Solidarity among the Eskaya Tribe in Barangay Lundag, Pilar, Bohol bridges the gaps among its people which made them the Indigenous People (IP) model community.

“Dako among kalipay tungod kay nagkahiusa ang mga barangay officials, tribal officials ug ang tibuok community aron mas hapsay ug malampuson ang pag-implement sa mga projects (We are very happy because the barangay officials, tribal officials and the entire community are united in order to make an organized and successful project implementation),” said Cirilo Taer, a barangay kagawad and a member of Eskaya tribe.

During the cycle 1 implementation of Kalahi-CIDSS, the Eskayas had experienced difficulty in carrying out the farm-to-market road sub-project.

“We were unskilled, did not know how to do things like procurement, infrastructure and finances let alone managing the sub-project,” said Cirilo in dialect.

He said the Kalahi-CIDSS trained and equipped them with knowledge and skills to address the gaps. And with the help and guidance of the DSWD workers, the Eskayas finished their farm-to-market road.

“Karun naa nami sa cycle 3 ug kini dili magmalampuson kung wala ang pagtinabangay sa tibuok komunidad labi na ang mga community volunteers. Ug kini nga proyekto nakatabang na mas mapadali ang pag-transport sa among mga ani ug produkto gikan sa bukid paingon sa lungsod (We are already in cycle 3 and this could not be possible without the cooperation of the whole community especially among the community volunteers. This sub-project has been useful in transporting our freshly harvested produce and other products from the mountain to the town proper),” Cirilo added.

The Eskaya tribe also instills good education and culture preservation especially to the younger generation by imbibing the tribe’s culture and integrating its tribal language in the school curriculum and also by conducting Eskaya learning class every Saturday through the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

“Akong mga anak sukad pag-klase wala gyud sipyat pagtungha kay gitan-aw man nako ang ila man kaugmaon (Since the start of the school year, my children have not skipped classes because I am concerned of their future),” Cirilo said.

One of his children is already a manager of a call center in Metro Manila and this March another child will be graduating from college.

At least 92.90% or 144 Eskaya children who are also beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program are in school.

In fact, the community has a high compliance rate with the program conditionalities due to the determination and perseverance of the partner-beneficiaries, accessibility to an educational institution and a health facility.

Aside from the Eskaya Learning Center, Barangay Lundag has its own day care center, public elementary school and a health center.

“Kaniadto daghang discrimination among madawat kay tungod daghan daw namu mga illiterate ug ang among kan-on ra daw kay puros lang lagut-mon (Before, people discriminated us because we were illiterate and because we only eat green-leafy vegetables),” Cirilo recalled.

But now, according to Cirilo, many already claimed to be part of Eskaya tribe even though they are not directly descendants of the tribe.

“Ang kultura kay taytayan sa mga grasya gikan sa gobyerno (Culture is the bridge that brought the services from the government to our barangay),” said Cirilo matter-of-factly.

But Cirilo underscored that even though their community is a recipient of many government programs and services, solidarity among the tribesmen is a vital key in realizing their dreams and aspirations. ###

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