When Mitzi Jonelle Tan first saw Jon Bonifacio at a student council meeting at the University of the Philippines in 2017, she knew she liked him. But it wasn’t his good looks or sense of humour that got her swooning: it was his interest in climate activism. “I looked at him and knew we could be activists together,” she says. They went on to spend four years together as a couple, and even after splitting up earlier this year they remain close.
For Tan and Bonifacio, both 24, who are climate activists for the Fridays For Future movement, finding a partner with shared values isn’t optional – it’s a must. “Of course there are reasons I love her outside our climate work,” says Bonifacio. “But it’s a fundamental part of our relationship.” They are not alone.
