FIRST there were the Chinese, then the Indians (Bumbays), then the Muslims and now the Badjaos who are migrating to many provinces in Central Luzon.
The Chinese, the Indians and the Muslims are mostly traders whose purpose in settling in the region is to rake in profits from their business activities such as retail of dry goods, household items and other things that include pirated CDs and DVDs. The Indians meanwhile are known for their installment payments on kitchen wares and money lending activities.
A few years ago, the Badjaos, displaced by war and oppression in their home provinces in Mindanao, are migrating too in many parts of Central Luzon. Sadly, they live on soliciting alms or selling sea items such as sea shells in coastal provinces in the region.
One time I was at a resort inside the Subic Freeport Zone when a Badjao fisherman approached me on the seaside selling a seashell. When I asked him if from where he came from, he politely answered that he came from Sulu province and was forced to leave his hometown due to occasional fighting between soldiers and Muslim rebel groups.
While having a hard time speaking in Filipino, he added that there are many Badjao families who migrate to the region to live new lives either as merchants or as beggars.
In the City of San Fernando, there are Badjao children who hang on jeepneys with their handmade drums and sound makers made of PVC pipes and serenade passengers for alms.
The practice of these children put their lives or limbs at risk since they hang on like monkeys on jeepneys. They likewise put to danger other motorists for their tendencies to fall from jeepneys they are hitching in.
***
I would like to express my concurrence to the statement of Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan that the migration of Badjao families in many parts of Bulacan and Pampanga is a national issue.
Speaking before the barangay captains from the first district of Pampanga, he intimated that national government agencies and local government units to collectively solve the growing problem on the migration of Badjaos in the province.
Badjaos are Moro indigenous ethnic group who live in coastal towns in Mindanao such as Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. They usually live on hovels constructed on the sea near coastal areas. There are among them meanwhile who live on floating wooden boats tied on posts erected on coasts.
One of the major problems with their migration is their need for their dwellings. Since Pampanga has no sea, Badjaos are said to be having the hard time to look for their means to live. Many Badjaos are fishermen or salvagers of sea products such as shells or pearls, thus making livelihood as one of the problems they will have to face since their migration to Central Luzon.
Many of the Badjaos that I have encountered do not speak Filipino, thus the language barrier keeps them from effectively communicating with the people in the region. They usually do some sign languages when communicating.
With these problems, there exists a need for the government to address the migration of our brothers from the sea to dry land. While they can eventually adapt to our environment, they need to be look after too as new residents in the region.
Their plight is a national issue that should be addressed by the national government.
***
For any comments, ideas, suggestions or opinions, text or call The Advocate at 09213636360 or send email at dencious@yahoo.com.