Pocholo Espina: Championing the people and the planet

When Pocholo Espina (BS Health Sciences '17) needs to unwind, he walks to campus and goes for a swim at the LS Community Pool, a bicycle ride around the sprawling complex, or a run to destress and exercise. An alumnus of the student orgs Institute of Skin Divers of Ateneo (ISDA) and Loyola Mountaineers (LM), Espina, founder of Sip PH and an advocate for the reduction of plastic waste in the Philippines, initially entered Ateneo de Manila as a Life Sciences major. 

"That was my first course," he says during our conversation in the Heritage Room of the University Archives. "The reason I chose that was mostly [because] it was pre-med. Same for a lot of Filipinos, I guess, the expectation is you'll go to medicine, you'll go to law, or engineering. It seemed like the area that I was most adept in were the biochem, physics-type of sciences so it made sense to go to med."

Eventually, in his third year, Espina shifted to HealthSci, crediting his classes and extracurricular work in the university for the change in priorities – or what path he wanted to take after graduation. "I didn't see myself doing private practice [anymore]," he says. Throughout his time in Ateneo, Espina received mentorship from ISDA alumni; Rags2Riches' Reese Fernandez (BS Msgt '07), who back then was still a relatively new figure in the world of social enterprise; and Karl Satinitigan (BS LM '09) staff of then-Senator Bam Aquino – both of which he met through Dr Norman Dennis Marquez (Doc Sio to the community), current University Physician and Associate Director of the Health Sciences Program. 

"I got a lot of mentorship there," says Espina about ISDA in particular. "I got a lot of direction and seeing how their passions have been lived out as an adult so I think that really was the first building block to it. All the rest just followed."

The beginnings of Sip PH – a social enterprise dedicated to championing waste management solutions by way of stainless steel straws, among other things – first came to being in 2016. In his graduating year, Espina joined an Erasmus+ program that brought him to Romania, where he was inspired by the country's recycling efforts. He wanted to do something similar for the Philippines when he came back.

"So because of that, I got delayed by a sem," Espina shares. "That means I had an extra sem, which allowed me to join LM. I was just so busy in the four years [of college]. I always filled up my time and for once, most of my main group of friends were all gone. Now I [had the] time, [and] I can actually do the things I want to try to do before I leave, all within the safe haven of Ateneo."

"I didn't even want it to be a business," he adds. "It was really just, at the start, [wanting to] show people that there are alternatives. Impact was a high priority. That was the messaging. People were already selling metal straws naman. You can find them on [online marketplaces] as early as 2016."

But Espina and his collaborators knew that they wanted to repackage it, and most importantly, they wanted to send a message. "Sip was designed to reduce the amount of plastic straws. That was its very core vision, and then eventually it expanded to [something more] F&B- and corporate-leaning. Loop. on the other hand was created more as a collective. This was more oriented towards community building."

"We found community," he tells me. "We found a lot of people who shared the same vision and we started a store."

Inspiring others – individually and collectively

In his journey with Sip – now nine years and counting – Espina faced challenges, from the issue of financing to the added difficulty of having a double bottom line as social enterprises like this one tend to be in contention with each other. "When you consider it from a business perspective, [social enterprise] is the exact opposite. There had been several occasions where we would find ourselves having to choose between planet and profit. They're diametrically opposed," Espina says.

"I think in this day and age where business has become a bit more ruthless, really just capitalistic, all just about the numbers, it's good to have these types of models," he adds. "I do believe that social enterprises should not need to exist because ideally, businesses should consider people and planet as part of their bottomline."

Sip carries a multitude of sustainable, zero-waste products, from its famous straws, reusable utensils, all-natural deodorant, menstrual discs, recycled paper, cassava bags, and insulated tumblers. While its collective component, Loop., shuttered, Sip continues on as a solo enterprise and is still available online and with different stockists across Metro Manila. 

Since Sip's founding, its products and vision have encouraged more mindful consumption, inspired more social enterprises, and hopefully created many more socially-conscious consumers today. In a video message from 2023, Sip thanked its community and customers for the support through the years. "Sip started in 2016 with a simple dream of reducing plastic waste through providing eco-friendly alternatives in the form of a metal straw. Through this simple tool, we've seen how you have courageously made it your own through new habits or even initiatives that inspire others."

"Whatever we're doing now, whatever impact, whatever work we're putting in, it will only be realized in a decade, two decades, maybe even beyond our lifetimes. People cumulatively going towards the same goals will always be important and therefore fulfilling in that sense. You're putting yourself towards something greater than yourself," says Espina, who signs his emails with Sip's tagline, "for the People and the Planet." 

For the people and the planet 

Six years ago, In 2019, WWF Philippines reported that in the Philippines alone, 2.15 million tonnes of plastic were generated per annum. Of the consumed plastics, 35% leaked into the open environment, 33% were disposed of in sanitary landfills and open dumpsites, and only 9% were recycled. In the years since then, and especially after the pandemic, this plastic problem has only worsened, exacerbated by online shopping, on-demand courier services, and 24/7 food delivery apps. It can be difficult to find hope in this climate crisis. "I don't know if I've just become desensitized to it," Espina admits. 

"Before, I'd be very affected about it, especially now with Trump, with the failure of COP29. The four consecutive storms," he adds, referring to last year's Pacific typhoon season, in which four tropical cyclones raged simultaneously in November. 

"Sometimes I shut myself out, honestly. I don't think that's for everyone and I don't think that's entirely the best way to go about it. It's just how I've chosen to cope," Espina says. "But I think what allows bigger picture thinking, and more hope in general, is really just finding the community. Surrounding yourself with likeminded people will always be very important to your cause."

Espina is on campus so often for his physical activities, which means he gets to meet students from younger batches, and seeing them reminds him of the version of him in college that was once so idealistic. "There's mentorship now and you see some semblance of yourself before. I still have a lot of energy," Espina says. "But I maybe had double, triple, quadruple at the time."

Remembering his Pabaon back in 2017, Espina echoes Fr Jose Ramon "Jett" Villarin SJ's words. "I really agree with what Fr Jett said that if you find yourself stuck in the rush of life and the noise, Ateneo will always be home. At the time when he said that, I always attributed it to the physical place. And it is, don't get me wrong. I love it here. It's beautiful. I can swim, I can run, I can bike. But more importantly, if you have the opportunity to connect with students, people who are younger than you, it's an elixir of youth. It reminds you of what the north star is."

Correction: An earlier version of this article named Senator Aquino as one of Mr Espina's mentors, instead of Mr Satinitigan. The article has been updated to clarify this. Our apologies.