The Philippines, like any other country, is inhabited by people from all walks of life. Indigenous communities still live in some of the provinces. 9 out of 11 municipalities in Occidental Mindoro are still inhabited by Mangyans or Forest Men. This group of people is composed of 7 tribes – the Iraya, the Alangan, the Batangan, the Buhid, the Tao-Buhid, the Hamunoo, and the Ratagnon. The tribesmen belonging to the different groups are very different from each other, but as a group, they represent the impoverished, underprivileged, and unschooled group in the country.

      To address this social problem, Josephine Ramirez-Sato, the governor of the province, developed a program to help improve the lives of the Mangyans yet preserve their culture.

      This program was not conceived without thought. The Office of Southern Cultural Communities (OSCC), together with the Funan of different Mangyan groups was confided upon for find out what the Mangyans needed the most. As the results came out, it was discovered that there are still a lot of things needed to be done in order for the Mangyans to be more or less at par with the other residents of other provinces, or even of the Philippines in general.

      Mangyans needed to register statuses of births, marriages, and death. Tribal leaders should also be encouraged to take up leadership trainings. To help them have economic developments, they are encouraged to learn livestock raising, farming techniques, the relationship between the market and marketing techniques, improvement of upland training system, infrastructure development, and environmental management and protection. Social development is also important. Hence, they are taught the importance of cooperation, of strong values, of literacy, and of the importance of women’s welfare and development.

      With all these activities, the lifestyle of the Mangyans could not help but improve. Mangyans started registering births and marriages. In 1998, around 5,332 births were registered. Knowledge on farming techniques also encouraged the Mangyans to use sloping agricultural techniques instead of using the slash and burn system. Farming equipments were also provided for their use. As a result, they were able to make use of their skills and improve their economy. Later on, infrastructure, such as chapels, nurseries, and school buildings were built.

      For social development, projects such as the Edukasyon at Kalusugan para sa Etnikong Pamayanan sa Kanlurang Mindoro were created. This promoted the literacy of the Mangyans. At least 90 percent of the Mangyans joined this program and they illustrated significant improvements in reading, writing, and arithmetic after undergoing literary trainings. Trainings discussing sanitation and healthcare and medical missions increased the Mangyans awareness on how to live a fit life.

      All these changes improved the Mangyans’ way of life. They are now very active contributors to the country’s growth opportunities.