Ki Bathala Gardens

26/09/2026

23/09/2026

Right in Manila, Binondo has been around since 1594—more than four centuries ago. It is widely recognized as the oldest existing Chinatown in the world.

But here’s the part that makes its history even more interesting.

Binondo was established during Spanish rule as a permanent settlement for Chinese migrants who had converted to Catholicism. Before this, Spanish authorities had used designated areas called Parian to confine Chinese communities, partly because of security and colonial-control concerns.

So while Chinatowns in places like San Francisco and Melbourne emerged centuries later in the 1800s, Binondo was already a Chinese commercial community in Manila by the late 1500s.

And here’s the crazy part: Binondo is older than the United States itself. 🇵🇭

Today, its streets are packed with Chinese-Filipino businesses, restaurants, temples, churches, and generations of history.

400+ years later, the Chinatown the Spaniards established is still alive.

23/09/2026

Global Witness documented 12 environmental and land defenders killed in the Philippines in 2025. That placed the country among the deadliest globally that year, alongside Honduras, although Colombia and Brazil recorded more killings.

But here's the part that makes this more than just another statistic:

13 consecutive years.

These defenders are people who take action to protect land, forests, communities, and natural resources. Global Witness says the killings it documents are cases where there is a reasonable suspected link between the victim and their environmental or land activism.

And historically, mining, agribusiness, logging, and other resource-related conflicts have been connected to attacks against defenders in the Philippines.

So when you hear “environmental defender,” don't just picture someone holding a protest sign.

For some, protecting a forest, river, or ancestral land has meant putting their own life on the line.

22/09/2026