MANILA, Philippines – An outspoken environmentalist and Agta youth leader in Quezon province was named one of the 2025 Restoration Stewards by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use.
Kristel Quierrez was among seven young environmentalists and the only Filipino to be given the award, specifically for forest restoration, for this year.
GLF’s Restoration Stewards Program provides opportunities and funding to support youth-led ecosystem restoration projects worldwide.
Other awardees are the following:
- Ngobi Joel of Uganda, forest restoration steward
- Shaik Imran of India, forest restoration steward
- Sydner Kemunto of Kenya, dry land restoration steward
- Raquel Pereira Viana of Brazil, dry land restoration steward
- Zuhura Ahmad of Tanzania, ocean restoration steward
- Baruch Aguilar Mena of Mexico, ocean restoration steward
According to GLF, Quierrez’s leadership and dedication make her a force for change, blending education, advocacy, and cultural pride to restore landscapes and inspire future generations.
Quierrez is the co-founder of UGBON: Katutubong Kabataang Umuugat sa Kabundukan ng Sierra Madre, the first indigenous youth group in the country’s longest mountain range. The area stretches from Cagayan to Quezon and borders the Pacific Ocean, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.
Her quest for the stewardship award received support from fellow Filipino youth leader and 2024 Forest Restoration Steward Jann Vinze Barcinal from Antique.
The 23-year-old Quierrez said she was overjoyed to have been chosen from 500 candidates from around the world.
Countering Kaliwa Dam
Quierrez’s group UGBON is among the organizers of the Sectors and Peoples Totally Opposed to Kaliwa Dam or STOP Kaliwa Dam network.
In February 2023, Quierrez was among those who walked 150 kilometers from General Nakar, Quezon to Malacañang for nine days to protest the dam’s construction due to a myriad of environmental and social impacts on the Sierra Madre mountain range.
“Our lives and our livelihoods are at stake. Our future depends on it. Without our ancestral land, we will be left without a home, and we won’t be able to study. For us indigenous people, as our elders have taught us: Our environment is our life,” Quierrez said.
The P12.2-billion New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project is a project started during the Duterte administration. It received funding from an Official Development Assistance loan from China.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System projected that it will supply 600 million liters of water a day to Metro Manila.
But even before construction began in 2021, the project has met opposition due to the impending displacement of indigenous communities and widespread, irreparable destruction to the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Roots
Quierrez identifies as Agta, which means “person.” The term Dumagat – a contraction of “dumaong mula sa dagat” (arrived from the sea) – was coined by non-Agtas. However, the indigenous group is officially recognized as Dumagat-Remontado by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. Most of them live in Tanay, Rizal, and General Nakar, Quezon.
Even before attending school, Quierrez said she was aware of the challenges facing her culture and people. This awareness grew from attending community gatherings in General Nakar, where elders openly discussed the relationship between their land and heritage.
“Our elders continually remind us: Where the forest is, that is where we are,” Quierrez told Rappler in a phone interview.
Formal education at the Sentrong Paaralan ng mga Agta in Barangay Catablingan, General Nakar, further solidified her convictions. SPA’s advocacy focuses on strengthening the capacity of indigenous youth.
While there is no shortage of community leaders among the youth, when elders see a young person’s leadership potential, they are entrusted with greater responsibilities. This is not necessarily negative, Quierrez noted, but it underscores the need to prioritize the welfare of the youth. This concern motivates UGBON’s efforts.
One of her group’s key initiatives is to train youth as second-line leaders in the ongoing struggle to assert indigenous rights in the Sierra Madre. This training emphasizes in-depth knowledge of traditional practices and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act.
Quierrez and her colleagues have observed concerning trends among the youth: few in her generation speak their local language, and even fewer understand their cultural rituals. Language and traditions are vital to preserving their culture.
UGBON said a significant portion of the proposed dam is located in General Nakar, encompassing many sites considered sacred by the community.
The group said loss of access to these sites would disrupt the IPs’ way of living and rituals.
The area is also ideal for practicing parey (traditional rice farming), where indigenous rice varieties are grown. One farming cycle yields enough rice to sustain a family until the next cycle. Without access to this land, the practice could disappear.
UGBON has initiated reforestation projects in the Sierra Madre, helped consolidate documents to finalize their Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan, and begun documenting their traditions. They also advocate for the integration of indigenous knowledge, systems, practices, and spirituality in local communities.
While their journey is far from over, the future looks promising.
Despite the challenges of reaching General Nakar – where some must travel to Manila to catch a bus, others ride a banca, and some trek for an entire day – 85 youth from across Quezon recently gathered and actively participated in an assembly, Quierrez said.
She said they aim to expand their membership to include youth from the entire Sierra Madre.
“This initiative came from us, the youth, so I am optimistic that we will succeed,” Quierrez said. – Rappler.com
*Statements in Filipino have been translated into English for brevity