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She Talks Asia Summit 2026: Tasha Tanjutco

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<p>Marking<strong> International Women’s Month</strong>, the recently held 10th <strong>SheTalks Asia Summit 2026</strong>, themed “<strong>Better Together,</strong>” featured panelists and speakers who embody the importance of community to stay connected and to create impact in modern society.</p><p><strong>Bianca Gonzalez-Intal</strong>, SheTalks Asia co-founder, expressed her thoughts about the concept for this year’s event, saying, “When we were brainstorming for a theme, we were very clear that we wanted it to be about community because that is the reason why we reached the 10th Summit in the first place. This would not be possible without all the volunteers who love She Talks Asia as much as we do. We see the vision in every attendee that we&#x27;ve had in all summits, every brand that supported us, and every media outlet that helps us amplify the conversation. We&#x27;re really better together in every way.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773935884423STA_DRE1075.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">She Talks Asia founders Bianza Gonzalez-Intal, Iza Calzado, and Lynn Pinugu</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>One of the panelists included designer, advocate, and social entrepreneur <strong>Natasha “Tasha” Maňosa-Tanjutco</strong>, who believes in creativity and art as a catalyst for true transformation. </p><p>Since she was a child, she has possessed the heart to change the world by visiting communities devastated by climate change. At the tender age of 15, she established <strong>Kids for Kids Philippines</strong>, a youth empowerment and charity organization that aims to inspire and educate a legacy of peacemakers, world-shapers, and changemakers.</p><p>Tanjutco was on a roll and also co-founded <strong>TAYO</strong> (“we” or “us”), a multidisciplinary creative agency grounded in culture and collaboration to create impactful, positive ecological and societal changes. She is also involved in <strong>Tukod Foundation</strong>, a legacy non-profit organization of the country’s National Artist for Architecture, <strong>Francisco “Bobby” Maňosa</strong>, that focuses on educating the youth and the public about contemporary Filipino design and aesthetics.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773936033303she talks asia summit 2026 tasha tanjutco.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Tasha Tanjutco</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p>At the SheTalks Asia Summit 2026, Tanjutco emphasized the need to inspire community collaboration, powered by creativity, especially in a country like the Philippines.</p><p>“I think our archipelago has so much yet to be explored. I think it&#x27;s so important that we continue embodying this idea of living in an archipelago and seeing our differences as something unique and exciting, and seeing the water around us that will lead us to connecting once again,” she began.</p><p>“So, it&#x27;s always important to really see that despite the differences, there&#x27;s always going to be something that will unite us together and bring us together and really create community. For me, it&#x27;s definitely [about] really being able to work on the ground with different people at the grassroots level and seeing how to bring their stories into spaces like this and to kind of just be a tool for them to get to places where they really are telling their own stories. That was the first thing I told myself when I became a National Geographic Explorer because more often than not, in these magazines, you&#x27;ll see photographers take pictures of all these exciting cultures and people, but their stories are written by other people. I will always be from [the point of view of] allowing people to write their own and encouraging them to write their own stories and to speak their own truth,” Tanjutco said, championing the importance of grassroots storytelling.</p><p>Being present at the 10th SheTalks Asia Summit not only provided a platform for Tanjuatco to advocate for her causes, but also made her feel that she belongs to an amazing community.</p><p>“I&#x27;m so happy to be back and to be a part of this space again because I feel like it&#x27;s so necessary for women to come together and celebrate each other, and this does exactly that. I definitely love being a part of such an interesting and dynamic community. I think we need more of that here in the Philippines. People are really willing to push the boundaries between different industries, different topics, and really just being able to create a community of passionate individuals,” she explained.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773936105923STA_DRE3790.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Her work at TAYO, Kids for Kids Philippines, and other movements she co-founded continues to advance deep roots in creativity and community, so this year’s theme at the summit resonated with her so well.</p><p>“I think everything I do is grounded in community, and it&#x27;s a very Filipino aspect of the work that we get to do. When we talk about community now, it&#x27;s become such a buzzword. It&#x27;s really important to also critique the idea of what the community is. It&#x27;s not just a bunch of people in a space, but a community that is grounded and rooted in care. How can we remember again that culture of care that our ancestors and people within the Philippines have always had? How can we kind of embody that in the work that we do? Luckily, that&#x27;s a lot of what I do in my work. It&#x27;s really seeing how we can champion this idea of co-creation and the idea of people really working together, not just to achieve something, but really to build something together and to really create relationships of care,” she said.</p><p>TAYO, the design studio she runs, is something she described as “an archipelagic design and experience studio.”</p><p>“We design identities, events, and experiences all around Filipino culture and show how Filipino culture can actually bring forward transformation within ecological and societal systems. It sounds very heavy, but in the end, it&#x27;s really showing people that you can have fun when you&#x27;re trying also to actually make a difference within the system that we live in. Community brings again everything back together. It&#x27;s just designing ways of <em>fiesta</em>. How can we actually use <em>fiesta</em> to change the world? How can we use <em>fiesta</em> to remember again? I think that&#x27;s what I love so much about the things that I get to do,” she smiled.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773936292245STA_DRE3782.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>To celebrate Women’s Month, <strong>Metro.Style </strong>asked Tanjutco about the women she looks up to and how they have a profound impact on her life.</p><p>She told us, “I have three. My mom, definitely, is one of the people who really continues to inspire me and push me to do creative things up until today. She&#x27;s always said that the work of the heart is the work of the hands, and it&#x27;s really important to always connect again with people. This human touch is what we really need in the world right now.</p><p>“My <em>Lola</em>, I call her Mitch, and she&#x27;s always told us that history is in the small stories. And I think that&#x27;s why I love the work I get to do, because I get to visit all these different communities and establish friendships with people that I would never have met if I didn&#x27;t go out and explore the world and really see its wonders. It&#x27;s been so amazing to see that, truly, history is written in the small stories that people get to write every day,” Tanjutco continued.</p><p>To round up her list of women she admires, she did not forget her TAYO co-founder and sister <strong>Isabella</strong> (“Bella”).</p><p>“My sister Isabella, whom I work with a lot, is basically my other half. In everything that I do, from Kids for Kids to Tayo to Tukod, we do it together. She’s also been really the main person that I have gone through this entire journey with. So, as much as all this work that I do gets tiring, or sometimes people wonder why we&#x27;re still here, it&#x27;s because I get to have someone like her all the time around me. I think that&#x27;s what I hope everyone has one day—a person that you really get to co-create and design a better world together with,” Tanjutco concluded meaningfully.</p><div><br/></div><p style="text-align:left">Photos courtesy of <strong>She Talks Asia</strong></p>

<p>In Tasha Tanjutco’s advocacies,<b> </b>creativity meets community empowerment.</p>

In Tasha Tanjutco’s advocacies, creativity meets community empowerment.

She Talks Asia Summit 2026: How Tasha Tanjutco Uses Creativity in the Service of Community

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She Talks Asia Summit 2026: How Tasha Tanjutco Uses Creativity in the Service of Community

Grace Diez

Published Mar 20, 2026 12:10 AM PHT

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