Can you imagine waking up each day knowing that every drop of water your family will use must be carried on foot for an hour from a distant spring, across steep and rocky terrain? The availability of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing depends on that long and exhausting journey.
For the Mangyan community of Baclayan in Occidental Mindoro, this need has been their daily reality for generations, even though their village lies only about 20 minutes away from the town proper of the municipality of Sta. Cruz.
Mangyan community in Baclayan: It takes a village to uplift a village. (Contributed photo)
In Baclayan, the absence of water and sanitation facilities is not merely an inconvenience—it is a lifelong condition that shapes health, safety, and dignity. A Mangyan elder once described their toilet as “as wide as the mountains,” referring to the open spaces that serve as their only option. For many women and girls, this has meant growing up without privacy, without protection, and without the most basic sense of bodily dignity. Some have lived their entire lives—born, raised families, and grown old—without ever using a proper toilet or taking a safe and private shower.
The burden falls most heavily on women and girls, who must wait until dark to find a place where they can relieve themselves without being seen
The burden of this reality falls most heavily on women and girls, who must wait until dark to find a place where they can relieve themselves without being seen. They are the ones who manage menstruation without water, sanitation, or privacy. They are the ones most vulnerable to illness, discomfort, and insecurity. With no lighting at night, even simple tasks become risky. These daily challenges are silent but powerful barriers to health, education, and equality.
Yet Baclayan is a community rich in resilience and cooperation. When the possibility of building toilets, showers, and a water system was first shared by Fr. Ryan Diño, SVD of the Holy Cross Parish, and later brought to the attention of the Zonta Club of Metro Ortigas (ZCMO), the response was immediate—not only from Zonta members and partners, but also from the Mangyan community itself. This was a project not only being done for them, but also being built with them.
Marking the completion of the project, from left, Barahan barangay captain Allan Credo, Fr. Ryan Dino, SVD, parish priest of Holy Cross Parish in Occidental Mindoro, Lady Ann Valenton and Marides Almendras of Zonta Club of Metro Ortigas (ZCMO), municipal councilor Susie de Lara, Sta. Cruz mayor Ernie Torreliza, Atty. Georgia Pangan of ZCMO
Through the support of Zonta and its partners, the plan for four toilets, four shower rooms, a septic tank, and a submersible pump that would bring clean water from the spring directly into the community began to take shape. What may appear modest in an urban setting is transformative in Baclayan. Clean water within reach means hours of walking saved each day. It means improved hygiene, reduced disease, safer pregnancies, and more time for mothers to care for their children or engage in livelihood activities. For girls, it means the possibility of attending school more regularly and managing their menstrual health with dignity.
The Mangyan community immediately organized themselves for the construction. A team of men worked daily, led by a foreman from their own group. An engineer parishioner volunteered the technical plans free of charge. A local hardware store provided materials on credit before the release of project funds through Zonta. Every hollow block laid and every trench dug reflected not only labor, but also co-ownership, pride, and hope.
Zonta’s role was to listen, to trust, and to respond quickly—transforming advocacy into action in a matter of days. With funding support, construction began almost immediately, demonstrating how responsive partnerships can change lives when communities themselves are ready and eager to participate.
Beyond the structures being built, the initiative strengthens the Mangyans’ long-standing respect for the environment. With Zonta, plans are being discussed on water recycling and proper waste management so that the new facilities remain sustainable and environmentally responsible. In this way, climate justice becomes a lived experience, where access to essential services goes hand in hand with care for the land that sustains the community.
Another quiet but powerful change came through the introduction of solar lighting donated through Zonta’s network. For families who once depended entirely on daylight, nightfall meant darkness, limited mobility, and increased vulnerability. With solar flashlights, children can now study in the evening, women can move safely within their surroundings, and families can extend their productive hours. Light, in Baclayan, is not only a convenience—it is safety, opportunity, and hope.
Another quiet but powerful change came through the introduction of solar lighting donated through Zonta’s network. Light, in Baclayan, is not only a convenience—it is safety, opportunity, and hope
What is most remarkable is the speed at which this transformation has unfolded. From the first conversation to the start of construction took only 11 days, but the urgency came from within the community itself. The people’s daily presence in the worksite, their willingness to contribute labor, and their determination to complete the facilities as quickly as possible show how deeply they value this opportunity for change.
When the project is completed, around 150 women and girls in Baclayan will, for the first time in their lives, have access to safe and dignified sanitation and clean water within their own community. This will reduce health risks, support menstrual hygiene, improve maternal care, and create a safer environment for children. It will restore time and energy that were once spent simply on survival.
Fr. Ryan Dino, SVD and the women of Zonta Club of Metro Ortigas with the Mangyan community
But Baclayan is only one of many Mangyan communities in Sta. Cruz. There are 41 others under the pastoral care of Father Ryan, each facing similar conditions. Through Zonta’s continuing advocacy for women’s rights and climate justice, Baclayan now stands as a model of what is possible—a future where thousands of indigenous women and girls can experience the same transformation and become active partners in protecting their environment and improving their own quality of life.
The impact of clean water and sanitation extends far beyond infrastructure. It affirms that the Mangyan people are seen, heard, and valued. It tells every child that their well-being matters. It tells every woman that her dignity and safety are important. It shows that development can take place alongside the respect for culture, identity, and the natural environment.
Climate justice, in this context, is not an abstract principle. It is the recognition that those who have contributed the least to environmental degradation are often those who suffer the most from its consequences and from the lack of basic services. By working alongside the Mangyan community to provide sustainable water systems, sanitation, and renewable energy, Zonta helps correct that imbalance in a way that is inclusive, respectful, and empowering.
The journey does not end with the completion of the toilets and showers. It continues in the form of health education, environmental stewardship, livelihood opportunities, and the strengthening of community leadership. It continues in the hope that other Mangyan communities will experience the same change. And it continues in the belief—shared by the community and by Zonta—that dignity, privacy, and access to clean water are fundamental human rights.
In Baclayan, change is being built not only in concrete structures, but in renewed confidence and collective hope. For the women and girls who will no longer walk long distances for water or search for hidden places in the dark, this transformation is deeply personal. It is the beginning of a life where daily existence is safer, healthier, and more dignified.
This is what happens when advocacy becomes action, when partnership is grounded in respect, and when a community is given the opportunity to shape its own future. Through the shared commitment of the Zonta Club of Metro Ortigas, Fr. Ryan Dino, SVD and his parish, and the Mangyan people, Baclayan is moving toward a future defined not by scarcity and hardship, but by dignity, resilience, and hope—for this generation and for those yet to come.
“When Father Ryan first explained to me the difficult situation of the Mangyans, I was deeply disturbed. So was my 24-year-old-daughter who imagined the difficulty and challenge for women and daughters, so she decided to do her own campaign to help,” explained Marides Almendras, president of Zonta Club Metro Ortigas. “Something has to be done about this situation.” Baclayan is just one of the communities that need assistance.
For those who want to help, email marides@globelines.com.ph.
