Join These Vegan Communities in PH to Make Your Lifestyle More Exciting

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!

“Manila traffic” is a noun in itself, having become the foremost problem for majority of Filipinos living in the Philippines’ dynamic capital. With the pandemic having come and gone, more individuals have now returned to working face-to-face, ushering the return of transport needs. And unfortunately, with this need comes the influx of vehicles on the road, and the return of rush hours and hour-long drives stuck on the road.

Ride-sharing services have gained popularity in recent years such as Grab, which has been deemed as the “Everyday Everything App,” providing service beyond car ride-hailing from express courier services to food and shopping delivery services. As commodity prices continue to rise, however, people are forced to find more cost-effective and efficient options for transportation — which brings us to the topic of motorcycles.

If you’ve ever roamed the streets of Manila, you’ll find that more than the four-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles are everywhere. It’s not surprising why many would choose this mode of transport considering it’s cheaper to own one and can go faster on the road as it allows riders to evade gridlocks along the way. If you’re a commuter, it’s definitely more cost-efficient to hail a ride from Angkas (the leading motorcycle ride-hailing platform in the PH) than a Grab car. Not to mention, you’ll be able to get to your destination much quicker.

Gas-powered vehicles, however, have consequences for the environment. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) recently reported that the foggy atmosphere in the National Capital Region (NCR) last Monday was mainly due to air pollution from vehicle emissions and not volcanic smog from Taal Volcano. So, if you’ve been seeing cloudy skies over the metro lately, it may not be just a chance of rain.

This is where Gogoro Smartscooters comes in, a company that has transformed two-wheel mobility in Taiwan with the introduction of battery-swapping transport ecosystems that enable sustainable mobility solutions for cities.

Committed to promoting the utilization of reusable and recyclable resources, Gogoro Smartscooters are made from 100% recycled materials and have addressed transportation challenges in cities with their breakthrough approach to smarter vehicles and electric fueling.

Gogoro is a massive success in Taiwan. In fact, you’ll find more battery-swapping stations than gas stations in its major cities! It is reported that the Gogoro network in Taiwan supports nearly 600,000 vehicles and has already saved more than 930,000 tons of CO2 since its launch. The network is available in over 45 cities around the world including those in Singapore, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and most recently, the Philippines.

The Beat Manila sat down with Gogoro Philippines CEO Bernie Llamzon to talk about these amazing smart scooters; what makes them tick and unique from other electric-powered vehicles and how they aim to revolutionize the way Filipinos utilize and share energy, as well as address transportation woes in the city.

Introducing a new era in sustainable transportation

The Gogoro Smartscooters was launched in the country in April 2023 with the goal of addressing Filipinos’ daily pain points on transportation, as well as battling climate change.

“This country actually had a lot of reasons why an electric scooter would make a dent in terms of solving the problems that the everyday Filipino commuter has to go through,” explained Bernie. “Anywhere from the commute time from where they live to where they actually work. It's easily at least an hour of strife. There’s also the pollution generated from the gas-powered vehicles, and not to mention the inefficiency of our public transport systems.”

“All of these make it an opportunity for a solution that we would like to offer to the everyday Filipino. In recognition of this, three entities joined hands to form Gogoro Philippines Incorporated.”

Leading Filipino digital solutions platform Globe Telecom Inc.’s 917Ventures, top Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corporation, and Gogoro Taiwan launched the scooters and battery-swapping network in the country, marking the Globe Group’s debut in the climate tech industry. In anticipation of the public launch, the company welcomed over 60 Globe Employees to test out these smart scooters, and in December 2023, finally began its commercial operations.

Safe to say your lives are about to change, riders! Not only are the Gogoro scooters smarter and safer (we’ll get to the super neat digital features in a bit) but also good for the environment!

“The general concept is renewable energy. Gogoro scooters offer a unique power source,” said Bernie when asked about how Gogoro is changing the game in terms of providing Filipinos with a more sustainable transportation alternative. “Generally, when people talk about electric vehicles, the first thing that comes to mind is a plug-in. You need to plug it into a power socket.

“This one is entirely different because if you need more power for your scooter, you just go up to a GoStation, pull out the batteries from your scooter, insert it into the empty slot of the battery-swapping station, and then out will pop two batteries that you can use and insert back into your scooter. In just six seconds you're already done and ready to go!”

It definitely offers a much faster way of ‘charging up’ considering fueling can take a few minutes to fill a tank, while a plug-in electric two-wheel vehicle can charge from four to six hours to be full.

If you’re wondering if it’ll be hard to find GoStations, Bernie assured us that the battery-swapping stations are strategically located around the central business districts. There are currently around fourteen to fifteen GoStations around Metro Manila such as in Makati, BGC, and Quezon City. You can see the complete list of locations here.

“A fully charged two-battery pack can give you anywhere from 70 to 90 km,” Bernie stated. “You'll probably be able to use that within two to three days.”

This estimate also depends on riding behavior, like how fast you would normally pull up the throttle or if you’re normally going up an incline, the scooter will most likely use up more energy.

“It's no different from using your mobile phone,” Bernie added. “If you just use your mobile phone for voice and SMS, you probably don't need to charge your phone every day. But if you use it for streaming, watching movies, and other stuff, then chances are you'll probably need to charge up your phone more often. It depends on the usage behaviors. It's exactly the same [concept].”

Featuring stylish, smarter and sustainable road statements

Just because it’s made from recycled materials, doesn’t mean you can’t ride in style!

In fact, the Gogoro Smartscooters have sophisticated and elegant designs ideal for everyday Filipino riders. Bernie gave us a rundown of their top-of-the-line models currently available for purchase:

• SuperSport – Their e-scooter with all the advanced specs, the SuperSport is energetically styled to run the fastest and deliver maximum performance. It’s offered at P285,000 and available in Aura Blue, Polar Green, and Arctic Grey.

• Delight – This scooter brand was specifically designed for a surprisingly unique target market: female riders. It’s designed as the handiest model and aims to make riders feel a sense of safety through proactive features and notifications such as synchronized double disc brakes that shorten the braking distance on quick stops and The Smart Wet Mode and Traction Control Systems that actively regulate power output to prevent the scooter from slipping and keeping you safe on your journey during bad weather.

“We took great consideration for the needs of female riders, so Taiwan spent a lot of time putting together an all-female team just to understand their needs for them to use the scooter comfortably and overcome their fear of riding a two-wheel vehicle,” Bernie explained.

You can get the Gogoro Delight, which comes in five trendy colors (Beryl Green, Gem Blue, Pearl Gold, Crystal White, Crystal Grey), for P270,000. You can learn more about its tech specs here.

• 2 Premium – This is Gogoro’s more utilitarian model designed with different lifestyles in mind and provides a smoother, premium commute experience. Available in Crystal White, Crystal Grey, and Mineral Silver, the Gogoro 2 Premium is at P250,000. You can learn more about its tech specs here.

Gogoro Smartscooters are called “smart” for a reason as it is equipped with the iQ System® which brings connected intelligence and remote connection services to these avant-garde vehicles. It constantly monitors vehicle safety and optimizes performance.

The Gogoro SuperApp is the star of the show, making your riding experience smarter, safer, and more convenient through quick functions and a comprehensive dashboard where you can see diagnostics of the state of charge and operations of your scooter as well as customize some of its features from the sound and lights to other value-added services. One particular feature we loved is the ability to lock, unlock, and locate your scooter with just a simple click on your phone! Who needs keys when it’s on your Apple Wallet, right?

“It can also give you an idea of just where the locations of the GoStations are, and just how many batteries are in the battery-swapping stations that are fully charged and available for you to use,” Bernie told us excitedly. “In short, you need not go to a GoStation if most of the batteries there are being charged. It will divert and lead you to other GoStations where you can easily drive up and swap your batteries.”

Gogoro Philippines offers two monthly postpaid energy subscription plans: Plan P799, which includes a 300Ah battery capacity, allowing for up to 420km of travel; and Plan P999, which includes a 500Ah battery capacity, allowing for up to 700km of travel.

“Think of it as like data plan for your mobile. It will give you a certain allocation for gigabytes for your data plan. In the energy plans for Gogoro, it gives you a certain number allocation for the energy plan that you can use for the entire month.”

With plans to introduce the mid and entry-level scooters later this year, Bernie also talked about launching a prepaid energy plan soon, which will make it easier for customers to subscribe without having to be locked up to a contract for a year.

Paving the way for a safer riding experience

There’s no doubt that Gogoro Philippines is providing solutions for commuter woes on expensive gas prices and vehicle emissions. Even more so, Bernie emphasized that owning a Gogoro Smartscooter can ultimately change the course of Filipinos’ lives.

“The two-wheeled vehicle is something that is greatly aspired by many because it gives them the ability to change their lifestyles by owning their time. Instead of wasting time sitting around getting public transport to and from work, they can actually leave a little later or even arrive earlier for work. That gives them back their time,” he said.

“Additionally, many families or individuals in Manila live in condominiums where there’s very little ability to charge an electric vehicle. That pain point is greatly addressed by Gogoro. No need to plug in. Just swap your batteries and then you're off!”

Bernie also touched on using Gogoro scooters for business purposes, and how using battery-powered vehicles can provide less downtime for riders.

“If [ride-hailing and courier service platforms] were to use an electric-powered vehicle, there is a four to six-hour downtime to be able to charge the battery in their scooter. So, there is a period of time within the day that they are not earning anything.”

“But a swap battery actually gets them back on the road after six seconds. It's little downtime and actually allows them to maximize the time of the day into more earning opportunities, and more opportunities for them to enjoy the lifestyle that they deserve.”

When asked about how they addressed some individual’s reluctance to use two-wheeled vehicles due to certain risks associated with riding motorcycles, Bernie answered, “Whether electric or gas-powered, the riders' behavior ultimately decides how safe or unsafe they will be. We could only offer opportunities for better education of the riders.”

Gogoro Philippines is currently working with local riding academies and agencies such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), providing them with scooters that they could use to help educate existing and would-be riders about the safe way to ride, as well as get a feel of riding them.

“People who are able to experience that will immediately know the difference between an electric two-wheel vehicle and a gas-powered vehicle, and chances are, and we're keeping our fingers crossed, they will actually prefer our two wheeled-vehicle over the gas-powered one.”

Looking to own your very own Gogoro Smartscooter? Visit the Gogoro Experience Centre located on the second floor of Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center in Makati where you can see the range of e-scooters available for purchase and learn more about the specs of each model to determine the ride that suits you.

Additionally, you can also visit the Gogoro Service Center on the second floor of De La Rosa Carpark, just a few minutes away from the experience center, where you can do test rides for whatever model you want!

And ICYDK, Gogoro Philippines is currently offering financial plans to help you #SwapToTheFuture and own your very SuperSport or Delight Smartscooter!

Be part of the initiative of creating a greener and cleaner city by investing in your very own Gogoro Smartscooter. Follow Gogoro Philippines on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about their models and latest offerings.

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.