Gogoro PH On Changing the Course of Filipinos’ Everyday Travel Lifestyle

The fashion industry is notorious for being wasteful. Around 92 million tonnes of fashion waste is produced globally every year, further aggravated by the rise of fast fashion. Should its popularity continue, experts estimate that waste produced could soar to 132 million tonnes a year by 2030.

The fashion industry is also responsible for a significant portion of global water wastage, as it takes 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt. To add to that, approximately 35% of all primary microplastic pollution in the ocean is believed to come from synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon, all of which are used by the fashion industry to produce clothing.

While saddening, these statistics are often hidden from the ordinary consumer – and those who are aware of it may not necessarily choose to prioritize responsible decision-making.

“Plenty of customers lean towards responsible fashion but by the end of the day, accessibility and affordability will always be the first option for [many],” shared Yong Davalos.

Yong, a Filipino fashion designer based in Manila, is both an entrepreneur and an advocate. Her designs vary in style and for occasion though she is most well-known for her work as founder of Yong Studio and Tayo Studio.

Through her time spent in fashion – both in retail and as a designer for her eponymous line – Yong has become a vocal advocate for responsible fashion.

“I became inspired to change industry norms when I was exposed to the reality of workers during the beginning of my career in fashion retail,” she shared.

While Yong hesitates to expound, it’s no secret that the fashion industry can be cruel to its laborers. The modern fashion supply chain – particularly for fast fashion brands – prioritizes speed and efficiency to drive huge profit margins; workers often take on the brunt of this sacrifice, working for low wages but providing companies with plenty of profit.

To ensure that her brand veers away from such exploitative practices, Yong makes sure to put “responsible fashion” at the heart of her company’s philosophy. The designer takes on a holistic approach to creating clothes, focusing on eco-conscious solutions and humane labor practices.

“We use as much deadstock materials as possible and care for how clothes are being manufactured,” Yong shared. “We make sure that the people behind the clothes are properly compensated under good working conditions. We’d like to think of our company as not just a business but a social enterprise.”

But there’s a problem: as much as Yong advocates for the cause, she also realizes the contradictory dichotomy of today’s society. Known as the “intention-behavior gap,” researchers have noted that consumers may care about sustainable ideals and ways of thinking, but that in itself does not lead to sustainable buying habits. A good example of this is how Gen Z – those born between 1997 to 2012 – care deeply about issues relating to climate change and social justice. Yet, they also drive the popularity of brands such as Shein and Temu, both of which market cheap, trendy clothes that appeal to demographics online.

“Conscious consumers are usually well-educated, people who really care for the environment. However, those who support brands like Shein may also be well-educated but just ignore that it’s ruining our environment for the sake of fashion fits,” commented Yong.

While it’s difficult to convince shoppers – especially those on a budget – to change their habits, the good news is that designers like Yong are offering people alternatives. Sometimes, accessibility becomes a barrier to smart shopping but with brands such as Yong Studio, Yong manages to reach people who appreciate what she offers.

As the brains behind the brand, Yong described her designs for Yong Studio as “hyperfeminine.” Designs with ruffles, ruching, and straps are plentiful and come in bright, dynamic colors. Though Yong herself often dresses in casual, utilitarian, and street-inspired clothing, her studio fixates on the bohemian, the feminine, and the flowy.

“I design for our cult following, the sophisticated and feminine consumers,” the designer shared. “I think our brand is always evolving conservatively when it comes to new designs but we make sure to keep true to the core of hyperfemininity and timelessness.”

In 2025, Yong continues her mission to offer responsible fashion for those who desire a more conscious wardrobe collection. Her Spring/Summer ’25 Collection is soon to drop, and her current “Westbound: Chapter 2” line (inspired by the Wild West) is selling out fast. “I’m also exploring international expansions for Yong Studio,” she revealed.

Check out Yong Studio's catalog via their website and follow them on Instagram.

Mother and entrepreneur, Cherilyn “Che” Secillano is a superwoman. Known as the lady behind Dwellbeing, Che’s social enterprise stands on three main tenets: providing homes with safe, toxic-free alternatives; empowering vulnerable communities with sustainable livelihoods; and employing a circular business model that is friendly towards the environment.

“Dwellbeing started from our own need and problem,” Che revealed. “My son has rhinitis and eczema and during the pandemic, this worsened due to constant hand washing and sanitizing. Our doctor advised us to go for the all-natural route, and this was when the first product – lemongrass liquid hand soap – was developed.”

Since then, Dwellbeing has expanded to include sanitizers, dishwashing liquids, shampoo bars, candles, and even accessories.

Using Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop, as inspiration, Che developed the business to become a “Force for Good,” ensuring that each item upcycles, empowers, and gives back. “Each of our products is made with upcycled materials,” Che shared. Case in point: soaps are sold in a motley of containers once discarded. Refills are delivered in sanitized wine bottles, while the liquid version is presented in a jug of Tanduay.

“As our business grew, we were fortunate to meet like-minded circular partners who supply [materials] to us,” Che explained. “Restaurants and bars supply us with bottles. Tobi Peanuts has provided us with the discarded peanut sacks that we use for our gift pouches. The retired hotel linens that we upcycle into sleeping masks are from Azzurro Hotel.”

Each upcycled product is also expertly created by different local communities that rely on Dwellbeing as a source of livelihood. This empowers vulnerable communities such as people with disabilities (PWDs) and women. “As our business grew, we needed a workforce,” Che shared. “We tapped into the left-behind sector and have now evolved to be a deaf-driven social enterprise. Our team is 100% deaf, including our retail sales team.”

In fact, their research and development process focuses heavily on the community they choose to work with. “For us, the creative process starts with the questions: ‘What can this community make?’ and ‘What are their skills?’ From there, I develop a line centered around what they are good at,” Che explained. “The objective is to make it sustainable, long term for everyone, and not just a one-time transaction.”

Partnering with the NGO Project Pearls – to whom Dwellbeing gives a portion of their gross sales to – Che had created an accessories line with the NGO’s beneficiary nanays in mind. “These ladies used to be garbage collectors but were trained to sew and weave,” she said. “With this skill, we developed an accessories line that includes bags, scarves, and pouches. We want to make this profitable and long-term so they don’t go back to being garbage collectors.”

As of December 2024, Dwellbeing has proudly upcycled over 30,000 bottles and 10,000 papers. Over 20,000 family meals have been donated through their support of Project Pearls’ Hunger Relief operations. They’ve established over ten community livelihood partners who now work to create Dwellbeing’s incredible products.

“The impact that this has had on others has been incredible,” Che said proudly. “We are happy to see others pay [this kind of goodness] it forward, using their businesses as a 'Force for Good.' We are also able to give consumers an option to practice conscious consumerism in their buying habits.”

It's obvious from Dwellbeing’s business model that the social enterprise has put its heart at the forefront of every transaction – and that it is, in fact, possible to do so. For 2025, their goal remains the same: to strengthen and expand this kind of altruistic impact.

“Every year, it has been our goal to double our numbers above,” asserted Che. “That remains true as we work towards hitting the 50k mark both for upcycled bottles and family meals served.”

Dwellbeing is available at Kultura in SM Makati as well as online. For more information, visit their Instagram.

If you’ve been looking for your go-to "it" shoes for this year, then you might want to check out the ones from VIVAIA.

You might have seen some of their ads circulating on social media for quite a while now and may have seen some of their pairs worn by Selena Gomez, Ashley Liao, Park Min-young, Lee Joo-young, and Jenna Ortega. But the wait is over because VIVAIA has finally arrived in the Philippines!

Many of VIVAIA’s best-selling styles and options are available at their Pop-Up Store, including the celebrity-favorite Square-Toe Margot Mary Jane, Pointed-Toe Aria Ballet Flats, Square-Toe Margot 2.0 V-Cut Flats, Pointed-Toe Addison Slingback Sandals, and the Round Toe Julie Pro Chunky Heels.

With their shoes starting at the price of P5,979, VIVAIA also carries boots, loafers, unisex sneakers, and bags.

VIVAIA’s pop-up store is located at Level R2, Bridgeway, Power Plant Mall, just by The Grid Food Hall. Make sure to drop by as soon as you can, because VIVAIA’s pop-up store is only open 'til Mar. 31, 2025!

Launched in 2020 in the U.S., VIVAIA is a chic and sustainable brand focusing on “conscious comfort,” with their shoes being made from recycled and eco-friendly materials like PET plastic bottles, sugarcane EVA, and rice husks, all in partnership with Repreve.

VIVAIA is committed to keeping their footwear in style and with intention, taking sustainability to a whole new level. Not only are their shoes made using environment-friendly materials, but they are also created through a low-waste process that sets them apart from traditional shoemakers.

Each pair of VIVAIA’s flats comes with a built-in cushion and is thoughtfully designed for all-day wear. They’re machine washable-friendly too, so you won’t have to worry if you get them soiled by accident!

VIVAIA is available across 61 countries, including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and now the Philippines.

For more updates, follow VIVAIA on their Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), and Instagram pages. You can also check their catalog on their website.

Location: VIVAIA Pop-Up Store, Level R2, Bridgeway, Power Plant Mall

Opening Hours: 11 AM to 9 PM (Mondays to Thursdays), 10 AM to 10 PM (Fridays to Sundays)

The Philippines has a new Philippine Eagle chick!

The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced that a Philippine Eagle chick successfully hatched at the newly established National Bird Breeding Sanctuary (NBBS) in Brgy. Eden, Toril, Davao City on Nov. 11, 2024.

Dubbed "No. 30," for now, the Philippine Eagle Foundation views this as a "major milestone" for the conservation of Philippine Eagles and is the first-ever successful hatching at the new center.

Following a 56-day incubation period, the Philippine Eagle chick's survival is owed to a "critical intervention" done by a dedicated PEF team. This is called the "help out" method, which involves assisted pipping through the air spaces of the egg and was done to prevent the chick from suffocating due to excess carbon buildup.

Excess carbon buildup is a common risk when the hatching period is beyond a safe period.

This decision was "not made lightly" and was calculated, according to Mr. Domingo Tadena, NBBS' Facility Manager and PEF's Conservation Breeding Expert. "Without our intervention, the risk of losing this hatching to suffocation was high."

At the same time, the hatching is also a "historic feat" for the National Bird Breeding Sanctuary, which occurred mere months after its establishment. No. 30's hatching was also possible due to a donation of advanced equipment from Liberec Zoo in the Czech Republic.

The Critically Endangered National Bird of the Philippines: the Philippine Eagle

The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) or "Agila" in Filipino, is one of the largest raptors in the world. It is an extremely rare eagle and can only be found in four Philippine islands: Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorized the Philippine Eagle as a critically endangered species.

There are only roughly 400 pairs left in the wild, according to the Philippine Eagle Foundation. Their "critically endangered species" status is owed to the threat of human activities near their natural habitat, such as deforestation and shooting. Killing a Philippine Eagle is a criminal offense and is punishable by law, with up to 12 years imprisonment and hefty fines.

Efforts have been made to save these eagles. Organizations such as the Philippine Eagle Foundation were made to spread the advocacy on protecting the Philippine Eagles and their importance to the Philippine ecosystem and culture.

The Philippine Eagle was declared the National Bird of the Philippines by former President Fidel V. Ramos in July 1995 under Proclamation No. 615, series of 1995. Among many laws, Republic Act No. 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001, protects the Philippine Eagle and several other endemic species in the country.

Get to know more about Chick No. 30 or find out more about the Philippine Eagle Foundation through their Facebook and Instagram pages!

The mythical qualities of Visayan wildlife are apparent, even today. If you’ve ever found yourself walking through these islands, you’ll experience magic in the warble of unfamiliar birdsong. You’ll see endemic trees that stretch and span to the sky. If you are lucky, you may even spot one of the West Visayan Big 5.

No, these aren’t universities or celebrities; they are in fact, something much more important. They are a group of species endemic to the West Visayan Faunal Region. Circling between the islands of Negros, Panay, Masbate, Guimaras, Ticao, and Cebu, the West Visayan Big 5 comprise the Visayan spotted deer, the Visayan warty pig, the Visayan hornbill, the Rufous-headed hornbill, and the Negros bleeding heart dove.

The importance of the West Visayan Big 5 cannot be overstated as Emilio Tan, Administrative Officer of the Talarak Foundation, shared: “By protecting each of these species, we are able to protect an entire forest.”

The native hornbills serve as seed dispersers, the doves as essential prey species (and seed dispersers too), and the deer and the pigs as environmental engineers. They shape a huge part of the ecosystem and are vital for its overall health.

The Talarak Foundation, for its own part, has been breeding and releasing these endangered animals into the 300-hectare Bayawan Nature Reserve. In 2020, they had successfully released 32 Visayan spotted deer and 22 Visayan warty pigs into the area; by 2023, the number of these animals doubled, bringing up their total to 55 deer and over 60 pigs.

“[Our efforts] show how easily [these animals] could bounce back if we work in harmony with them and don’t persecute them in any way,” Emilio said.

In Bayawan, researchers are also able to catch a firsthand glimpse of how the animals are reversing the ecosystem back into healthy equilibrium. “The deer [and warty pigs] make trails and pathways. They trim down shrubs or other plants so other [flora] can thrive. It’s a very interesting thing to see them shaping their habitat,” added Emilio.

Sadly, not all the islands in West Visayas can boast of housing these creatures anymore. Due to human activity, these animals have been pushed out of the islands they originally called home. While they had been plentiful in the 80s – with elder residents claiming to have seen them even around the coast – today, they are a rare sight.

“A lot of people hunt the Visayan spotted deer, they see them as game or as a hunting trophy,” said Emilio. “Meanwhile, other people don’t even know that we have deer on [Negros] island. But the thing is, that’s understandable because right now, we only know of two sites on the whole island where there’s still wild deer. That’s a very small area for such a huge island.”

The warty pigs, meanwhile, take on the brunt of consternation from local farmers. “The comment [we] normally [hear about the warty pig] is that they’re really tasty [to eat] or that they’re a pest,” he added. “The farmers we talk to are always in conflict with them because the pigs will come down the hill and eat their crops. So we’re figuring out a way to stop this with a deterrent system but that’s still an ongoing project.”

This is why Emilio is among the strongest advocates for individuals to support foundations such as Talarak. Through them, animals are given the best captive management care possible. They are bred and released into the wild and given the chance to benefit from optimal diets, a suitable space to roam, and socialization with other animals.

Thankfully, the Talarak Foundation has also found allies in other organizations. Among these are well-known zoos and conservation partners across the world including the Toledo Zoo, Mandai Wildlife Reserves, the Disney Conservation Fund, and Zoo Heidelberg. Most of these are partnerships that help with research and documentation of the animals.

As the Talarak Foundation aims to support the local communities, it’s become important for them to find other types of support as well. Fortunately brands such as Tagpi-Tagpi and Blackbough Swim have come to help out. For example, Blackbough has created a special collection named “Bambi’s Ballet” that features prints made by artist Inya de Vera. Her illustrations pay homage to the Visayan spotted deer; overall the brand's fundraising efforts has managed to successfully raise US$1,000 that will go towards the maintenance of an enclosure for an entire family of Philippine spotted deer.

“[With the help of our partners], we plan to do livelihood activities to support communities surrounding our nature reserve. We want to uplift their lives and alleviate the conflicts [between them and the animals],” shared Emilio. “We fully believe that the local Bayawanons can handle the site on their own if we can make it sustainable. Because of this, we want to convert the site into an educational center where people can have nature camps and learn about wildlife.”

The Talarak Foundation is also proud to showcase their educational efforts, reaching out to locals and students with fascinating information about these unique animals. They even get to meet them on occasion. In fact, one of their ambassador animals is a warty pig named Anakin who’s somehow become too comfortable around humans.

“He’s too smart for his own good,” shared Emilio with a laugh. “During lunch, he would station himself behind our kitchen where we have a compost bin. He was, in effect, teaching other pigs to become domesticated [and wait for food]. We didn’t want [the other pigs] learning that kind of behavior because these animals have to perform their function in the ecosystem. [Anikin] will also come up to people and lay down next to them because he wants a belly rub. It’s really cute but really bad behavior, so instead of releasing him into the wild, we’ve made him an ambassador animal instead.”

In the future, the Talarak Foundation aims to expand their conservation area even more. As the Bayawan Nature Reserve finds itself in the heart of the city, the organization is aware that it’s important for the animals to populate beyond the city limits. “Our goal in the far future is to expand our area and connect it, to create corridors that allow the animals to move into this huge biodiversity area in Negros,” shared Emilio. “But that’s our big goal that will take some time.” Through our support of Talarak Foundation – and those that support them – we can once again hope to see these beautiful animals not just around Negros, but around the entirety of West Visayas yet again.