Story of Young Higaonon

Iamveryhappytobeableto serveasamouthpiecetomy fellowyouthwiththecauseof solidarityanddialogueamong Moro,LumadandChristian people.Thegiftofrespect, understandingandgoodwillare amongthethingsthattruly matteratatimewhenlifeis uncertain.”

Fortunately, I was able to make a living off by making cabinets and tables for classrooms and the teachers would pay me in a subjective manner Carpentry was one of the skills I have apart from farming What happened in my place was the armed rebels (NPA) would approach us occasionally and would give suggestions like what if I become a “community police” sort of a thing. There were instances that whenever the armed troops (armed forces) gets in, they (NPA) would would ask me to steadfastly indignate myself and I would refuse They insisted I was in the position to do so but I was incessant in telling them I wasn’t in the first place since I merely welcomed them as friends and what they did to me did not necessarily followed that I would become one of them. I am afraid the soldiers would implicate me for anything (for a serious crime, perhaps)

We were all resentful but there is nothing we can do about it In order to survive, we must weather everything. Despite the hardships, what matters is that we are living safely and peacefully here in Brgy Kalilangan So far, people from the NPA do not come to approach us anymore and we are as thankful But despite that, we are also delighted because we felt that their hearts have been touched after hearing what we went through before (with all the chaos that have been happening thereon). Because of their incessant fighting with the government, living in the mountains is somehow affected and for someone like me who has been accustomed to living off a far-flung life it is kind of an inconvenience to have them fighting off with the troops Actually, I wouldn’t want to have this life now any other way because ever since we were not used to dreaming about going to school or having to obtain a college degree

This is the life that we got to used with but as I have immersed myself in the realities of my time being, I have come to terms and ended up having a vision, most especially for the people of my community.

Apart from farming, I also engage myself in educating my fellow barrio people regarding the importance of pursuing something they want to, the value of peace, respect, understanding and unity and the power of keeping abreast with whatever challenge is coming. That is what I continue to do now I also encourage my fellow young people to attend any educational and learning events (a meeting or a workshop perhaps) just like what the AKMK is doing to strengthen the role of tri-people youth in the promotion of solidarity and dialogues through creative arts and cultural learning With the help of this peace art project, we had interactive activities such as song writing and poster-making about what we were going through I was very elated knowing I have done the things that I was not able to do when I was younger. I am deeply grateful for your facilitating work because I have learned so much everything about my song writing capability