Meet the Pandas Who Campaign for the Planet
November 2019
Meet the WWF-Philippines Face-to-Face Team, a group of young men and women who reach out to and speak to the public as they share our message of conservation. Photograph © Lexie Marmol / WWF-Philippines
You see them in the malls, or at the airport, or in the train stations on your commute home. In their arms they carry clipboards and brochures, while on their chest sits a badge with a black-and-white panda on it and the letters “WWF” embroidered just below. They approach you and they ask if you’ve heard about the World Wide Fund for Nature. If you haven’t, they stop you, and they tell you about the world we live in and the damage we’ve caused it and how you, no matter who you are, can play a part in the protection of our planet.
Meet the campaigners of WWF-Philippines.
Members of the WWF-Philippines Face-to-Face Team. Photograph © Ysa Calinawan / WWF-Philippines
WWF-Philippines’ Face-to-Face Team is a group of young men and women from all across the country who have come together to lend a voice to the environment. Their job is to share the projects of WWF-Philippines far and wide, and to win hearts and minds as they continue forward with passion.
“I became a campaign advocate because I wanted to let people know about things I think they should know about – the need to protect wildlife and the environment, as well as the fault that we all play in damaging the planet,” says Karen Teberio, a member of the WWF-Philippines Face-to-Face Campaign Team. Each Campaign Advocate is tasked with converting passers-by into supporters of WWF-Philippines. These supporters, in turn, serve as the backbone that makes possible all the work that the organization does in the field as it works for the holistic conservation of planet earth.
“We all take from the environment. We shouldn’t just be takers, though – we should take care of the environment as well. The next generation will rely on this planet, too,” says WWF-Philippines Face-to-Face Campaign Officer Marga Duremdes. Environmentalists and eco-warriors, WWF-Philippines’ Campaign Advocates are driven by passion for the planet as go about their work.
WWF-Philippines' Face-to-Face team showcasing one of the WWF shirts. Photograph © Kim Rodriguez / WWF-Philippines
The Face-to-Face team has travelled the full length of the Philippines, moving from province to province, city to city to share our message of conservation with as many people as possible. Along the way they’ve met with people from all walks of life, with all sorts of stories to share.
“I remember this one supporter I stopped,” shares WWF-Philippines Campaign Advocate Chris Tenorio as he recounts a day he spent campaigning in SM Aura. “This woman, she cried while I was pitching. She was touched, I think. She told me she had no idea what was happening with the planet, and that things are as bad as they are today.” What’s heartwarming for a Campaign Advocate, explains Chris, is knowing that the people they approach in the field go home having learned something new and having been moved to care a bit more for the environment.
“What keeps me motivated is WWF itself. If I’m giving double effort here, I know they’re all giving double effort too. I hear it, I see it – the people, the staff, those in the projects and out in the field, they all give double effort for the environment. And the people we meet motivate me, too, because I know that there will be those who will support us at the end of the day,” says WWF-Philippines Campaign Advocate Juan Paolo Coronel.
A thank you to the WWF-Philippines Face-to-Face Campaign Team, whose effort makes our work in the field possible. Photograph © Lexie Marmol / WWF-Philippines
“To my fellow Campaign Advocates, I say – let’s continue what we’re doing here with WWF. In our organization, it’s together possible, together we thrive. Let’s continue what we started here in WWF,” adds Coronel with a confident smile. This is the WWF-Philippines Face-to-Face Campaign Team – a group of ordinary men and women with a message to share and a heart for the environment. If you see them in the malls, pause for a moment and listen to what they have to say. Hear their message, and come join us as we build a future where man lives in harmony with nature.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Marga Duremdes
Face-to-Face Training and Development Officer
mduremdes@wwf.org.ph
For media arrangements, please contact:
Ms. Pam Luber
Integrated Communications Manager
pluber@wwf.org.ph
