INTO THE VERGE OF THE SIMPLE LIFE

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your
affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count
half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.
-Henry David Thoreau
The Aeta natives of Barangay Diaz, Porac, Pampanga have lived the simple life
for all their lives. They had no electricity, were deprived of clean and potable drinking
water, had no modern forms of communication, and were seemingly entangled into an
unending darkness, void of even the faintest light during the nightfall. It was, for us,
unbearable, but to them it was the life that they had to liveone they had to endure.
Six years ago, a spark of hope came into this barangay through the
establishment of Diaz Elementary School, an annex school of Villa Maria Elementary
School which was two mountains away. With the teachers hard work and the
perseverance of the Aeta children, came the renewed hope that a brighter future is
never far behind.
It was through these circumstances that Smart, as part of its corporate social
responsibility and a way of paying it forward, reached out to this community, with Smart
TOC-NL spearheading. July 31, 2015 marked the Smart Community Outreach at Brgy.
Diaz, just days after Meralco Foundation donated their 100 th Solar Power System to the
school last July 14, 2015 which incidentally was Mr. Manny V. Pangilinans 69 th birthday.
That day was a celebration, not only of compassion, but also of culture. They
welcomed the team with open hands, and open hearts as they sang and danced their
hearts out parading what their culture has to offer. Sir Ronald Miranda (NL TOC
Manager), and Sir Rowel Selom (Area 3 Head), even joined in the fun with their crazy
dance moves.
The team offered them with delicious food such as lechon, adobo, chicharon, and
a lot more for lunch; and spaghetti for merienda. They in turn prepared delectable
vegan-inspired meals made from banana hearts and rice cooked in bamboo and banana
leaves. It was sheer bliss. Simple yet it was what everyone needed the most.
Smart TOC NL in total has donated 10 rechargeable LED flashlights for each
barangay official, 1 WIFI Kit for the school from Smart Public Affairs Department, 84 Tshirt uniforms, 75 bags of groceries, 17 sacks of used closed, lunch and
merienda for 200 Aetas, and 10 sets of Type B Boy Scout uniforms.
The hustles and bustles of daily life have made it seemingly impossible for even
the smartest people to remember what really matters. Therefore, its the heart that
always remembers what the mind forgets. It is our unending pursuit for what we lack
that blinds us of what we really need and most of all, what others really need. Only
when we start to reach out, throw away our burdens and start embracing the simple life
that we learn to appreciate what we have and just be thankful for it.

Jeniel Pascual

Jeniel Pascual