How Filipino content creator makes country’s natural heritage a TikTok hit

Celine Murillo holds jade vine in San Roque, Bulusan, Sorsogon province of the Philippines, February 2024. (Celine Murillo)
Short Url
Updated 12 October 2024
Follow

How Filipino content creator makes country’s natural heritage a TikTok hit

  • Environment and travel writer Celine Murillo moved to TikTok platform in 2022
  • With 620,000 followers, she sheds light on little-known flora and fauna of the Philippines

MANILA: When Celine Murillo traded the bustling streets of Manila for the nature of Bicol region 400 km south, she began to use TikTok to share her journey — a decision that soon shot her to social media fame.

Almost three years later, Murillo’s account has over 620,000 followers. Filled with conversational content and tidbits in under two minutes, her content resonates with viewers of all ages who appreciate learning more about the plants and animals they see around them.

An experienced travel writer, she was creating long-form content for years. But the outreach was not yet enough to make a difference. It was her social media venture that changed it.

“For almost a decade, I’ve been creating stories about the natural world — written features, photo stories, and, ultimately, documentaries. While these have been fulfilling, I felt like they were reaching the people that already cared. There was this dread of being in an echo chamber,” she told Arab News.

“(I asked myself), ‘Where’s the audience? How can I make the message reach more of them?’ These were the questions I consistently mulled over. And the answer I came to was TikTok.”

It all clicked as Filipinos were eager to learn about their country’s rich biodiversity.

Murillo travels with her husband Dennis, who shoots and edits their content as they explore the Philippines’ natural wonders — from hiking in the mountains to documenting endangered species.

One of the videos about a yellow-vented bulbul, a common bird in the Philippines, has earned 12 million views, while the views on her series called “Saribuhay sa Salapi” (Biodiversity in Local Currency) range from over 1 million to 3 million views for each clip.




Celine Murillo and her husband and video producer Dennis during one of their field trips. (Celine Murillo)

With the number of her followers growing, Murillo realized there was great interest among Filipinos to learning about their own natural heritage — something that many were never introduced to, as the Philippines’ native flora and fauna was not a subject typically covered in school curricula.

“It makes me sad and a little angry that foreign species like lions and cherry blossoms are more known to Filipinos and more prominent in popular culture than our own local biodiversity,” she said.

“This should be taught in schools. This should be inculcated in our psyche.”

The lack of knowledge and awareness stems, according to her, from a systemic issue of long-held colonial narratives.

“For so long, all of our institutions forward colonial ideas. This is true in all aspects of our lives as Filipinos, even in the way we perceive our environment,” she said.

“We see nature as something to profit from, and ultimately exploit and abuse. That’s why I’m proud of my work because it has started a resurgence in interest, a remembering that our natural heritage is just as amazing and worthy of attention, that it’s inherently valuable, even without factoring in how much money we can profit from it.”

Living with indigenous communities and working, among others, with Climate Tracker Asia — a non-profit committed to enhancing climate journalism — Murillo has witnessed the situation on the ground and the fight of those trying to stop the destruction of the environment, which to her was linked to the continuing presence of “colonial systems” that “allow the wanton abuse and oppression of people, communities, and our natural treasures.”

She is trying to address this, making more people aware by sharing online the knowledge of experts, conservation institutions and grassroots groups she has learnt from.

“My work as a storyteller and communicator is built on the collective knowledge and experiences of scientists and Indigenous communities. I am a proud product of their legacies ... “I’m so happy that the online community is empowered to share their experiences, in the context of their cultural and personal history,” she said.

“I know my work in social media is barely scratching the surface, but I hope this will instill a sense of wonder to the viewer, and hopefully, this will turn into love. In time, we will collectively harness this love to create a better, kinder, more compassionate world.”


Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate

Updated 26 July 2025
Follow

Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate

  • Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism
  • Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems

ATHENS: A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens on Saturday and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country’s Fire Service reported.

Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northeast of Athens received 3 SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters.

Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said “there have been reports of damages. We will take stock when the fires have been put out.”

“The real difficulties are ahead of us,” Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, whose origin is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems.

Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames.

Under such conditions wildfires “expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days,” Vathrakoyannis said.

The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece’s two largest islands — Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens — and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said.

Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month.


Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official

Updated 26 July 2025
Follow

Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official

  • Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts
  • Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches strained by Russia’s invasion.

Leo saw Anthony, chairman of the department of external church relations, and five other high-profile clerics during an audience in the morning, the Vatican said.

“During the conversation, numerous issues were raised concerning the state of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, as well as the ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East,” the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement.

Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and this month told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine.

The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been an enthusiastic backer of the
invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian church statement said that Kirill’s congratulations were conveyed to Leo for his election as pope.

“Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to his holiness patriarch Kirill for his good wishes and noted the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church,” it added.


David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies

Updated 26 July 2025
Follow

David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies

  • “David was a great champion of global health and health equity,” Tedros wrote
  • “His work touched and impacted so many lives across the world”

GENEVA: Dr. David Nabarro, a British physician who led the UN response to some of the biggest health crises in recent years, including bird flu, Ebola and the coronavirus pandemic, has died.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, confirmed Nabarro’s death on social media platform X.

“David was a great champion of global health and health equity, and a wise, generous mentor to countless individuals,” Tedros wrote Saturday. “His work touched and impacted so many lives across the world.”


King Charles knighted Nabarro in 2023 for his contributions to global health after he served as one of six special envoys to the WHO on COVID-19. He won the 2018 World Food Prize for his work on health and hunger issues.

He also was a candidate for the top job at the WHO in 2017 but lost out to Tedros in the final round of voting. Nabarro left the UN later that year.

The 4SD Foundation, a social enterprise in Switzerland focused on mentoring the next generation of leaders in global sustainable development, said its strategic director died at his home Friday in a “sudden passing.” Other details were not immediately available.

“David’s generosity and unwavering commitment to improve the lives of others will be sorely missed,” the foundation wrote on its website Saturday.

Survivors include his wife, Flo, as well as his five children and seven grandchildren.


Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia

Updated 26 July 2025
Follow

Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia

  • The plant was one of Russia’s leading producers of electronic warfare equipment
  • Long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant ‘Signal’

KYIV: Ukrainian drones hit a radio and electronic warfare equipment plant in Russia’s Stavropol region in an overnight attack on Saturday, an official from the SBU security service told Reuters.

The official said two facilities at the Signal plant in the city of Stavropol, about 540 km (335 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were damaged in the attacks. He shared several short videos showing an explosion and a large column of dark smoke rising into the sky.

He said the plant was one of Russia’s leading producers of electronic warfare equipment, including radar, radio navigation equipment, and remote control radio equipment.

“This night, long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant ‘Signal’,” said the SBU official.

“Each such attack stops production processes and reduces the enemy’s military potential. This work will continue.”

Reuters was unable to verify the details of the attack. Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have launched multiple drone attacks on each other.

Ukraine, which is fighting a much larger Russian army, has developed a drone industry from scratch and is now focusing on increasing its capacity to produce more long-range drones.


Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership  

Updated 26 July 2025
Follow

Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership  

  • Led by Saudi Arabia, MGI is a regional alliance seeking to mitigate climate change impacts
  • Sri Lanka is keen to share experience in climate resilience efforts, Colombo’s envoy says 

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is exploring a potential partnership with the Middle East Green Initiative, Colombo’s envoy to Riyadh told Arab News on Saturday, as the island nation seeks to step up partnerships to combat climate change.

Sri Lanka — home to 22 million people — is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is particularly at risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought. 

On Monday, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh facilitated an introductory virtual meeting between its Ministry of Environment and the MGI secretary-general “to explore potential ways and means for cooperation and partnership in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development,” according to a statement.   

Led by Saudi Arabia, the MGI was established in 2021 as a regional alliance aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change and forging collaborations to meet global climate targets in the region. 

“The MGI is an important regional initiative spearheaded by Saudi Arabia in combating challenges posed by climate change. We are pleased to see Saudi Arabia is giving a great leadership role in promoting climate action and environmental protection,” Ameer Ajwad, Sri Lanka’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. 

Colombo is also keen to share its experience in climate resilience efforts.  

“Sri Lanka is actively contributing to the global multilateral climate initiatives. Sri Lanka's expertise and rich experience in the field will be also useful for the MGI process for fostering environmental collaboration and advancing shared climate objectives,” Ajwad said. “For example, Sri Lanka could contribute its expertise in the field of mangrove conservation and sea grass management, et cetera.” 

Sri Lanka has led several climate resilience efforts throughout the years, including restoration of its mangrove forests following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. 

The country made a commitment to become the first to replant all of its mangrove forests — a goal the government sought to achieve by providing microloans and education to communities in exchange for mangrove conservation. 

In 2022, it launched the Sri Lankan Climate Prosperity Plan to attract foreign investment and accelerate climate adaptation while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.