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Jefferson Estela 🇵🇸

@jepestela

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frustrated pinoy gay popstar turned to intersectional queer climate justice activist, urbanist & arch designer ☀️
🌇 @jepandthecity 🌊 @ilogpasiglahin

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I was anxious the whole day yesterday during the non-stop rain—completely paralyzed to work as I remember memories of all the climate-induced disasters we’ve endured as Filipinos. My mind is all over the place. The rage is eating me up. As much as I want to focus on our own situation at home, I can’t ignore what’s happening all over the country. Then I saw a TikTok video of a Filipino teenager ducking for cover inside his house as it got wrecked in the middle of the fucking typhoon and I completely lost it. We don’t deserve this. We deserve so much better.

Imagine Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) just wrapped up a week ago in Pasay, yet here we are, far from the promising presentations with little to no impact in communities it intended to serve.

The truth is, disasters are predictable, and preventable but the suffering caused by them is political. If we keep electing leaders who care more about profit and politics than policies, the cycle of loss and damage will only continue. Preparedness, adaptation, and accountability shouldn’t be optional—they need to be non-negotiable.

2025 is one of our way to change this. Next year’s election matters. We need leaders who will:
✅ Build climate and disaster resilience that will protects us in long term.
✅ Invest in nature-based solutions and harness our renewable energy capacity.
✅ Push for real policies, not band-aid solutions.
✅ Effective disaster governance to support vulnerable communities before the disaster hits.
✅ Halt environmental destructive projects that put communities and ecosystems at risk.

With the escalating effects of the climate crisis, the next disaster is always looming. We need leaders committed to climate justice and genuine disaster preparedness.

Demand accountability. Demand climate leadership.

#ClimateJusticeNow #KristinePH #STSKristine by @jepestela

A new loss and damage text has been published and it offers hope to help communities to recover from climate disasters: a positive step after long years of campaigning in the climate negotiations. Finally!

Huge respect and heartfelt gratitude to all the mentors, campaigners, activists, human rights and environmental defenders, and negotiators who have come before us. Not to mention all the youth and climate activists who pushed this pivotal moment. 🙌🏻

#COP27 may end today but we will make sure that the call for the #LossAndDamageFinance facility will be available to vulnerable communities very soon! ✊🏻

We still have questions and issues that remain unsolved, though. As long as countries refuse to phase out #FossilFuels, real justice will not prevail! For now, this is the victory of the people. Tomorrow, we will watch!

Now, off to the City of Thousand Minarets! 🕌

#TogetherForImplementation
#LossAndDamageFinanceNow by @jepestela

PAREX: Pigilan, tutulan, huwag pahintulutan! #NoToPAREX

Ang Ilog Pasig ay ang puso at kanunu-nunuan ng Metro Manila, na nag-uugnay sa Manila Bay at Laguna de Bay. Naging sentro ito ng kalakalan, pamamahalaan, transportasyon, agrikultura, at higit pa. Kaugnay rin ito sa mga anyong-tubig sa rehiyon, tulad ng Ilog Marikina, Ilog San Juan, at Ilog Taguig. Sa gayon, mahalagang bahagi ng Pasig-Marikina-Laguna basin ang ilog sapagkat sinasalo nito ang ulan at nababawasan ang baha sa Metro Manila, Rizal, at Laguna. Apektado ang katubigang pumapalibot sa Ilog Pasig, kung anuman ang mangyari rito.

Sa tulong ng iba't-ibang mga NGOs at ng gobyerno, naibalik ang kalidad ng tubig ng Ilog Pasig sa mga nakaraang taon. Walong species ng isda, 39 species ng mga ibon, at 118 species ng mga puno at iba pang halaman ay matatagpuan sa ilog. Buhay na buhay ang Ilog Pasig. Gayun pa man, may mga pagbabanta sa kasaganaan at kinabukasan ng ilog: ang climate change at ang Pasig River Expressway. Kaya kailangan nating protektahan ang Ilog Pasig. (Ilog Pasiglahin, Briefer | Tagalog Version, 2022)

Nakakagulat na marami pa rin sa atin ang hindi nakakaalam ng PAREX, dahil na rin sa pagratsada, patago at ilegal na pagproseso ng mga dokumento nito. Alamin sa briefer na ito kung bakit kailangan tutulan ang proyekto ng San Miguel Corporation!

#IlogPasiglahin #AtinAngIlogPasig by @jepestela

gotta catch ’em all! starting with the corrupt government’s legendary pocket monsters. 💀

had so much fun at my first halloween party, gagaween, organized by @monsterhausph! 👻

#gagaween #halloween2026 #poblahalloween #pokemontrainer

who said na walang connect kay gaga ang fit ko??? u r not a little monster enough babe

salo!

straight muna for today’s bidyow lol

your ash kechum and ben tennyson for halloween! 👻

jigglypuff is my favorite

with the best hostess! @keppyjaneholland

lil monster forever! 🖤

🖤

🙁 by @jepestela

often times, queer people grow up finding role models in female pop stars because we rarely get to see ourselves represented elsewhere. but we’ve also seen how queer communities are treated as an audience to capitalize on, with allyship becoming more of a marketing strategy than a genuine commitment. that is why i’m so happy to have grown with you @zaralarsson and to have witnessed and felt your growth, politics and your music. it is special to see you navigate life, figure things out, and grow just as we do baklas ❤️‍🩹

i was crying when this moment happened. i am so proud to be a bakla. seeing this kind of visibility means so much, esp in a conservative society like the philippines, where we continue to face so many challenges just to exist, be seen, and be celebrated. despite everything, moments like this remind me how far we’ve come and why our visibility matters. 🏳️‍🌈

we are happy for you @louiseadrianne 🌺🥹

MABUHAY ANG MGA BAKLA!!!

video from @xyverrtpullan ❤️

#midnightsun #midnightsuntour #zaralarsson #lushlifedance #philippines by @jepestela

it’s been a month since the release of day and night! and i’ve been waiting for this because, for the first time in a while, i finally get to celebrate an album that i have the time, energy, and resources to pour myself into. (first being maybem!) 🥹

although i’ve been too busy this past month to fully immerse myself in the songs and lyrics, i’m lucky to have friends who’ve been there to celebrate this album with me through and through.

this album means so much to me!!! and i feel like, as carly grew as an artist, i grew with her too—as a listener, as a fan, and as an adult.

see you on the 25th, mga iglesia ni carly! WE GO HARD IN THIS FAMILY! ☀️🌙❤️

poster by yours truly; sept 26 at @electric.sala

postcard freebies and tickets by me

❤️

as i’ve been telling my friends, i need a life outside my advocacy and political work, something that also nourishes my artistic side. and honestly, this feels like the start of that. i’m excited to see where this takes me and what comes next! ❤️

with my carly este @ghullighush ❤️ you are a star my love!

mother @carlyraejepsen come to manila pls!!!

INC fam through and through 🥳

k-panalig sa inc admins 🥰

papansin for vip access cheka

DLOTDF by @ghullighush ⚡️💃🏻

fave night track!!!

first listen to day and night!!!

mock up by me; should i release this? 🤔

outfit check 🫣

AOTY 2026

day and night pre-game at wyp

🫪🫪🫪

naseen pa nga 😭

EXCITED FOR DAY AND NIGHT TOUR 2027 IN MANILA by @jepestela

Almost three years ago, I went to Bohol to document the story of Pangapasan, a low-lying island slowly sinking into the sea after the 2013 earthquake. As sea-level rise and the climate crisis intensify, its people face an uncertain future. These are one of the many stories woven in @_kapuluan that must be heard before their island they call home disappears beneath the waves.

This is our love letter to the motherland, the Philippines, our islands, our home woven in this trailer and book co-created with the young people and fisherfolk of coastal barangay of Pangapasan, Tubigon, Bohol together with the Filipino youth and other sectors across the 18 regions of our archipelago.

Kalikasan, Kapwa, Kabutihan, Kaluliwa. To remember who we are and what the FILIPINO is, and can be. by @jepestela

Everything changed when I met you, and I still remember that conversation that we have when we are still dating that we would always kind of be in the same area, but our paths never crossed. I’m grateful that they did, and that they did at the right moment.

We get to do so many things together, but at the same time, we’ve never stopped being our own people. You’ve introduced me to so many things I was scared to try, and it helped me stepped outside my comfort zone. And in my own way, I’m happy that I’ve been able to bring you into my world too, to share the things I love, the people and causes I care about, and the parts of myself that make me who I am.

I love (and hate) of how you’re critical of me sometimes. You know me well enough to know when I’m settling or when I’m capable of doing more, even when I don’t want to hear it, I know it comes from a place of wanting the best for me.

You are a creative too—always looking out for my ideas and helping me shape them no matter how random or unfinished they are. A photographer, director, creator-an all around.

Thank you for being a great partner, my comfort, and my favorite person to do things with.

Happy third year anniversary, Xy. Mahal na mahal kita! ❤️

First meet-up, UPTC 2023.

First date, Tablo Kitchen 2023.

Our first UP Fair together, 2023.

We watched Drag Race at a coffee shop. 💅

You bought me an upcycled barong. 🥹

We walked in Roxas Boulevard and chased the sunset. 🌅

Coming back home to you after an international flight. ❤️

Our first flight together, March 2024. 🥰

We always end up wandering into random shops after eating, as if walking around will make the food get absorbed immediately. 😂

Our first bar experience together. You finally joined me! 🥳

Our second concert together, Mayhem Singapura, May 2025. ☺️

One of my favorite photo of us!!! Singapore, May 2025 😍

We watched one of our favorite films in a stage play. 🥺

How many plays have we watched at Ateneo over the past three years? 😅

A full packed Valentine’s Day. 😚

Walking in your neighborhood under pink skies. 🌌

Monthsary dinner after Devil Wears Prada 2 movie premiere with LGPH last May 2026. 🤗

❤️

Three years of love, by @jepestela

TLDR: The budots music has a context I promise 😂

It’s been a year since the first-ever ASEAN Children and Youth Climate Summit in Langkawi, Malaysia! 🇲🇾

I’m grateful for the invitation from @unicefmalaysia and to bunso @maxhan__ for referring me as a speaker for the Summit. It was my second time in Malaysia, and I think this was one of my favorite trips! ❤️

I was able to join the whole summit as a participant as well and listen to so many younger leaders. It brought me back to memories of sitting in those chairs and listening, but this time, I was the one listening with them. I really felt like one of the older youth there (I think I am? Haha). This was also one of the few times I really let myself loose and jive with a much younger crowd.

What made it even more special was the tour component at Kilim Geoforest Park, a UNESCO World Geopark. We were able to see the amazing views of its rock formations, rich flora and fauna, and so many Brahminy kites!!!

Of course, it was also so much fun because the fellowship night was all about dancing and partying, and we Pinoys were able to showcase Budots! Although, I really thought there would be a second summit here in the Philippines since we are the 2026 ASEAN Chair, but I guess it wasn’t a priority of the government, so 🤷🏽

But I’m here to say that these are the moments I’m thankful for. Even in a space where doomism can break you down most of the time, I can confidently say: the kids are alright! ☀️

PS: I’m gonna be using budots as a music here because it was so cool to realize that much of Southeast Asia also have their own version of Budots!!!

#ACYCS2025 #ASEAN

[asean youth, brunei darussalam, cambodia, indonesia, lao pdr, malaysia, myanmar, philippines, singapore, thailand, and vietnam, climate action, climate justice, youth climate action] by @jepestela

Nepal’s disaster hits home as someone who survived a climate disaster in 2009 and from a country who is also on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

It gives us a glimpse of the carnage that the climate crisis could cause which is our reality now. And there will be more. So when next climate disasters hit, we shouldn’t just ask, “What happened?” We should ask “Who profited from making this possible? And how do we hold them accountable?”

#ClimateJusticeNow

[Nepal-Tibet flash flood, climate crisis, climate disaster, climate action, fossil fuel phaseout, Philippines, Global South] by @jepestela

promised myself i’d get out of my slump of not posting photos every after event and start documenting more of life’s quests, so here’s photos from the camp!!! 🫶🏻

#ClimateJusticeCampAsia

[climate justice, climate action, social justice]

was surprised by the venue in a good way

top: first selfie in years after our arrival with ate @joannasustento

bottom: local theater group @kasingsiningph MANILA prod who!!!

liverary photos and counter-mapping output hosted by @youthforclimatehope

resting in the nest

pinoys in the camp! 🇵🇭 (incomplete)

nawalan ng kuryente in the middle of the session; welcome back in the ph i guess?

who says you can’t dance for climate action?

more selfies!!! + evening stroll in this little town

one of these messages is a prank lol; but for the other, thanks? please reveal yourself haha

from javie’s session!

team daddy!!! naging jesus pauwi haha

❤️

oh to be surrounded by good souls

my negros girlies and their unmatched energies haha

the one and only kuya @yeb_sano 🥹

CJC alumnis!!!

cjc lebanon gays!!! wish u were here @billbontigao

from iris project’s session CUZ WE NEED MONEY!!!

my ate jo 🫶🏻 can’t believe its been six years since our last meet up hay by @jepestela

Regional Climate Justice Camp 2026 - Asia ✋🏼

had a wonderful week in Cebu with amazing young people in the climate space. i am grateful to have been able to participate in the camp once again, and this time in my home country. 🇵🇭

it felt so good to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and to just step back, listen, and simply be present. to pause from the chaos of the world, take a breath, and renew my sense of direction. i came into this year’s camp with only one goal, and i’m grateful to be able to show up despite.

i’m not home yet as i type this but knowing what i’m about to see is the very climate reality we’ve been fighting against together makes me furious, angry, and honestly, sad.

but that’s also why this camp matters. to remind us why we fight. to remind us that we don’t have to carry these emotions alone. and to remind us that even when the reality of the climate crisis is painful, there is still room to hope, and to keep moving.

thank you to all the participants of the camp, @climatejusticecamp @roots.people may our paths cross again soon. ☀️

padayon sa pagpakigbisog! ✊🏼

[climate justice, climate action, climate hope, climate activism, social justice, philippines, youth climate action]

#ClimateJusticeCamp2026 #ClimateJustice by @jepestela