Empower Indigenous Voices in the Philippines

Pinctada Pearl Productions is a student-run production company through the International Social Justice Documentary course at Villanova University. This October 2024, our group of 23 is traveling for two weeks to the Philippines to edify our understanding of the island communities in Halian and Boracay.

In donating to our production, we ask you to consider key reflections that we hope to elicit within the viewers of our project: what does community mean to you, and how can you contribute to the legacy and preservation of a culture that is not your own?

The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands, each with their own unique culture, history, and language that are formed and preserved within communities. “Bayanihan,” a Filipino word and cultural concept that refers to a spirit of communal unity and cooperation, is the driving force of this film. We aim to showcase the distinctive communities on each island as they continue in their fight for self-preservation.

As one of only a handful of remote islands off the coast of Siargao, Philippines, Halian is home to 1,100 people who believe that community constitutes culture, and culture saves the climate. Having been isolated from outside influence for centuries, the Halian community is actively working to find the balance of progression and preservation. In contrast, the land claims of the original inhabitants of Boracay, the Ati people, have diminished to a narrow row of crowded houses and a small museum showcasing their history. Today, around 200 Ati people live and work on just 4 acres of land on the island. The remainder of the island has been developed to house five-star resorts, shops, and tourist attractions. Both communities are constantly facing the imminent threat of erasure due to natural disasters, abuses of governmental power, and the pursuit of economic expansion via the tourism industry. In highlighting the different stages of encroachment experienced in both locations, we aim for the audience to reflect on the importance of an original people’s agency and to learn from indigenous ways of living.

Telling these stories to the world is important to our group. We are passionate about using the power of documentary filmmaking to create meaningful relationships and to make a change. With these funds, our group will be able to empower the people of these communities, and allow them to share their stories and perspectives with the world.