Hearth Summit Philippines 2025 Hearth Summit Philippines 2025
Regional Hearth Summits
About the Summit
Healing Together With Lunas Philipinas
The Hearth Summit Philippines will engage 150 changemakers in an immersive three-day journey to build a world that nurtures the wellbeing of our communities and the planet. Wellbeing is at the heart of social change, and yet for many activists and organizations, self-care remains an elusive task that leads to exhaustion and burnout.
Join us as we define new levels of awareness about individual and collective wellbeing through the lens of traditional Philippine values. Changemakers will have the opportunity to learn from peers, colleagues and expert speakers on how to cultivate their direct relationship with the natural environment and explore intergenerational healing through the arts, music, workshops and rituals. Special attention will be given to creating safe indoor andoutdoor spaces for rest, connection, and critical reflection throughout the Summit.
Nestled in the lush Central Visayas region of Siquijor, the Summit will leverage the island’s unique cultural heritage and natural landscapes. Once known as the mystical “Island of Fire”, Siquijor shares a rich history of traditional healing practices and environmental conservation. This is the ideal place to explore the indigenous ways of knowing and its overall impact on wellbeing.
Let us learn, discover, and connect around the Hearth together. We look forward to hosting you on this collective journey to wellbeing and social change in the Philippines!
THE PROGRAMME
THREE DAYS, FIVE ELEMENTS
Learn, discover, and connect around the Hearth
Inspired by the other regional Hearth Summits which have sparked regional movements for wellbeing around the world, Hearth Summit Philippines will be the seed for individual and collective action in ensuring the wellbeing of those on the frontlines of social change in the Philippines.
The Hearth Summit Philippines (Lunas Pilipinas) programme will centre on the five key natural elements: fire, air, water, earth, and ether. Throughout the three-day gathering, we will focus on each element and its relationship to traditional Philippine values, intergenerational healing, and ecological belonging. In addition, we will hold a series of pre-Summit events to engage the broader diaspora to offer accessible content and ongoing engagement across geographies.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING TALKS
Building resilience and avoiding burnout
Connecting with our ancestors as a sustainability solution
Intergenerational healing as a family practice
Creating an infrastructure for personal and collective wellbeing
Filipino approaches to collaboration and unity (bayanihan)
CULTURAL DISCOVERIES
Traditional Siquijior healing rituals and sacred remedies
Mythmaking and spoken word in the “moth” storytelling tradition
Kwenthuan storytelling circles
Saranngola kite creation
Pasalubong gift-sharing tradition
EMBODIED PRACTICES AND ARTS EXPERIENCES
Meditations
Zen writing reflections
Mindful movement
One billion dancing: where art meets activism
Community dinners with traditional meals
Cross-cultural music and dance performances
KEY SPEAKERS & ARTISTSKEY SPEAKERS & ARTISTS
BE INSPIRED BY KEYNOTE VOICES BE INSPIRED BY KEYNOTE VOICES
Adora Faye de Vera
Adora Faye is an artist, poet, and revolutionary. She was first arrested at the age of 22 for fighting against the Marcos Dictatorship and Martial Law where she was subject to numerous, gross human rights violations. Under the second Marcos presidency, Adora was again arrested and detained in the provincial jail of Iloilo in August of 2022 under false, multiple charges of murder. She was held for over a year before a court found no evidence or basis for her arrest or detainment and she was freed. During her wrongful incarceration, Adora wrote about the state of women in the jail, which highlighted the prison industrial complex making super profits from the traditional hablon weaving inmates are forced to do in order to be given basic needs such as water. Adora used her embroidery skills to record the stories of the individual women and global women’s rights everywhere.
Liza Largoza Maza
Liza Maza is a veteran legislator, activist, and champion of women’s rights and the poor. Liza is trailblazer in the global women’s movement, having led Gabriela Philippines, the largest alliance of militant Philippine women’s organizations for over 20 years. She went onto become the first representative of Gabriela Women’s Party, serving as a Congressperson from 2001 to 2010. During her time in congress, she co-authored the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, the Anti-Violence in Women and Children’s Act, the Magna Carta of Women, and the Juvenile Justice Act. In 2010, Liza founded the Working for Empowerment and Good Governance Institute (WeGovern), which conducts education, training, research, and advocacy activities “to advance new politics with gender and democratic governance at it’s core.”
More extraordinary changemakers are joining us in Siquijor!
Uniting Filipino Culture and Social ChangeUniting Filipino Culture and Social Change
STORIES FROM THE SUMMIT
Why Lunas Philipinas?
Lunas is the Tagalog word for “remedy” or “cure.” More than that, it is an antidote, medicine for what ails you in the broadest sense, answers to help you get through a hard time. Lunas is an exhale after a long day, comfort for weary souls, balm for broken hearts, a practice of hope, and invitation to come together as kapwa, in community.
The Summit, hosted on the remote island of Siquijor, is co-created by the Siquijor Healers Association and will invite changemakers to explore the unique traditions and culture of the island’s healer community. Once known as the mystical “Island of Fire”, Siquijor shares a rich history of traditional healing practices and environmental conservation. This will be an ideal place to explore Indigenous ways of knowing and its overall impact on wellbeing. To learn more about the Siquijor healers, the upcoming Summit, and a Philippine take on wellbeing, read Summit co-creator Macy Castañeda Lee’s feature in Tatler Asia.
A SPECIAL CALLING FOR THE FILIPINO DIASPORA
Hearth Summit Philippines will be dedicated to fostering wellbeing for the global Filipino community.
“With a legacy of 400 years of Spanish colonization and then being sold to the United States for 100 years, by the time the Philippines gained their full “freedom” in 1946, colonial mentality, identity, and relationships were deeply ingrained in our culture. Add to this enduring exploitation of the land and the people, corruption, and a 20+ year Marcos dictatorship, the result is a country whose biggest export are its people in the form of migrant laborers.
Overseas Filipino Workers are responsible for supporting a significant part of the GDP, sending over USD60 billion annually in remittances. While they are called “heroes”by the government, the cost is too great — there are generations of children being raised without their mothers or fathers. It will take an average of 12 years or more to reunite their families.
On the other side of oceans, American / European / Middle-Eastern-born Filipinos face issues of identify, racism, and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
What is incredible and enduring is the spirit of Filipinos all over the world to persist. They adapt. They survive. They bring the Philippines with them wherever they go-through food, values, language, and family ties. And, in almost 200 countries, Filipinos continue to think of the Philippines as “home.” The Balikbayan is not just a title, it’s a journey home.
The need for wellbeing is the journey to healing intergenerational trauma, finding our place through ecological belonging and defining our understanding of our culture through sikolohiyang Pilipino.”
— The Lunas Pilipinas Team
WHY PARTICIPATE?
A transformative movement for wellbeing is growing around the world, especially in the Philippines. Join us in January 2025 to:
Drive Social Impact
Champion initiatives that shape future leaders by integrating societal resilience and human thriving, fostering a just, healthy, and sustainable society
Institutionalize Wellbeing
Embed wellness practices to enhance collective wellbeing and improve the overall effectiveness and wholeness of your workforce
Expand Your Network
Engage with a global network of changemakers, including leaders from global organizations dedicated to wellbeing and social change
Enhance Brand Visibility
Elevate your brand by demonstrating a strong commitment to wellbeing, social change, and ecological sustainability to an influential and passionate audience
Demonstrate Leadership
Showcase your institution’s dedication to addressing societal challenges, positioning
your business as a forerunner in cultivating our future resilient leaders and driving social impact
Showcase Innovation
Present innovative solutions and transformative practices that define wellbeing in multiple settings, helping individuals and leaders understand and implement these concepts
HOSTED BY
Siquijor Healers Association, Talang Dalisay, We Govern Institute, and Keeping it 100 Solutions
Express Your Interest in Attending Hearth Summit Philippines
Registrations aren’t open yet for Hearth Summit Philippines, but you can express your interest in attending with this form. We’ll share your information with the organizers!
While members of the Pilipinx diaspora are welcome to participate, please note there are a limited number of slots open.
