Pinoy Permaculture Online Summit 2025: Changemakers Leading the Regeneration Revolution

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

On August 30, 2025, the Philippines will witness a groundbreaking gathering unlike any other — the inaugural Pinoy Permaculture Online Summit, a free and open platform where stories of hope, resilience, and regeneration take center stage.

In a world grappling with climate change, food insecurity, and environmental collapse, this summit plants a bold vision: that Filipinos, deeply rooted in tradition yet forward-looking, can weave a sustainable future by reviving ecosystems, kitchens, and communities through the lens of permaculture.

This isn’t just a conference — it is a movement, a call to action, and a celebration of homegrown changemakers who are proving that solutions exist, and they are already flourishing in our soil, seas, and stories.

Featured Speakers: Voices of Regeneration

Ethan Hernandez – Digital Storyteller for Native Trees

Ethan is more than a conservation advocate — he is a weaver of narratives that breathe life into forgotten forests. Through films, photography, and creative media, he reminds Filipinos of the sacred connection with native trees, urging us to reimagine forests not as fading backdrops, but as living legacies.

Talk: Roots & Stories: Reviving Our Forest Heritage in the Digital Age

Nenieveh Fortun Glinoga – Grassroots Regenerative Farmer & Founder of GIFT

Known to many as Weng, she transformed what was once barren land into Glinoga Integrated Farm (GIFT) — a flourishing example of food security, women empowerment, and community resilience. Her story is living proof that simplicity, perseverance, and faith can ignite movements that change lives.

Talk: GIFT: Payak pero Rock – Growing Food, Empowering Women, Inspiring Communities

Kuys Joms Fulgencio – Community Builder & Health Advocate

Championing the philosophy that health is collective wealth, Kuys Joms integrates permaculture with wellness, indigenous wisdom, and culture. His work highlights how food, lifestyle, and community values can regenerate not just the land, but the human spirit.

Talk: Kalusugan at Kapwa: Cultivating Health Through Community & Culture

A Constellation of Changemakers

Beyond the spotlight, the summit gathers an impressive lineup of leaders across diverse fields:

Teza Ramos – Ecosystem restoration & biodiversity conservation

Jabez Flores – Permaculture research & climate-responsive agriculture

Chef Lao Castillo – Heritage food, biodiversity & community nourishment

Ka Dodoy Ballon – Coastal regeneration & fisherfolk leadership

Sharon Shawi Cortez – Forest school & nature connection for children

John Sherwin Felix – Indigenous ingredients & food security

Marjorie Riconalla – Sustainable farm enterprises

Ronnie Yumang – Regenerative architecture & natural building

Rina Teoxon Papio – Soil regeneration & circular solutions

Hubert Posadas – Indigenous perspectives in permaculture

Prince Arvin Argallon Signo – Youth-driven permaculture network

Together, these changemakers represent the full spectrum of regeneration — from forests to coasts, from seeds to soil, from children to elders.

Why This Summit Matters

The Philippines stands at the frontline of climate change. Typhoons, deforestation, unsustainable farming, and overfishing continue to test our resilience. Yet, amid these crises, the Pinoy Permaculture Summit offers a radical reframe: that the answers are not imported, but homegrown.

It is a call to:

Reclaim traditional wisdom while embracing innovation

Redesign communities for resilience and food sovereignty

Rebuild ecosystems where people and nature thrive together

This is more than a conference; it is a declaration of intent — that Filipinos can lead in showing the world how regeneration is lived, not just imagined.

How to Join

The Pinoy Permaculture Online Summit happens on August 30, 2025.

Register for FREE: pinoypermaculturesummit.com

Meet the Speakers: pinoypermaculturesummit.com/speakers

A Future We Can Grow Together

As the world looks for answers to restore balance, the Philippines has its own guardians of the land, sea, and spirit — changemakers who remind us that permaculture is not just farming, but a way of life.

On August 30, let us listen, learn, and rise together. For the soil. For our communities. For the generations yet to come.

Because regeneration begins with us.

When Crocodiles Climb Trees—and Governments

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Scientists have just confirmed what Filipinos have known for decades: crocodiles are far more adaptable than we give them credit for. A new study by Vladimir Dinets and colleagues reveals that crocodiles in Africa, Australia, and North America can scale trees, reaching up to four meters above ground—a feat once thought impossible.

The international scientific community was stunned. But here in the Philippines? We just shrugged.

“Tree-climbing crocodiles?” Hah! That’s child’s play.

Our crocodiles climb budgets, climb positions, climb government hierarchies—heck, they even climb to Malacañang.

Science vs. Philippine Reality

According to Dinets’ research, crocodiles climb trees to bask in the sun, to feel safe, or to get a better view of their environment. Noble, even admirable reasons.

But in the Philippines, our crocodiles don’t climb for survival. They climb to:

Approve flood control projects that mysteriously don’t exist.

Pocket billions in taxpayers’ money without breaking a sweat.

Reach the top branches of power, where the fruits aren’t mangoes but overpriced contracts.

Here, crocodiles don’t just perch quietly—they hold press conferences, kiss babies during campaign season, and boast about their “rags-to-riches” story (translation: from flip-flops to Ferraris).

Crocodiles in Luxury

A tree? Cute. Our crocs climb into:

Luxury SUVs with bodyguards in tow

Mansions with Italian tiles

Senate seats padded with pork barrel funds

Yours climb branches. Ours climb the national budget and turn it into designer belts, imported watches, and bags that cost more than the average family’s yearly income.

In the wild, crocodiles sunbathe.

In the Philippines, crocodiles sunbathe in Boracay resorts—while taxpayers foot the bill.

Evolutionary Advantages

If evolution is about adaptation, Filipino crocodiles are the undisputed winners. Why?

They can turn ghost projects into real mansions.

They can make trillions vanish with just a pen stroke—no need for sleight of hand, just government signatures.

They’ve mastered the ultimate camouflage: wearing a barong or a suit and tie and calling themselves “public servants.”

In fact, one species even made it all the way to the Hague—proof that our crocodiles aren’t just local predators, but world-class performers.

The Punchline

Dinets’ study concludes that crocodiles are resourceful, clever, and surprisingly skilled. And we agree. But he should really expand his research to Southeast Asia—because here in the Philippines, crocodiles don’t just climb trees.

They climb entire governments.

And unlike the wild kind, ours don’t scare us anymore. Worse—they win elections, sign budgets, and make magic. The kind of magic where billions vanish from flood control projects… and reappear as Lamborghinis, Rolexes, and beachfront estates.

So yes, science has spoken: crocodiles can climb.

But politics in the Philippines has proven: crocodiles can rule.

Question is: who’s really more dangerous—the crocs in the swamps, or the ones in the government?

The Hidden War Within Philippine Politics: Neutrality, Betrayal, or Strategy?

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Philippine politics has always been a battlefield of shifting loyalties, fragile coalitions, and sudden betrayals. Yet in the noisy tug-of-war between Marcos and Duterte camps, another narrative is quietly taking shape—one that accuses reformist mayors like Baguio’s Benjamin Magalong and Pasig’s Vico Sotto of playing both sides.

A recent opinion piece paints them as “pretend pro-Duterte” leaders, accused of riding on the Duterte narrative while courting kakampink sympathies to create a “new opposition.” The analysis is dramatic, yes—but how much of it truly holds water?

The Myth of the Opposition Vote Ceiling

It is true that the opposition, particularly the Liberal Party, has struggled to break past the 14–16 million ceiling since 2016. Robredo, Hontiveros, and Pangilinan were stuck in that range. The lone outlier was Bam Aquino, who pulled 20 million votes in 2019.

But to attribute Bam’s success solely to “distancing from LP” is a half-truth. The real factors? His authorship of the Free Tertiary Education Act, his youthful appeal, and the critical endorsement of Iglesia ni Cristo—a bloc vote that can swing millions. Yes, Aquino ran under a new banner, but his victory was not merely a rejection of LP.

Silence Does Not Always Mean Betrayal

The heart of the critique is that Magalong and Vico were “silent” when the Dutertes were under fire: from Sara Duterte’s Confidential Funds issue, to PRRD’s Hague detention, to Baste and Pulong’s political struggles.

This silence is factual—but interpreting it as treachery is misleading. In Philippine politics, neutrality is often a survival strategy. Mayors focused on governance rarely wade into bloody national feuds unless it directly affects their city. Silence, in their case, was not siding with Marcos nor rejecting Duterte—it was self-preservation and political pragmatism.

The Populist Branding Game

Where the article does score a point is in noting that both Magalong and Vico are building national visibility. Flood control projects, anti-corruption exposés, and “good governance” branding are classic tools to broaden appeal. These mayors know 2028 is around the corner, and their media mileage is no accident.

But here’s the distinction: their platform is not built on fakery. Both have solid local track records. Magalong’s fight against corruption in Baguio and Vico’s modernization of Pasig governance predate the current Marcos–Duterte rift. To call them opportunists ignores their years of groundwork.

The Misplaced Parallels

The article drags Risa Hontiveros into the conversation, framing her as someone who “used Duterte” before betraying him. This is simply false. Risa never aligned herself with Duterte; she consistently opposed his drug war and defended human rights. The narrative of “betrayal” is revisionist storytelling designed to fuel distrust.

Similarly, linking Vico to Tito Sotto’s push for Sara Duterte’s impeachment is weak guilt-by-association. Vico has repeatedly charted his own political path, often diverging from his influential family’s positions.

Who is the Real Threat to Marcos?

On one point, the analysis is right: Marcos Jr. sees the Dutertes as his bigger threat, not the fragmented opposition. That explains why Sara Duterte’s Confidential Funds, PRRD’s Hague detention, and demolition jobs against Pulong and Baste dominate the headlines.

But to say that Magalong and Vico are “fake allies” sent to divide the Duterte base is speculative at best. Their silence, their branding, their projects—they are positioning themselves not as puppets, but as alternatives.

The Bigger Picture: A Nation Hungry for Alternatives

The real danger is not whether Magalong or Vico betray Duterte. The real danger is that we reduce every reformist voice into a pawn of either Marcos or Duterte. That framing blinds us to the possibility that Filipinos, especially Gen Z and young professionals, may be looking for something new—leaders who reject dynastic wars and focus on governance.

History shows us that the electorate can shift when a candidate offers clarity and conviction. Bam Aquino’s free education campaign proved that. If Magalong or Vico can carry a similar, unifying message, they could break the so-called ceiling—not by fakery, but by offering a genuine third path.

Conclusion

The Duterte base is right to remain vigilant. Betrayal is a common currency in Philippine politics. But we must also be careful not to mistake silence for conspiracy, or reformist governance for fakery.

The Marcos-Duterte rivalry is tearing Philippine politics into two poles. Yet perhaps the real story is not about who betrays whom—but about who dares to stand outside the feud, and whether Filipinos will rally behind them.

And if the likes of Magalong and Vico succeed in bridging divides, then the country may finally see a leader who is not “pretend pro-Duterte” or “cozy kakampink,” but something far more dangerous to the old order: a true alternative.