Silingan Coffee

Silingan Coffee is a coffeehouse and social enterprise based in Cubao, Quezon City, established in 2021 by Ciriaco "Jun" Santiago III, a Redemptorist Brother and photojournalist. Its operating model combines the sale of coffee and locally prepared food with employment and storytelling initiatives focused on families affected by alleged extrajudicial killings connected to the Philippine war on drugs. Rather than presenting itself solely as a conventional café, Silingan functions as a livelihood project, a community space, and an informal venue for human-rights advocacy. The coffeehouse grew out of Santiago's earlier project, Sinirangan, a coffeehouse located beneath the bell tower of Baclaran Church. Sinirangan donated sales proceeds to survivors struggling after Super Typhoon Yolanda and trained employees who initially had no professional coffee experience in roasting and latte art. The business was forced to close in May 2021 after pandemic lockdowns undermined its operations. Santiago subsequently delivered food packs, vegetables, and other assistance to underserved communities in the Greater Manila Area and Quezon province. Through this work, he encountered mothers and other relatives of people whose deaths were alleged to be linked to the government's anti-drug campaign. Their continuing economic hardship and difficulty bringing their cases to public attention informed the creation of a new coffeehouse. Silingan opened in October 2021 at Stall No. 9 in Cubao Expo, an arts-, design-, and lifestyle-oriented enclave in Cubao. The name comes from a Cebuano word meaning "neighbor". The name was intended not only to evoke community but also to address people who might be nearby to the victims' experiences yet unwilling to speak publicly or testify. The café's staff are described as mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of alleged victims. Santiago has said that the enterprise's purpose extends beyond profit: it gives affected families work while helping preserve and circulate accounts that might otherwise be silenced or forgotten. The venue's visual identity is closely tied to that mission. Its interior includes collages concerning the years of Rodrigo Duterte's presidency, anti-Duterte slogans, calls for justice, posters from events addressing the drug war, material contributed by regular customers, and press clippings about the café. Staff members have also used the space to share their experiences with customers. Some cases represented at the café have received media coverage, while others remain difficult for families to pursue through legal or journalistic channels. Silingan's menu is relatively small and community-oriented. Santiago supplies the café's dark coffee, while pastries such as cupcakes, cookies, and breads, along with processed meats, are made by personnel associated with the shop. The enterprise later broadened its physical presence. In 2023 it converted an old Chevrolet sport-utility vehicle into a mobile kitchen operating on the grounds of the Redemptorist Church in Parañaque. During the same year, its reported roster included 28 baristas and 30 candlemakers, indicating that the livelihood program extended beyond café service into candle production. The brand also opened a stall at De La Salle University's Yuchengco Lobby. Silingan therefore occupies a distinctive position in the Philippine café landscape: its products support the business, but its central proposition is solidarity, employment, testimony, and public remembrance.

Silingan Coffee emerged from the social-enterprise work of Ciriaco "Jun" Santiago III, a Redemptorist Brother and photojournalist. Before creating Silingan, Santiago operated Sinirangan beneath the bell tower of Baclaran Church. Sinirangan donated proceeds to people struggling after Super Typhoon Yolanda and trained employees without previous café experience in coffee roasting and latte art. The earlier café closed in May 2021 after pandemic lockdowns made continued operation impossible. After Sinirangan's closure, Santiago shifted his attention toward direct relief work. He delivered food packs, vegetables, and other necessities to underserved communities in the Greater Manila Area and Quezon province. During these visits he encountered families of people allegedly killed in the Philippine government's anti-drug campaign. The families faced financial hardship, public stigma, and obstacles in pursuing legal or media attention for their cases. Santiago's relief work led him to revive the coffeehouse model with a new social purpose: to create jobs for affected relatives while maintaining a place where their accounts could be heard. The resulting business was named Silingan, a Cebuano term meaning "neighbor." The name evokes mutual responsibility and also refers to people who may know about abuses in their community but remain unwilling to testify or speak with journalists. Silingan opened in October 2021 at Stall No. 9 in Cubao Expo, Quezon City. Its employees are described as mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of alleged victims. Santiago has presented the café as an enterprise whose purpose cannot be measured by commercial profit alone. The café's sales sustain employment, while the venue gives customers access to personal narratives about the drug war and its consequences. The physical setting reinforces that role. The walls carry collages about the Duterte years, anti-Duterte slogans, calls for justice, posters from events addressing the drug war, customer contributions, and newspaper or other media clippings about the café. The space thus operates simultaneously as a coffee shop, a community venue, and a small archive of political memory. Some staff members' cases have been covered by other media organizations; others remain less documented and difficult for families to pursue. Silingan's food and beverage offer is tied to the capabilities of its personnel. Santiago supplies the dark coffee, while employees make pastries including cupcakes, cookies, and breads, as well as processed meats sold at the shop. The project later extended beyond its original storefront. In 2023, an old Chevrolet SUV was converted into a mobile kitchen located on the grounds of the Redemptorist Church in Parañaque. That year, the reported organization included 28 baristas and 30 candlemakers, showing that the livelihood program involved both café work and candle production. Silingan also established a stall at De La Salle University's Yuchengco Lobby. In 2025, the brand used its pricing as a form of public response after the reported arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, announcing coffee at half the usual price at the university stall and, according to its Facebook communication, at the main branch as well. This action reflected Silingan's continuing connection to debates about accountability for alleged abuses during the drug war. Its identity remains rooted in a combination of community commerce, employment, testimony, and advocacy rather than conventional brand expansion alone.

• 2025

  Discount promotion after Duterte arrest

  [1]Silingan Coffeeen.wikipedia.org

  The De La Salle University stall and reportedly the main branch offered coffee at about half price after Rodrigo Duterte's arrest.

• 2023

  Mobile kitchen and broader livelihood program

  [1]Silingan Coffeeen.wikipedia.org

  The enterprise converted an old Chevrolet SUV into a mobile kitchen at the Redemptorist Church in Parañaque and reported barista and candlemaker roles.

• 2021

  Sinirangan closes after pandemic lockdowns

  [1]Silingan Coffeeen.wikipedia.org

  Santiago's earlier coffeehouse-for-a-cause, Sinirangan, closed in May after pandemic restrictions made the business unsustainable.

• 2021

  Silingan Coffee opens in Cubao

  [1]Silingan Coffeeen.wikipedia.org

  The new coffeehouse opened in October at Stall No. 9 in Cubao Expo, Quezon City, with a mission centered on employment and storytelling for families of alleged drug-war victims.

A socially engaged Philippine coffeehouse and livelihood enterprise linking café commerce with employment for relatives of alleged drug-war victims, public storytelling, and human-rights advocacy.

• Coffee · 2021

  Dark coffee

  Dark coffee is the core beverage supplied to the café by Santiago. It anchors the storefront and mobile-kitchen offer while supporting the enterprise's employment and community objectives.

• Baked goods · 2021

  Community-made pastries

  Cupcakes, cookies, and breads are made by personnel associated with the coffeehouse rather than sourced solely from an external industrial supplier. These products connect everyday café sales with the staff livelihood program.

• Food · 2021

  Processed meats

  The café also sells processed meats prepared by its personnel. They form part of the food selection accompanying the coffee offer.

• Livelihood merchandise · 2023

  Handmade candles

  Candle production became an additional livelihood activity associated with the enterprise. In 2023, the reported organization included approximately 30 candlemakers alongside its baristas.

• 2025Post-arrest half-price coffee promotion

  Philippines

  After Rodrigo Duterte's reported arrest, Silingan announced coffee at approximately half the usual price at its De La Salle University stall and reportedly at its main branch.

  Outcome. The promotion linked a commercial offer to the brand's ongoing political and human-rights positioning.

  Source
• 2021Employment and testimony for alleged drug-war victims

  Philippines

  Silingan was created as a social-enterprise initiative to employ relatives of people allegedly killed in the Philippine drug war and to provide a setting where their experiences could be shared with customers.

  Outcome. The café established a continuing livelihood and advocacy platform in Cubao, with staff members participating in a public-facing effort to preserve otherwise underreported narratives.

  Source

• 2025

  Half-price coffee promotion after Duterte arrestPrice change

  Background

  The reported arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte prompted a public response from the politically engaged coffeehouse.

  Action taken

  Silingan offered coffee at approximately half the normal price at its university stall and reportedly announced the same promotion for its main branch.

  Aftermath

  The promotion reinforced the connection between the brand's commercial activity and its accountability-focused advocacy.

  Source

• 2023

  Extend operations through a mobile kitchen and candle productionStrategy

  Background

  The enterprise sought to broaden its livelihood activities beyond its original Cubao storefront.

  Action taken

  It converted an old Chevrolet SUV into a mobile kitchen at the Redemptorist Church in Parañaque and maintained barista and candlemaker roles.

  Aftermath

  The project expanded its physical reach and reported a larger set of employment activities.

  Source

• 2021

  Rebuild the coffeehouse model around a new social causeStrategy

  Background

  After pandemic lockdowns forced Sinirangan to close, Santiago's relief work brought him into contact with families affected by alleged extrajudicial killings associated with the drug war.

  Action taken

  He established Silingan in Cubao as a coffeehouse that combined sales with employment for affected relatives and a venue for sharing their stories.

  Aftermath

  The new café opened in October 2021 and became the central platform for the enterprise's livelihood and advocacy work.

  Source

1. 1Silingan Coffeeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Silingan Coffee Facebook pagefacebook.com