Mangyan village products in Glorietta

On my first visit to Puerto Galera many years ago, I learned from whispers that the Zóbel de Ayala family has a rest house there somewhere near White Beach. After that, I kept hearing admirable stories about how they take care of the Mangyan tribes, probably as part of their corporate social responsibility. I never gave it much attention back then. But last summer, right after Momay's 10th birthday lunch at Dekada, we found this in Glorietta 3.

So the stories are true, after all. The Mangyans do have a padrino in Ayala Foundation, the social development arm of the Ayala Corporation.

The Mangyans (originally spelled as Mañguián; Mañguianes if plural) are the indigenous peoples of Mindoro Island, composed of Mindoro Oriental and Mindoro Occidental. Out of eight Mangyan groups in the said island, the Ayala Foundation is in charge of the well being of the Iraya-Mangyan. In Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental, it is estimated that about 200 families of this group are living at the foot of Monte Malasimbô, that imposing mountain one sees near popular White Beach. The Ayala Foundation bought a huge tract of land there in Sitio Talipanan, converting it into a well-managed village for the Iraya Mangyan, complete with electricity and water supply. In this village is a school for children and an area where adults are being taught various livelihood projects with focus on their weaving tradition. All products coming out of their ancient weaving assignment are then shipped to Glorietta 3 where they are to be displayed and sold.

At the second floor of Glorietta 3 (we're just not sure if it's still there) can be found a make-shift shop where the Mangyan products of Sitio Talipanan are sold. Although this shop has no name, it has an informational ad which says "Mangyan Village Products". It is written there that since 1989, Jaime Zóbel de Ayala and his wife Beatriz (the parents of famous brothers Jaime Augusto II and Fernando) brought down the marginalized Mangyans from the mountains (Monte Malasimbô) to the lowlands (Sitio Talipanan) to implement numerous educational and livelihood projects under the auspices of the Ayala Foundation with the assistance of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Anne. The objective is to bring them to the Filipino mainstream society and to give them decent homes.

This reminded me of how the Spanish friars of long ago took the very difficult task of civilizing, educating, and Christianizing pre-Filipino peoples who were then scattered in upland forests and riverine settlements. But not all ethnolinguistic groups were Hispanized, as evidenced by the Mangyans and their hitherto primitive lifestyle. Where the friars failed, the Zóbel de Ayala family succeeded.

Birthday boy Momay carrying a deep nito-made basket.

Juanito, perhaps our most artistically inclined child, is the one who is more interested with these Mañguián products.

I've already had many close encounters with the Mangyans because Yeyette is a Mindoreña herself; she's from Abra de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental where there are still a couple of Mangyan villages left (I just don't know to which Mangyan group they belong). The only problem is that many of these groups are being taken care of incorrectly by various Christian sects, usually only for religious conversion. That is why whenever I meet a Mangyan in Abra de Ilog, they remind me of thickly sooted beggars in Metro Manila. And yes, they do beg whenever they visit the población while the more industrious ones offer their services —various manual labor such as doing the laundry, gardening, farm hand, etc.— in exchange for money or other dry goods. These poor souls have lost their dignity. But the Ayala Foundation and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Anne, on the other hand, had other things in mind. And that is to empower the Mangyan. One way of doing this is by supporting the revival of the Iraya-Mangyan's weaving tradition, particularly the creation of the so-called "nito" (native vine) baskets and other related woven products such as plates, pot holders, bags, etc. These are then sold in this small shop which we found at the second level of Glorietta 3 last May 13. And the best part of it is that all proceeds go directly to the Ayala Foundation's Iraya-Mangyan Project for the benefit of the said ethnolinguistic group. ¡Bravo!

Yeyette bought a couple of intricately woven pot holders made entirely out of nito while our kids marveled at the other products showcasing the artistic side of the Iraya-Mangyan which was then unknown to the general public. It's just curious to note that these products were handmade at the foot of thickly forested Monte Malasimbô and are now being sold within the brightly electrified lights of airconditioned Glorietta 3. From forest to mall.

Click here for more photos! And stay tuned for more of our San Pedro Macati tour in the coming weeks! ¡Hasta la vista! =)