‘Balato’ seekers hound two Aetas who rescued US sailor

ANGELES CITY — For failure to give balato, two Aetas are being ostracized by members of their tribe.

Aetas believe Rafael Calangitan, 22, and his relative Patricio Gutierrez, 29, struck it rich after helping locate an American sailor who went missing on the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo earlier this month.

Problem is, they received just P2,000 each for helping Navy Lt. Scott Washburn back to the former Clark Air Base last week, most of which they’ve already spent on the barest essentials.

Calangitan and Gutierrez need the money to secure the customary National Bureau of Investigation clearance for the standing job offer from the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), as well as a little something for themselves and for their families.

But the two now seldom venture out of their huts in Sitio Bliss in Barangay Sapang Bato here, fearful of being extorted for balato or goodwill money — a distinctly Filipino trait of spreading the largesse or good luck.

It can be recalled that Washburn and four of his compatriots went on a hiking tour at Mt. Pinatubo along with four of their counterparts in the Philippine Navy last June 5. They were however waylaid by a band of New People’s Army guerrillas who confiscated the Filipino sailors’ firearms.

Washburn, who brought up the rear, slipped into the bushes when the NPA accosted his group. He stayed hidden for 33 hours until, roused by a thunderstorm, he decided to find his way back to town.

Halfway back to the former US air base, Washburn knocked on the door of a hut in a clearing, which happened to be owned by the two good Samaritan Aetas.

After accompanying the US sailor back to Clark, Rafael and Patricio found themselves being hailed as "heroes" and "rescuers." The CDC even offered them jobs as grasscutters in the special economic zone, and they were later motored to Manila for an audience with Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona. They were also brought to Subic for a "reunion" with Washburn aboard the USS Rushmore.

"They have lost friends since then, because of their failure to give balato," said Rafael’s father, Caxama Pan, 38.

Aeta villagers in Sapang Bato reportedly believe that the two hit the jackpot amid reports they were given cash rewards by the CDC, DFA and even by the US government for their good deed.

"But they no longer have any money. Even me and his father were not able to get a cent of the P2,000 they received," said Rafael’s mother Milagros, 35.

Sonny Lopez, CDC manager for information and public affairs, explained that the CDC gave P1,000 each to Rafael and Patricio to help them in expenses in securing the required documents for their permanent employment.

"I think Secretary Guingona also gave them P1,000 each, but they never received any cash from the US government as they never even expected any reward in the first place," Lopez said.

Milagros said her son spent his P2,000 reward for a pair of t-shirts and new black leather shoes he would use as a CDC worker. Rafael also bought a can of milk for his five-year-old daughter.

"It’s difficult for us. My son is being jeered at and hounded for balato up to now," Caxama said.

Aetas in Sitio Bliss have complained that the CDC should give permanent jobs not only to Rafael and Patricio, but also to the families of Luisito Lara and Junior David, two tribesmen who died from methane gas poisoning after cleaning a sewage pipe at Clark in 1994.

The Lara and David families were each compensated only P10,000 by the CDC, money that might not have lasted a year.

"Now their grown up children are unemployed and could not get jobs at CDC," said a relative who asked not to be named.