Stories & Photographs by Jofelle Tesorio

Green activists are facing deadly dangers in the Philippines.  In a 2015 report of the London-based Global Witness, it lists the Philippines as the most dangerous country in Asia for environmentalists. Environmentalist and social activist Gerthie Anda during a forum. Being an environmentalist in the Philippines has its share of perils. (Facebook photo from Gerthie Anda) Ask anyone in Palawan province about the ‘Green Lady’ and the name of environmentalist-lawyer Gerthie Mayo-Anda comes up. She has become the poster girl of the environmental movement here. Amid the mining rush, development and other environmental issues, she established the Environmental Legal Assistance Center, or ELAC, in the 1990s. “It’s basically to utilize my knowledge and skills as a legal professional to be able to help the least of our brethren by focusing mainly on how we can survive as a people, anchoring our survival on healthy ecosystems,” says Mayo-Anda. For more than 25 years, she has de...

Filipinos know the names of their beauty queens like Brazilians know their football heroes . Candidates for Miss Puerto Princesa City pose for photographers during a press conference.   It’s the middle of a gruelling practice for girls who are competing in a local beauty pageant. They sashay back and forth in high heels to perfect their walk without tripping. Their trainer, Thom Favila, explains the rigours of his beauty boot camp. “During training, when the girls wake up, we start the day with jogging. After jogging, we have breakfast, followed by walking exercises,” he says, “After that we teach them how to put on make-up and that is followed by question and answer exercises.” Most of his students come from impoverished backgrounds. One of them is 20-year-old Janicel Lubina who represented the Philippines in the Miss International pageant in Japan last December. Janicel was close to winning the Miss Philippines-Universe title, where the winner, Filipin...