Appu Ambaleng Ausalin.Yakan. National Living Treasure.

I met Ambaleng Ausalin by chance at a bus stop while waiting for the bus that would take us from Lamitan to Isabela in Basilan. My friend Earl told me that she was a highly regarded weaver and made the introductions. She is a highly animated woman and quite funny.

Ten months later, she was awarded the GAMABA Manlilikha ng Bayan distinction for Yakan weaving.

Ifugao Mumbaki and Bulul

The Ifugao way of life is integrated with nature and the spirit world. Ceremonies revolve around the agricultural calendar and highlight customs and beliefs. Stages in the rice cycle are marked by different rites -- from petitions of bountiful harvest to thanksgiving, all presided over by a mumbaki. The narrative of the terraces cannot be separated from the culture of the Ifugao.

Ever-present in rice-cultivation and healing ceremonies, the bulul is constantly in a squatting position with its arms crossed over bent knees and its face, plain and expressionless. It is perfectly poised to watch over the fields, granaries and the people who toil on the mountains, appearing to understand the changing seasons and the passing of centuries. It waits and watches in silence, endlessly and ever patiently, transcending time itself.

The rice tradition of Batad was the subject matter of the pilot episode of Islands Insider, a series we produced for the National Geographic Channel over a decade ago.

Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar

As Managing Director of The Extra Mile Productions, Ginggay co-heads a team of film and video creatives that presents compelling visual narratives of the Philippines and the Filipino – from the northernmost to the southernmost reaches of the archipelago. As a project manager of various government-private sector partnerships in the Visayas and Mindanao, she helps concretize opportunities for hope, recovery and development among communities ravaged by natural calamities, burdened by poverty, and torn apart by armed conflict.

Underlying all these involvements is Ginggay’s belief that making a difference in the lives of others is essential. Thus, she sees compassion as the key ingredient for a fruitful exchange that goes beyond all borders – of geography, of society, of culture, of faith.

In her eyes, poverty is the root cause of Muslim Mindanao’s woes. She believes that now more than ever, in the face of material lack and ethnic quarrels, the values of mutual understanding and open-mindedness are required to seek solutions to the violence.

Al-Sharief and his Mohawk

While we were looking for the burial site of Prinsesa Tarhata Kiram, a royalty of the Sultanate of Sulu, in a graveyard at the border of Jolo and Patikul, this young Tausug was loitering and following us. I took his photo along a row of tombstones and struck a conversation with the lad. Probably one of the most gentle people I have ever encountered.

He wants to be a policeman.

Buntal Hat Maker

Buntal hat weaving using buntal leaves was not just an art form but a cottage industry in Baliuag, Bulacan in the early 1900s. Every household became a production center as housewives contributed their skills and time to make buntal hats. The weavers specialized in different parts of the hat and the assembly was a collective process.

Buntal hat-making is a dying tradition. Most of the weavers are elderly. The tedious process to create buntal hats does not appeal to the young. There is demand for the hats but sadly, not enough people with the skill and interest to produce them.

Watch our #KnowYourNorth Video

Subi Nalon

The late Subi Nalon, one of the great Tboli dreamweavers who can make the Ye Kumu.

"Legends (oral stories handed down through the ages) claim that the Ye Kumu (mother blanket) was first created for Tudbulul (epic hero, a warrior of immense wealth) by his sisters headed by Kenaban.

Only a handful of weavers are gifted by Fu Dalu (tnalak spirit mentor) to create the Ye Kumu."

- Gida Ofong

Waddy, the Irrawaddy Macot and Jona

Waddy the Irrawaddy mascot grins as he watches over World Wildlife Fund (WWF) environmental advocate Jona Miguel finish her report.

Waddy makes the rounds of schools, seminars and events to help educate people about the plight of the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. The number of Irrawaddy dolphins in Malampaya Sound in Taytay Palawan has dropped to less than 20 heads. A few scientists have already projected the inevitable extinction of this species. The late WWF project manager Mavic Matilano refused to concur to the pesimistic assessment and was hopeful that the Irrawaddy could still be saved. Unfortunately, Mavic the primary advocate of the Irrawaddy, passed away in 2020.

Wakeboarder. Mati.

A local wakeboarder who rides the waves of Dahican in Mati, Davao Oriental.

One minute, you're having a chat with them on the shore. In an instant, you find yourself alone as they dart to the sea to catch a wave.