitless; they are mindful that the forest is their actual storage room.Therefore, they need to conserve their sources by collecting not more than what they need. Accordingly, they only gather a small number of rattan stems, and if there are only a few remaining trees, these will only be cut down once they reproduce in adequate numbers. From this practice, what can the government take and use in battling issues on deforestation and nature conservation?

That is one stirring there is no better way to do just that than to have someone of their own take the podium.

You probably heard of using arrows in fishing, but have you heard of using weeds to catch fish? It is a unique practice used by Agtas to assist them in fishing. found it perplexing when I read about it, but its explanation makes sense, demonstrating how good of nature observers they are. According to them, fish eventually get tired of avoiding the weeds, making the catch easier. Among the fishes often caught by Agtas are Tilapia classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN red list of threatened species. Hence, using weeds to assist their catch is far better than using harmful chemicals! Adding to the list of their unique ways of life is trapping fish using an instrument called bukatot which is made of an old mosquito net repurposed by stitching together to form an extended net and laid in the river water. It consists of a space where the aquatic animals are stored and trapped. The name bukatot (translated as voracious in English) comes after its design, as it could trap any aquatic animal, including crabs and snakes. More importantly, Agtas practice selective fishing, a method of only catching fish fit for consumption. Imagine if communities also restrict fishers from excessive fishing to conserve the fish population. This fishing method could help solve the problem related to the fishers decreasing catch.

The Agtas' ways of living differ from the mainstream, including their farming beliefs. Have you known that Agtas treat pests with kindness?

They do not use harmful pesticides and do not bother the pests in exchange for them not destroying their crops. Aside from this eco-friendly agricultural practice, they also allow stalks of plant crops to decay or burn them, serving as fertilizer and preserving the soil's to treat subi-subi, a local term for a medical problem wherein a sticky substance blocks the air passage of a kid, causing the color of its skin to turn to violet. Although in a national scientific journal, no experimental testing on the efficacy and mechanism of snake bile to cure health problems, such as stomach discomfort, has been thoroughly proven, this still proves the wealth of Agtas culture as it also includes beliefs in treating medical problems. It becomes a problem when severe cases that need urgent treatment are left in the care of a healer rather than a doctor. Such instances, however, could be averted when communities like theirs have more extensive access to proper medication and formal education. Giving priority to the marginalized sectors' needs and welfare is a matter that the government should focus on more.

To the complicated wealthy Senator in the country who is still puzzled as to why research is addicting, I hope this gets to you and finally be able to see the utility of research to the country, especially to a public servant like you. After reading the article, immediately felt its weight, which extends to my community. Later that day, I saw some problems in my community that could be solved by taking into account the significance of the conservation practices of the Agtas. There seemed to be an absence of clams in our irrigation canal, and there has been an evident decrease in fishers' catch lately. These problems are highly tied to the residents' overfishing and overconsumption activities, draining the available food source in the locale.

Communities with similar adversities could draw inspiration from Agtas' selective fishing method, allowing fishers to catch or collect enough fish and clams for their consumption only. Related to this, leaders can also put up community-level enforcement of stronger regulations to control excessive fishing to help conserve the fish population. Other Filipino communities could follow the examples set by Agtas in benefitting while also conserving, preserving, and protecting what sustains the growth of the community—resources. When we do that, we may never see another fisherman looking gloomy after