A Tale of Harvest Set in Sorsogon, Where Community Nurtures the Land

In Sorsogon, where communities live closely with land and sea, responsibility begins with care for what the soil provides.

In Sorsogon, the relationship between land and life is visible everywhere, from backyard gardens to the open-air markets, where harvests move from one hand to another. It is a rhythm shaped by the elements, but also by the systems of care that communities build for themselves. Framed across its diverse landscapes, the narrative reflects how responsibility to the land can take many forms, sometimes through the work of farmers and fisherfolk, and sometimes through the ways communities share what the land provides.

At the center of the editorial is model Maria Isabela Galeria, whose family heritage traces back to the province. For Galeria, the setting is also a return to her roots, and an acknowledgment of a place where memory and land remain closely intertwined.

Many of the elements woven in come directly from the community itself. The produce seen throughout the frames, bundles of leafy greens, vegetables pulled fresh from the soil, and fruits carried in woven baskets, all come from the same harvests that sustain families across the region. They are reminders that food, like fashion, exists within larger systems of exchange.

The story also intersects with the work of ARK, the organization behind the Feed Back community vegetable exchange program, which operates across parts of Sorsogon. Through weekly harvest exchanges, families share surplus crops grown in backyard gardens, strengthening both food security and community ties. Together, these threads form the spirit of care, something the locals practice daily, through tending soil, sharing harvests, and being in tune with the land that sustains it all.

By GABRIEL YAP. Photographs by ARTU NEPOMUCENO and ARCHIE GEOTINA. Fashion Director PAM QUIÑONES. Beauty Editor JOYCE OREÑA. Model: Maria Isabela Galeria. Art Director: Jann Pascua. Producer: Mavi Sulangi. Styling: Jia Torrato of Qurator Studio. Makeup: Albert Lopez. Hair: Gillary Sophia Cuevas Santiago. Videographer: Lynyrd Matias. Photography Assistants: Choi Narciso and Sela Gonzales. Styling Assistant: Jia Torrato of Qurator Studio. Makeup Assistant: Chun Garcia. ARK Team: Ayesha Vera-Yu, Kat Limchoc, Margarita Agoncillo, MK Amador, May Ann Bentolan.

Special thanks to Mayor Weng Rafallo-Romano, Renato Fuentes, Lany Astillero & Marissa Gaufo, Jannalyn Esureña, and Hazel Joy Fuentes of Bulusan, Mayor Mark Lozano, Leonor Forte Jr., Lara Fresado & Manny Fuentes, Shie Anne Gabanzo, Hon. Dovie Correa of Sta. Magdalena, and Milo Naval.