Tarlac: Some 521 Aeta families in Barangay Maruglo, Capas, Tarlac have received farming implements from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to help them become economically stable and prevent them from migrating to urban centers to beg, especially during the Christmas season.
According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian emphasized the significance of the initiative, which is part of the Pag-abot program. This program aims to provide short-term and long-term interventions for families and individuals in street situations (FISS), helping them lead sustained and dignified lives. The Pag-abot program assists indigenous communities like the Aetas, preventing them from being exploited and encouraging them to stay in their communities rather than migrating to cities for alms.
In his July 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. highlighted the importance of addressing the needs of the FISS, who are the most vulnerable and in urgent need of assistance. Last year, the Pag-abot program managed to reach out to Indigenous Peoples (IP) like the Aetas from Barangay Marulog, who had traveled to the National Capital Region (NCR) to beg during the holidays. These individuals were promptly returned to their community in Barangay Maruglo, and through case management by DSWD's social workers, they received commitments for carabaos to aid in their farming.
During the turnover ceremony, Secretary Gatchalian, along with Pag-abot Director Marilyn Moral, handed over 50 carabaos to the Aeta community, adding to the 91 already provided in 2024. This marked a total of 141 carabaos distributed to date, as highlighted by Gatchalian.
In addition to the Aetas who were directly assisted by the Pag-abot program, the DSWD learned that more than 500 other Aeta households in Barangay Maruglo are engaged in farming. By utilizing the community-driven development approach of the DSWD's Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), the community was organized to empower them in identifying interventions that would benefit other Aeta households as well.
Through the collaboration of the Pag-abot program and the KALAHI-CIDSS, additional farm tools were distributed to the Aeta community in Barangay Maruglo. These included 10 hand-tractors with trailers, nine mini-tiller cultivators, 10 grass-cutters, 10 water pumps, 33 knapsack sprayers, six power sprayers, four mini palay threshers, and three rice mills.
According to the DSWD Secretary, this assistance is part of a comprehensive intervention to empower the IP sector and is replicated in other areas with significant indigenous populations, such as the Badjao community in Zamboanga.
Cora Cosme Gonzales, a 37-year-old beneficiary of the Pag-abot program, expressed her gratitude for receiving a carabao in 2024. She shared her experiences of hardship while farming in the mountainous areas near Mt. Pinatubo. The carabao and cart provided by the program have made planting easier and allowed her to safely transport produce to buyers.
The DSWD collaborates closely with the local government unit (LGU) of Capas, Tarlac, to reach out and monitor the progress of the Aeta community. The Pag-abot Program, implemented in 2023, was institutionalized in 2024 through Executive Order (EO) No. 52.
