When the Storms Came, the Yangil People Planted Hope

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While much of the Philippines in July was drowning under the weight of relentless floods, with homes submerged and dreams swept away by the current, a small indigenous community in Yangil, Zambales was doing something that defied both logic and the weather forecast — they were planting life.

Not just a few seedlings.

Not just in a safe, sunny clearing.

They planted 10,000 new trees — in the middle of three storms.

Raf Dionisio's team had been scheduled to visit that week to help plant and document this extraordinary effort. But when the skies opened and rivers swelled into dangerous, raging torrents, we made the difficult call over the phone to postpone.

On the other end of the line, Yangil’s chieftain, Erese, was calm and resolute.

“Tuloy kami,” he said.

“It’s a good time to plant because of the rain.”

No hesitation. No waiting for perfect conditions. For the Yangil people, the rain wasn’t an obstacle — it was a blessing.

And so, on July 21 and 22, while much of the nation sheltered from the storms, the community climbed the mountains to tend to the more than 40 hectares they had already planted in 2024, adding another 10,000+ saplings to the slopes. They waded through soaked earth, breathing in the damp scent of renewal, each seedling a quiet defiance against climate collapse.

Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we honor their courage, strength, and timeless wisdom. In the days when millions were immobilized by the storm’s fury, the Yangil community was working — not for themselves alone, but for all of us.

Because the trees they plant will not just live in Yangil.

They will live in our air, our water, our shared future.

They will hold the soil so our mountains stand strong.

They will feed the rivers that quench our thirst.

They will breathe life into the very air we inhale.

Perhaps it is time we celebrate them not just once a year, but every day — for they are planting the lungs of our nation while the rest of us are still catching our breath.

Mabuhay ang Sitio Yangil.

May their roots, like their spirit, grow deep and unshakable.

Photos by Raf Dionisio

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