The Sustainability of the Charcoal-Making Tradition of the Aeta in the Municipality of Capas, Tarlac, Philippines

Abstract

Capas is a first-class municipality in the Province of Tarlac, Philippines. The town was a part of vast wilderness inhabited by the ethnolinguistic group known as Aetas that occupying the mountain ranges of Central Luzon. The ethnic group continue to practice the traditional cutting and burning of trees to produce “uling” (charcoal) called kaingin which the Philippine laws forbid and termed as illegal farming practices which causes soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, and landslide. Aware of its illegality, they do not have any alternative way of farming. The study will share one of the methods of the Aetas regarding clearing land by burning grass and trees known as kaingin as part of their cultural practices despite the fact that such act violates the environmental laws of the land. Mixed methods research was applied to achieved a comprehensive result. Results showed that kaingin is a part of Aeta culture and it is a source of their social and economic stability and therefore, cultural preservation. Thus, it proposes an alternative upland farming for environmental and economic sustainability. In addition, this research situates indigenous charcoal production within contemporary sustainability discourse, emphasizing governance, cultural rights, and adaptive livelihoods. Ethnographic evidence demonstrates that Aeta resource-use decisions are guided by customary norms, seasonal constraints, and collective stewardship. The findings indicate a persistent policy gap between statutory environmental regulation and indigenous practice, underscoring the need for participatory, context-specific interventions. The study therefore recommends integrative policy frameworks recognizing indigenous ecological knowledge, livelihood security, and co-management approaches as essential components of upland development planning in the Philippines context.