Being Here, Now.

August 1, 2018

Paradoxes in the Natural Wealth of Lake Sebu

This is part of a broader study on “Climate Change Experience, Expressions, and Responses in a Tboli Community.” It is based on the understanding that indigenous peoples worldwide have been experiencing the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather changes, longer droughts, and increasing rainfall, which cause floods and landslides. More especially to indigenous Continue reading

Advocacy, photography, Study

Anthropology, environmental anthropology, indigenous people, lake sebu, mindanao, natural resources, oral narratives, T’boli
April 20, 2018

Stepping Back: Reflexivity in the Field

Back in Klubi, Lake Sebu, after a full month. The sound of rain falling on leaves, the earth, and on our roof, is so sweet! I often take for granted small, yet profound details like this back in the city. (Personal Field Notes, 1 May 2013) Often, we read (or made to read, as in Continue reading

Advocacy, Study
April 18, 2018

Three Stories of Drought and an Analysis

Here, instead of a linear narrative, I follow the unrestrained telling of my informants, which skips back and forth in time, and blends the past and present together. These are three narratives from Mâ Ungkal, Wè Jenita, and Mâ Eko that I collected on three different occasions. Mâ Ungkal’s testimony of a childhood disaster came Continue reading

Advocacy, Study

academic, Anthropology, climate change, indigenous, narratives, oral, stories, Study
April 17, 2018

Madaris Volunteers: Hope and Compassion

(16 April 2018 on the Occasion of the Madaris Volunteer Program Batch 3 Culmination Night) Fr. Joel Tabora, president of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines and president of the Ateneo de Davao University, Dr. Ombra Imam, president of National Association for Bangsamoro Education, Inc., to our partners here in the Ateneo, the Al Continue reading

Advocacy
February 27, 2017

An Interview with Yê Nida Anggol

I was first introduced to Yê Nida Anggol back in 2013 when I was documenting the processes involved in the weaving of tnalak. She had a kind face, with a gentle and generous smile. She spoke to me in a Tboli that has its own cadence and rhythm, every word perfectly enunciated. She was a Continue reading

Advocacy, Study

cloth, indigenous, indigenous people, interview, lake sebu, philippines, t’nalak, textiles
February 25, 2017

The Stories of Nayo Lungan

Collected on 6 December 2014 in Lamkwa, Klubi, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Transcribed and translated into English from Tboli with the help of Bo-i Jenita Eko. Nayo Lungan, I would estimate, is in his late 60s (the Tboli do not reckon their birth years). These stories were collected late in the evening, in the gono bong Continue reading

Advocacy, Study

Anthropology, indigenous, indigenous people, narratives, stories, T’boli
February 12, 2017

An Interview with Mâ Ungkal, Son of Kawit

Mâ Ungkal was about the same age as my late grandmother. I first saw him at the but bnek (Tboli planting ritual) that I attended in March of 2015. He told us stories of how they did the ritual and the planting of upland rice in the 1960s. That day in 2015, he had a smile that was reflective and nostalgic Continue reading

Advocacy, Study

Anthropology, fieldnotes, indigenous people, people, philippines
March 29, 2016

Felisa

Nanay had been many women in her lifetime. She was Felisa, the lovechild of Felix Alejada and Luisa de Castro born in difficult times. She was Corazon, the sickly child who was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to spare her from recurring illnesses. She never told us much about her childhood, as if Continue reading

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About Me

My work and writing revolve around the intersections of community, culture, and education, with a particular interest in the social and cultural landscapes of Mindanao. This space brings together my academic reflections, occasional poetry, and inquiries shaped by anthropology and lived experience.

I explore questions about learning, identity, place, and the ways people navigate their worlds. If you’re interested in thoughtful analysis, grounded perspectives, some creative nonfic, you’re welcome to join me here.