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Malnutrition, food insecurity and limited access to safe water had been persistent issues faced by Aeta communities of Sacobia in the geographically isolated and disadvantaged parts of Pampanga and Tarlac. For years, families had to walk for hours through mountainous terrain just to fetch a few gallons of water to bring home.
That hard reality of the indigenous people is now a thing of the past with the installation of a deep well in Sitio Burog, Bamban, Tarlac on 2 May 2025 under the Roots to Shoots (RTS) program of Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. and Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI).
With the deep well, Sitio Burog residents only need to step outside their homes and fetch water through multiple faucets of the well. It will serve 127 Aeta households and ensure the protection of families from waterborne diseases.
The deep well is just the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) component of the RTS program, a three-year initiative of the corporate social responsibility arm of Solaire Resort & Casino with PSFI as principal implementor. Benefiting roughly 2,500 Aeta households, RTS also has food security and livelihood, as well as mother and childcare programs.
Families are given capital, tools and capacity for gardening and farming to sustain their own food sources and provide them income.
Children are properly nourished in the first 1,000 days of their lives, including breastfeeding.
Pregnant mothers and caregivers undergo parenting and nutrition seminars.
The three RTS components work hand in hand toward a single goal: building a self-sustaining, independent and well-nourished community.
For a community that once felt forgotten because of where they lived, RTS brings more than just water. It brought hope, relief and a renewed sense of security.
It served as a reminder that there are still institutions and fellow Filipinos willing to work for marginalized sectors of the community, using their platforms and resources to help build the nation, no matter how remote or small the community may be.
