Puerto Princesa Trip: Workshops and Turnover of Cultural LINKS: Tagbanwa Big Books
By Jelly Ann Macalalad March 20, 2026 Puerto Princesa is known for its beautiful beaches, hospitable people, and interactive community. The Cartwheel Foundation is blessed to experience such things upon a field visit last February 27-28 on the year 2026. This God given opportunity was made possible through the generosity of both Sun Life and […]
Three Years of Cultural LINKS: The Power of Storytelling on the Sama-Bajau Urban Community
By: Tara Isabel Lago September 25, 2025 Cultural LINKS (Leveraging Indigenous Niches through Knowledge and Storytelling) is one of Cartwheel Foundation Inc.’s initiatives to empower Indigenous Communities (IPs) through education and encouraging them to thrive in their culture. Launched in August 2021 and continuing until now, Cartwheel has successfully published children’s picture books for the […]
Daloy ng Karunungan 2023: A Workshop on Socio-Emotional Learning for Teachers
By Alyanna Cariño Educators play a big role in shaping young minds. The role of a teacher comes with its own set of challenges within and beyond the classroom. Not only do they bear the responsibility of providing quality education, but also become mentors and even sources of emotional support for their learners. For them […]
In the Spirit of Service: Unsung Women Heroes Awardees among IPs
Heroes are those whose courage and magnanimity have sparked a revolution of good change, continuing to inspire the best in each of us. They are changemakers, trailblazers, freedom fighters—and they do not exist only in the past as historical figures; they continue to live among us today. Cartwheel is grateful to be working alongside modern-day […]
ORGANIZATIONAL INSCAPING: CO-CREATING THE FUTURE THROUGH EXPRESSIVE CHANGE
“The best way to predict your future is to create it,” Abraham Lincoln was attributed to have said. In the face of the new realities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, such wisdom has taken on a much deeper significance and resonance for Cartwheel Foundation, Inc. (“Cartwheel”). As the Indigenous Peoples sector—along with the rest of […]
Stories of IP Growth: Celebrating 20 Years of Cartwheel
On October 1, 2019, Cartwheel gratefully commemorated its 20th founding anniversary. That’s two full decades of inspiring growth, sharing stories, nurturing culture with and for Filipino Indigenous Peoples! Along the journey, a wide circle of partners has graciously accompanied us and helped sustain our work in nation-building all these many years. Here are but a handful of stories […]
A Day of Fun and Learning with the Bajau of Lucena
For many urban-dwelling Filipinos, the term Bajau* (or Badjao) calls to mind images of children or youth roaming the streets and begging for alms. But for a group of friends from an exclusive school for boys, they have come to represent more than that. On June 18, 2016 (Saturday), five senior high school students from […]
Without the Lens
Katrise Velhagen of MAGIS Creative Spaces recounts how her work as videographer for the activities last August 15-17, 2014 involving Tagbanua music-makers and Cultures in Harmony (CiH) musicians from the USA becomes an experience of joy and healing. This experience is both having me invest both my heart and my hands. I have not held […]
Town & Country Philippines features Cartwheel!
Cartwheel Foundation, Inc. has been featured in the March 2014 issue of Town & Country Philippines for its work with Filipino Indigenous Peoples! The article, entitled “One Tribe: Cartwheel Foundation wants to empower indigenous communities through custom education,” may be found in the magazine’s page on Giving. Indeed, we are one tribe in keeping sacred our unique heritage […]
Cartwheel Comes Full Circle
Gina Alfonso, Founder of Cartwheel Foundation, shares how Pamulaan Center’s 2014 Graduation Ceremonies truly became a celebration of the dynamic cycle of giving and receiving, in more ways than one. The commencement exercises started with all graduates in circle formation, witnessing a fitting ritual of gratitude by a Talaandig elder who facilitated the pouring on each graduate, blessings from […]