philippines

Forest guards protect Mount Apo with insufficient pay, institutional support

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Uncategorized /

Forest guards patrol Mount Apo—a critical water source for Mindanao—protecting it from illegal activities with meager pay and little institutional support. Known as Bantay Bukid, the forest guards survive on P3,500 per month and makeshift equipment as they contend with illegal activities from established businesses. “Forest guarding is our last card. If our group won’t

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UP Medical Volunteers Bring Healing to Underserved Communities

Changemaker's Advice /

by Caleb Tiam-Lee Ugnayan ng Pahinungod volunteers provided vital healthcare services to underserved communities, including indigenous peoples, impoverished families, and remote rural populations. Supported by the University of the Philippines (UP), the initiative reached over 22,800 individuals, visited 428 schools, conducted 145 capacity-building sessions and seminars, and served 83 communities in 2022, through the dedication

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Building a community library amid learning poverty in the Philippines

Education, Grassroots Voices /

by Dominic Gutoman In the heart of an urban poor community in the Bagong Silang, Caloocan, Philippines, children huddle on tarpaulin sheets serving as their makeshift chairs. They squeeze themselves into the narrow alleyways between houses. The tiny space has not only sheltered them, but became their sanctuary of learning, a resisting community against the

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We live in an archipelago. Why can’t Filipinos swim?

Changemaker's Advice, Education, In-depth Issues /

In a country composed of 7,641 islands and one of the world’s longest coastlines, a bizarre phenomenon stands out—around half of Filipinos can’t swim without assistance. This puzzling contradiction raises questions about how residents of an archipelagic nation could be so disconnected from the waters that surround them.  Why is it that so many people

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The woman building Mindanao’s green energy future

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Tech & Innovation, Uncategorized /

Philline van der Wolk-Donggay calls Mindanao home, where over 1 million people have no access to electricity. Mindanao has the lowest number of electrified households among the Philippines’ three island groups. As the co-founder of Greenergy Solar PH, Philline builds resilient energy systems to make “distributed, decentralized, and democratized electricity” a reality. When Philline and

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Early Breast Cancer Detection Empower Filipinas Beyond Pink Ribbons

Education, Uncategorized, Women Empowerment /

by Caleb Tiam–Lee Claiming millions of lives every year, breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer in the Philippines. Mainly affecting women, data from the Department of Health and Philippine Statistics Authority show that 3 in every 100 will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the country, the highest in over 190 countries surveyed.   Kara

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Natural gas build-up endangers coastal residents in the Philippines

Climate and Environment, In-depth Issues, Uncategorized /

On the coast of Batangas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and gas-fired power plants are projected to nearly triple. A mix of pipelines, jetties, and tankers would soon accumulate in the Verde Island Passage—a center of marine biodiversity. As the Philippines pushes forward with its vision to become an LNG Trading and Transshipment Hub for

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Seeds Of Struggle: Reaping Climate-Resilient Crops Through Peasant Science

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Uncategorized /

by Dominic Gutoman The recent drought in the Philippines, brought by El Niño, put farmers at a grave disadvantage on the frontlines of food security and environmental defense. Lauro G. Diego, 63, a farmer based in Bataan, Philippines, is among the one million farmers affected by El Niño, with agricultural damage reaching P6.3 billion ($109

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The Nature Conservation and Renewable Energy Conundrum

Climate and Environment, In-depth Issues /

After global leaders pledged to triple renewable capacity in COP28, word breaks out about a wind farm installation that threatens protected land in Rizal, Philippines. Caretakers caught wind of drilling operations in Masungi Georeserve — casting a light on growing tension between nature conservation and clean energy development. “Cases of unjust transition are underrepresented in

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