Faith in Action: Sr. Aristea Bautista Named 2025 St. Teresa of Calcutta Awardee

For over three decades, Sr. Aristea Bautista has walked alongside the Philippines’ indigenous communities listening to their stories, sharing their struggles, and empowering them to dream of a better tomorrow. Last Wednesday, September 24, that lifelong mission was honored at the RCBC Plaza, where she was named the 2025 St. Teresa of Calcutta Awardee.

The award, presented by Helena Dy, Chairwoman of RCBC and the Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation, in partnership with JCI Manila, honors individuals whose lives echo the compassion and service of Mother Teresa herself. This year’s project, from nominations to research, judging, and the culminating ceremony, was shepherded by Charles Torres of JCI Manila, ensuring the award remained true to its legacy of integrity and excellence.

The celebration gathered leaders from business, diplomacy, and public service, including members of JCI Manila, Xavier Zialcita, Senior Vice President of RCBC, former Ambassador and award co-founder Ramon “Dondon” Bagatsing Jr., and former Prime Minister and the nation’s foremost technocrat, Cesar E.A. Virata.

But the evening belonged to Sr. Aristea. Speaking with disarming humility, she admitted: “I am not a person of lofty words. Oftentimes, I am simply down here on the ground.” She then shared a story of hope that has defined her ministry.

When enrollment at the PAMANA KA schools in Mindoro suddenly doubled from 45 students to 90. Her team worried about how they could possibly feed and support so many children. Yet when she learned of Barok, an elder who traveled with his 14 grandchildren just to give them a chance at education, Sr. Aristea realized this was no burden but 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.”

That faith-driven conviction has guided her entire journey. In 1997, she founded the Mangyan Health Center, bringing critical medical services to remote communities with the help of the Department of Health and volunteers. She went on to establish PAMANA KA schools, which not only promote literacy but also raise up Mangyan educators and administrators, ensuring education remains rooted in their culture and community.

Her advocacy also extended to rights and self-determination. By training leaders of the PASAKAMI Mangyan Federation, she empowered indigenous voices to speak for themselves. In 2010, these efforts culminated in the historic recognition of the Hanunuo, Gubatnon, and Ratagnon (HAGURA) tribes’ ancestral domain.

Even after 33 years of selfless service, Sr. Aristea’s passion burns undimmed. In her closing words, she offered thanks not for her own accomplishments, but for the people who shared the journey:

“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 a reality, and we bear witness to God’s creative love.”

Her story is not just one of programs and projects, but of faith alive in action. As she reminded the audience, quoting her congregation’s foundress: “If it is God’s work, it will live.”

And indeed, through her life, Sr. Aristea Bautista has shown that God’s work not only lives; it flourishes in the most humble corners of the Philippines, where hope takes root and grows.