Meet Louise Mabulo, the Only Filipina in BBC's 100 Women of 2023

(SPOT.ph) The Philippines is represented in the BBC's 100 Women 2023. Announced in the last week of November, the list honors women worldwide who have inspired many and made an impact in their respective fields. Among the honorees are Michelle Obama, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Hollywood star America Ferrera, and beauty mogul Huda Kattan. But in a year that has faced more climate-related disasters, the BBC also chose to award environmental advocates and climate pioneers. In a sea of bigwigs and women at the top of their game, one Filipina made the list: Louise Mabulo of San Fernando, Camarines Sur, Bicol. 

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Get to know Louise Mabulo, BBC's only Filipina in the 100 Women 2023 list:

If you're wondering who Louise Mabulo is and why she's among such awesome women, that's not surprising. She's not written about enough in our shores. But Mabulo is a quiet, consistent force to be reckoned with, especially when we're talking food security, agrotechnology, and sustainable farming.

Credited as an entrepreneur and environmental advocate, Mabulo is often associated with The Cacao Project, an initiative that builds sustainable, regenerative, and resilient agricultural livelihoods in San Fernando, Camarines Sur, Philippines. Through her work with the Cacao Project and her advocacy efforts, Mabulo has received countless international awards and recognition, among them the 2018 Outstanding Young Farmer of the Philippines award,  the 2019 Young Champions of the Earth award by the United Nations Environment Programme. She was part of Forbes' 30 under 30 Asia list. Mabulo, by the way, is only 25 years old. 

Born in Manila but raised in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, it is safe to say Mabulo lived a privileged life. Her formative years were spent in the UK, surrounded by farmlands owned by thriving farmers and supported by a government that provided basic necessities and intensive support in education and health care. 

Imagine Mabulo's shock when, at the age of around nine, she was struck by the harsh reality on the other side of the world. Her family decided to move back to CamSur. "In the UK, I had access to uniforms, clothes, free healthcare, and free education. Farmers around me were treated with regard. They had enough, sometimes more, to sustain themselves. But then I found out that people in this village halfway around the world had to walk one kilometer to the nearest school," Mabulo tells SPOT.ph. Young as she was, she started questioning the kind of life and government support people in the provinces got. "I asked my parents, where is the government? Aren't they supposed to be taking care of the people?" 

Mabulo noticed the stark difference in the quality of life farmers had here and in the UK. "It took a lot of getting used to. But seeing this was really my first exposure to poverty," says Mabulo. Since then, she has taken it upon herself to make life a little better for her community—by organizing fundraisers and getting their village the attention and resources they deserve. 

Mabulo's journey, however, has not been all advocacy work. Amid all her Cacao Project endeavors, she awas able to cultivate her love of food. You might remember a 12-year-old Mabulo as a finalist at Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition. This marked the beginning of her culinary journey. She was awarded the Best Dessert in Asia Award at the Disciples des Escoffier Young Talent Trophy at the Restaurant and Bar Show in Hong Kong. 50 Next even recognizes her as a Game-changing Producer under The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awarding Body. 

Mabulo and her family maintained their home base in CamSur and as any Bicolano will tell you, their beautiful terrain comes at a price. The Bicol Region is one of the provinces most frequently hit by mega-storms and in late 2016 tragedy struck when Typhoon Nock-Ten, a.k.a Typhoon Nina, hit the region. This left a huge part of San Fernando, Camarines Sur isolated and with dwindling food supplies. Ironically, the farming village found itself hungry, begging others for food. 

Mabulo turned to her usual strategy, social fundraising, to help her community in the wake of the typhoon. But more than collecting donations for immediate supplies, Mabulo opted for something more sustainable. Noting that their community and area are filled with hardworking farmers and rich farmland, and that the storm has disrupted the supply chain, Mabulo looked for donations of seeds and crops they could plant to be self-sufficient.

Donations for the short term poured in. Seeds of okra, bok choy, squash, and other fast crops arrived from various sources, but these are easily affected by changes in weather. In comes the grand revelation. Amidst the storm, the cacao trees remained standing; hence, cacao trees might just be the high-value, climate change-resistant plant to solve their problems.

From being a seed exchange program to a full-fledged agrotech support system, Mabulo's biggest endeavor, The Cacao Project was born. Her work with the organization has helped farmers include climate resiliency and sustainability as an inherent part of their livelihoods. This includes creating educational programs that help bridge the gap between farmers and new advancements in agrotech. The organization also helps farmers earn a livelihood from their produce by showing them the different opportunities they can have, such as handicrafts and other farm-to-end consumer businesses. She even put up a restaurant called The Culinary Lounge, a laidback farm-to-table kitchen studio that hosts events, workshops, cooking demonstrations, pop-up dinners, and by-reservation dining. 

Moving forward for Louise Mabulo

Through her involvement with The Cacao Project, Louise Mabulo has had the unique opportunity to meet with experts in climate change, agriculture, and many other fields. These days, she is often called to speak on forums on climate resilience, agrotech, and others in the same vein. In fact, after our call, she left for a summit in which she will be on a panel with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. What 25-year-old can claim that as part of their day?

Despite being in these high-powered summits, Mabulo remains a young adult full of hopes and dreams. We asked what her dream for The Cacao Project is. Is it expanding to other parts of the country? Is it to help more farmers? Ultimately, and quite frankly on brand, the woman has a bigger cause in mind. She hopes that one day there will no longer be a need for The Cacao Project.

Sounds like a dark wish, but behind it is the hope. That one day farmers will be empowered enough and stable enough. That climate resiliency will be their lifeblood and that new technologies and techniques will become readily available to them. "It's not that I don't want to do this anymore. It's more that The Cacao Project is no longer needed. There is no more gap to fill," says Mabulo.

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