For over three decades, Sister Aristea Bautista has devoted her life to uplifting the Philippines’ indigenous Mangyan communities in Mindoro—listening to their stories, understanding their struggles, and empowering them through education, healthcare, and leadership.
Last September 24, 2025, her life’s mission was honored at the RCBC Plaza when she was named the 2025 St. Teresa of Calcutta Awardee, an annual distinction given by the Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation and JCI Manila, with RCBC Chairwoman Helena Dy leading the ceremony.
The award celebrates individuals whose service mirrors the compassion and selflessness of Mother Teresa. This year’s selection and ceremonies were led by Charles Torres of JCI Manila, maintaining the award’s legacy of integrity and purpose.
The event gathered dignitaries and leaders from various sectors—including former Ambassador Ramon “Dondon” Bagatsing Jr., RCBC Senior Vice President Xavier Zialcita, and former Prime Minister Cesar Virata—but the night’s heartfelt focus was on Sr. Aristea, whose story moved everyone in attendance.
With characteristic humility, she opened her speech by saying, “I am not a person of lofty words. Oftentimes, I am simply down here on the ground.”
She then recounted how her faith was tested when enrollment at the PAMANA KA schools, which she founded for the Mangyan youth, suddenly doubled from 45 to 90 students. With limited funding and food supplies, her team feared they could no longer support everyone.
Yet when she met Barok, an elder who traveled with his 14 grandchildren just so they could study, she saw the surge not as a burden but as a blessing.
“If I get angry, I would look like an oppressor,” she recalled. “As I sat before the Blessed Sacrament, I realized how those bigger numbers were sent to us by God. It was His miracle of the multiplication of bread. If He was the one who sent them, He will be the one to take care of them.”
Unbeknownst to her, at that very moment of doubt, her nomination for the St. Teresa of Calcutta Award was already underway—something she would later describe as an “answered prayer I hadn’t even prayed for.”
Sr. Aristea’s journey began in 1997 when she founded the Mangyan Health Center, offering free medical services to remote villages through the help of the Department of Health and volunteers. Later, she established PAMANA KA (Pangkat ng mga Mangyan na Nagkakaisa sa Kaunlaran), a network of schools that provide culturally sensitive education while training Mangyan teachers to lead their own communities.
Beyond education, she also helped organize the PASAKAMI Mangyan Federation, empowering tribal leaders to advocate for their rights. Her efforts culminated in 2010, when the Hanunuo, Gubatnon, and Ratagnon (HAGURA) tribes finally secured their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT)—a landmark victory for indigenous self-determination.
In her acceptance speech, Sr. Aristea shared her gratitude not for recognition, but for the people who journeyed with her:
“I am grateful to the Mangyans, who entrusted their dreams to us and worked with us tirelessly and without measure to make the dreams possible. Together, we made it happen—the ancestral domain of HAGURA was secured, PAMANA KA was born, dreams became reality, and we bear witness to God’s creative love.”
Now in her 60s, Sr. Aristea continues her mission with unwavering faith, believing that true service begins where comfort ends. As she quoted the foundress of her congregation: “If it is God’s work, it will live.” (with reports from Aldrine Benitez)
