Philippine Indigenous Community Rizza Mermejo

Sir Jason Allosa April 9, 2021

As I listened on the presentation of the reports on various indigenous community, it

opened my eyes. I realized that we can do much more in seeking quality life with Indigenous
Peoples. It is a great challenge for me to find out how am I going to love the culture and
understand further these people. By ethnicity, I am one of them, but my thoughts, deeds, and
acts are not as theirs.

I think that most Indigenous Peoples’ communities have a high regard for education.
There is a common desire for them to participate actively in community life outside their own.
They also see that education can provide them with more access to different opportunities. I
think that these are the prevailing perceptions now, partly because of the work of the
government and NGOs in raising their awareness about the value of education. I think that they
have also developed this view through the experiences of other Indigenous Peoples members
who have received quality education.

Other factors may also be barriers to Indigenous learners’ access to education. One of
these is related to their livelihood. There are instances wherein education takes a backseat
because work is a priority. However, we see that gender perceptions also influence education.
Such that, despite having the ability to take leader roles, some women with whom I have had
the experience of working seem to be holding back. Other cultural practices related to their
mobility and health also affect their education. For example, Indigenous Peoples who are
mobile may face difficulties in schooling schedules. Food stability also influences their
education.

Over the past decades, these people were oftentimes the discriminated ones. They were
not given any place or importance; they were deprived of benefits that they ought to have.
They were treated as unequal and so they do not have life they might be longing for, a life that
anybody longs for. It is as if they do not belong to society; it has been too hard for them to
attain, and it has gone too far out of their reach. They seem to be “kawawa” (unfortunate).