Co-created with more than 500 Indigenous and frontline youth, the book and four-part film series look to the knowledge of Philippine communities for ways to navigate the climate crisis.
“What if the Philippines wasn’t just where we lived, but how we think?” That was the question we posed in our August cover story celebrating Buwan ng Wika featuring sisters and TAYO co-founders Bella and Tasha Tanjutco. Their work explores how our islands, cultures, and communities can shape the way we create. That way of thinking informs Kapuluan, a youth-led educational book and four-part documentary series exploring Filipino cultureCultureshared traditions, beliefs, values, customs, arts, and social practices that define the identity and way of life of a community, society, or nation.Go to Culture Glossary-based climate solutions. Its name brings together kapuluan, or archipelago; and apu, evoking elders, ancestors, and descendants. It connects the knowledge passed between generations with the relationships that sustain our islands.
For young Filipinos, the climate crisis is already shaping expectations of the future. A United Nations poll of nearly 3,000 young people in the Philippines found that climate change and natural disasters topped their concerns, with one in four respondents identifying them as the biggest problem they expected to face. It’s an understandable worry in a country that ranks among the world’s most affected by climate-related extreme weather. Young Filipinos stand to inherit a problem already changing the place they call home, but they also inherit knowledge that can help them respond.
The Kapuluan project grew from an initiative by Tasha Tanjutco, artist Issa Barte, and our April cover personality, multidisciplinary artist and conservationist Gab Mejia. Over three years, more than 500 Indigenous and frontline youth from 20 communities across 18 Philippine regions co-created this living archive of stories, art, and community knowledge.
The book is now open for pre-order ahead of its February 2027 release and grand launch, which will include a documentary screening. Every hardbound book purchased during the pre-sale also secures a copy for one of its community co-creators.
READ ALSO: Cover Story: Bella and Tasha Tanjutco On Archipelagic Design And Filipino Creativity
What To Expect From The Kapuluan Book And Documentary Series
Kapuluan began with a National Geographic Society Meridian Grant awarded to Natasha “Tasha” Tanjutco, Gabriel “Gab” Mejia, and Issa Barte for The Philippine Youth Atlas: Preserving the Filipino Ecology, Livelihood, and CultureCultureshared traditions, beliefs, values, customs, arts, and social practices that define the identity and way of life of a community, society, or nation.Go to Culture Glossary through the Lens of the Indigenous and Frontline Youth. Beginning in 2023, workshops in photography, art-making, tapestry painting, and counter-mapping invited young people to document their communities and their relationships with the environments they inhabit.
Their contributions inform a project grounded in archipelagic thinking: understanding how distinct places, cultures, and practices connect. As Bella and Tasha explained of archipelagic design in our cover interview: “It’s seeing the world without fixed silos and boundaries, and seeing these practices as islands that belong to one archipelago.”
The book makes those connections tangible through drawings, photographs, counter-maps, poetry, essays, and stories from 18 communities, featuring 18 local culture-based climate solutions. Co-edited by Tasha Tanjutco, Issa Barte, Enrique Masias, and Bjork Colao, it’s co-authored by youth, artists, and culture bearers as a guide for young people navigating the climate crisis.
READ ALSO: Cover Story: Gab Mejia On Art, Conservation, And The World Worth Protecting
The accompanying four-part educational documentary series is directed by Gab Mejia, with cinematography by Miko Reyes and audio production by Jacob Mendoza. When we photographed Gab for our April cover, he was preparing to fly to Palawan for additional filming for Kapuluan. “We forget that we’re also nature as humans,” Gab told Lifestyle Asia. This is a thought that runs through the series’ exploration of Filipino ecology, community, and culture.
Spotlighting three ecosystems, the films follow Krystahl Guina of the Talaandig-Manobo Indigenous people through Kalikasan; Halian Island defender Lady Litang through Kapwa; and ecological performer Bjork Calao of Lanao del Norte through Kabutihan. Their stories come together in Kaluluwa, the living soul of the archipelago.
Kapuluan is supported by Tukod Foundation, National Geographic Society, and Youth Climate Justice Fund, together with Philippine Youth Atlas island leaders and cultureCultureshared traditions, beliefs, values, customs, arts, and social practices that define the identity and way of life of a community, society, or nation.Go to Culture Glossary bearers. With Bella Tanjutco serving as president of its board, Tukod continues the legacy of the sisters’ grandfather, National Artist for Architecture Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa.
The Kapuluan hardbound book is now available for pre-order ahead of its February 2027 release and grand launch, which will include a documentary screening. Every pre-sale purchase secures a copy for one of its more than 500 co-creators. Each purchased book includes access to the film series, with proceeds supporting the youth leaders’ climate and cultural advocacies. For updates more information on Kapuluan, follow @_kapuluan on Instagram.
All photos courtesy of the Tukod Foundation
Frequently Asked Questions
Kapuluan is a youth-led educational book and four-part documentary series exploring Filipino culture-based climate solutions. It was co-created over three years with more than 500 Indigenous and frontline youth from 20 communities across 18 Philippine regions.
The project’s name brings together kapuluan, meaning archipelago, and apu, evoking elders, ancestors, and descendants. It reflects connections between islands and the knowledge passed across generations.
Kapuluan grew from the Philippine Youth Atlas, which began with a National Geographic Society Meridian Grant awarded to Tasha Tanjutco, Gab Mejia, and Issa Barte. The book is co-edited by Tasha Tanjutco, Issa Barte, Enrique Masias, and Bjork Colao, while the documentary series is directed by Gab Mejia.
The four-part documentary explores Filipino ecology, community, and culture amid a changing climate. It features Krystahl Guina of the Talaandig-Manobo Indigenous people, Halian Island defender Lady Litang, and ecological performer Bjork Calao of Lanao del Norte through the themes of kalikasan, kapwa, kabutihan, and kaluluwa.
Yes. The Kapuluan hardbound book is available for pre-order ahead of its February 2027 release and grand launch, which will include a documentary screening. Every pre-sale purchase also secures a copy for one of the project’s community co-creators. Each purchased book includes access to the film series.
