Last February 23, 2019 First year College batch 2018-2019 students of National Service Training Program of the Northeastern College have conducted a program to help our Fellow Filipino, the “Badjao” people by giving them a simple gifts.
Badjao tribe is mostly known as being contented of having simple shelter and family. immatured in finding a job to feed their families. They are also referred as deviate native filipino from accepted norm of the society. It hurts when these people are being discriminated by their own race. They have no permanent address because many municipalities rejected them and Public Servants refused to help and accept them to their community. However, The Municipality of Santiago City wholeheartedly welcome Badjao tribe and hopefully, Santiagueno and Badjao will be a good friends and work together through imbibing the importance of education. Each people expectedly, forget about the differences, Variation of cultures and tradition and at the same time, stick together in a very compact, strong nation that holds the identity of a proud Filipino that move as one with a true care for each other, compassion and enthusiasm in serving one another.
Badjao people is known as lazy “Tamad” who always seeking shortcuts in life. They are not capable to communicate with other groups of people because they cannot speak tagalog properly and it has become their fears that imposed boundary vetween them and to the other people. Discrimination made the situation more difficult for our fellow Filipino people “Badjao people.”
As we conducted the said program We students were vey excited to know more about Badjao tribes. I was the Master of Ceremony and I asked their translator from their tribe “what is the Badjao term for mahal kita” and they told us if I am not mistaken in spelling “Magnanakan.” after knowing that, students of the Northeastern College spoke these words for Bajao people “Badjao magnanakan” meaning to say “Badjao mahal kita” and everyone enjoyed the term and I saw the simile in everyone’s face. In that time as Badjao interacting with other people from different culture, I did not see any discriminations as each participants of the program sharing one interest of helping our fellow Filipino.
Badjao is good in the sport of volleyball. Actually they invited us to play with them. They are commonly known for their talents playing a drum made in Tiny metal “Can” what I observed is that, Badjao is a native filipino among others having its own culture and tradition who deserves respect and acceptance to our society. They have own dance and language which we also tried to do and it is very enjoyable.
They are not lazy actually. One Badjao mother stood and told us “kung may tamang pera lang kami bakit hindi kami magaral? Magaaral kami pero wala kaming pera.”
They understand the Tagalog language but only few of them can speak them and that few are their translators.
They made us realized that, due to fearness to communicate with others, insufficient to send their children to schools, discriminations. They started to think that druming in the street would make them alive and give the needs of their tribe. When we visited them, the first step of our foot to their place, we immediately saw that these people are pure filipino who maintains the characters of our race. They are hospitable and happy even their life is difficult. Let’s give them space in our society becaise they are not different from us. We are all equally made by God.
Students succeeded to their mission with the help of our NSTP teachers and Kagawad Jospeh Cortes with his Companions.
To God be the Glory
Criminologist Travel. The mission to society. everyone play a vital role. 