This post was most recently updated on October 17th, 2018
The Aetas, being one of the biggest, in terms of number, member of ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines, are indigenous people living in different mountainous places in Luzon. They can be found in the provinces of Pampanga, Zambales, and Tarlac, to name a few. In Pampanga alone, Aetas are scattered in the municipalities of Floridablanca, Porac, Guagua and Angeles.
Color Your Life team chose Sitio Camachile, Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca to be the venue of its second project since the community is far from the city, which limits the sources of knowledge in school. There is also only a few that gives alternative teaching in this community. Not only that, these Aetas have been living in this place all their lives. Crops, livestock, and poultry are their only means of living. Imagine if there would be tropical storm, it’s really saddening to be in that situation.
#ProjectFloridablanca was held on October 23, 2017 in hope for the Aeta children to get basic knowledge in primary colors. We prepared art activities for a total of 50 participants with ages 4-12 years old. The facilitators conducted the usual art activities such as “Color By Number”- individual art activity – and “Color Your Lives”- collaborative art activity. As an ice breaker and feel-good vibes to start the day, the kids enjoyed CYL’s prepared action songs—Ako ay May Lobo, Takure and the famous dance craze, Baby Shark. Included in our project was the usual storytelling, which can feed them moral lessons from “Nang Magkakulay and Nayon” at an early age.
The children were creative, smart and very orderly. The Color Your Life supports the Aeta community through the use of Art. We dream that someday the team can go back to Sitio Camachile to build activities that can help them explore their artistic talents more.
Top Places to Visit in Pampanga
As part of traveling with a purpose, it’s not complete without exploring the beautiful places in the area. Given that, I listed down the Top Places to Visit in Pampanga. Whether you’re going for a short day trip or a long holiday with your family or friends, it’s likely you’ll be scrambling for time to catch all the attractions in this place.
We only know Pampanga as a go-to destination when it comes to satisfying those food cravings and also a place to party, but the thing is Pampanga has a pretty diverse mix of sights that you should definitely visit. Here are my top picks:
SANDBOX
Sandbox is inarguably one of the most exciting places in Pampanga. This newest destination in Porac, Pampanga is fit for all outdoor junkies. For as low as 500 pesos you can try their popular attractions including wall climbing, giant swing, rappelling, and free fall. They also have a themed kiddie playground for the little ones and a mini golf course for the oldies, making it a family friendly site. They’re open from Tuesday-Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. You may purchase your tickets online.
FONTANA LEISURE PARKS AND CASINO
Fontana is one of Pampanga’s well-known leisure parks. It is located in Clark Freeport Zone which is home to some of Pampanga’s top attractions like Nayong Pilipino Park, Mimosa Golf Course, Air Force City Park, and Aqua Planet. You’ll definitely want to see its beauty for yourself as it’s the only resort in the Philippines integrated with a theme water park, golf course and casino.
Book your reservation.PRADERA VERDE
Pradera Verde is an ideal destination whether you want to relax or try extreme sports. If you’re from North then I don’t think there’s any more reason to go to Nuvali as Pampanga has its own version of wake park. The 315-hectare of vast greenery sits in Lubao, Pampanga which is directly opposite of Floridablanca. Aside from its wakeboarding activities, its main features also include affordable villas where you can stay and relax.
More information about Pradera Verde here.
https://www.facebook.com/praderaverde.ph/
ZOOCOBIA
Pampanga is not only home to the fancy resorts and hotels but it’s also a place where one can enjoy the nature. Zoocobia is a family-friendly park where you can interact with animals. They also have gravity car that is patterned after the Luge in Sentosa in Singapore. Make sure to book your tickets in advance. You can directly buy right here.
MOUNT PINATUBO
No visit to Pampanga is complete without a visit to this stratovolcano caldera, Mount Pinatubo. Ride a 4×4 and trek to the crater that sits in Botolan, Zambales. The volcano is in the boundaries of the provinces Pampanga and Tarlac. Plan your trip ahead as it requires good physical health for a whole day journey. If all sound appealing to you, check out a complete guide to Mount Pinatubo, right here.
Pint it for later.
The children looks happy.
I a dreaming of going to the Phillipines. Pampanga region seems so beautiful. I especially would like to see with my own eyes the caldera of MOUNT PINATUBO because this really looks unreal. Pure beauty! Great pictures!
That smile on their faces worth the long and tiring tips. I love community service, I wish to join you guys when I have the chance to be in Luzon. I would love to volunteer, pls. include me (myfarrahdise@gmail.com) in your community service update. Thanks! All the best. ~ Farrah
Sure! I will inform you for the upcoming projects.
What a great community project/effort to do that for the Aetas. The indigenous people are often neglected by the government. It is good to know that there are private and non-profit organizations that are doing something for them. Kudos to you for blogging about it to create awareness.
Oh, those kids are precious! I love that they’re being exposed to art. I think that does so much to enrich children’s lives. This sounds like a great program.
I didn’t know such a community existed in Philippines. This blog is a revelation. Color Your Life team is doing a great job with this project. It makes a difference to the lives of the kids, one step at a time. I can see the joy on their faces in this picture.
Its a beautiful concept – travelling with a purpose. Those kids seem super talented and so happy to have received their colouring kits. The smiles on their faces are priceless! So inspired to see how you’re giving back to the community and helping children is one of the most amazing things you can do. You have my respect and admiration!
ooh those smiles are worth every bit of this trip. Such a lovely initiative taken. It must be so much fun to color with them or tell them stories. I find myself getting a little overwhelmed too. Besides the fun with the kids, the sandbox stuff seems like a cool thing to do.
Hey Kevin,
I was reading through your article with great interest. The pictures look beautiful, and the area must be amazing to travel to. But above all it is fantastic that you are making an effort to change the world there! Nice job! Big respect for that!
I haven’t heard of Pampanga before but spending time with the Aeta community must have been so fulfilling. The kids are adorable. Mount Pinatubo looks beautiful too.
This is a really heartwarming post, especially to see how happy those kids looked! There are some beautiful places in this region, and that extreme sport park looks fun. One post to pin for sure!
Awww this post brings me so much joy! I’ve never heard of Pampanga before, every day I learn something new. What a fulfillment to know that you are the reason you made them smile that day! I am also looking for ways to get more involved in volunteering projects around the world. Is this something you do often? If so, I would love to chat about it! Lets connect. Best, – Ella
You are doing a great job by coloring the lives of these little ones. I’ve never heard of Pampanga, however, it looks like a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for listing down the major attractions of the area. Sandbox is a cool place for trying some adventures. The view of Mount Pinatubo is magical! Hope to visit Pampanga someday and check out the listed places.
Hi! 🙂
I was nominated for the 2018 Liebster Award by The Barefoot Backpackers.
To continue the flow, I am nominating you also for this award. You may find my blog post about it here: https://valeriebuaquen.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/2018-leibster-award-nomination/
Sending hugs from the Philippines,
Valerie Buaquen
valeriebuaquen.wordpress.com
instagram.com/valeriebuaquen
facebook.com/buaquen.valerie
Hi! How can we volunteer there?
Thank you for your interest! You can send us a private message on our Facebook page.
Hi. I’m from Convergys and we’re looking to give out bags to the Aeta kids in Pampanga. Would you know anyone in their place I could coordinate with?