no time for being a kid

he gathers plastic cups and bottles in the streets of manila to help his family....barefooted. Junjun, 10 years old, is the 3rd among six siblings.

i followed him for a while and found a chance to talk to him
"saan ka nakatira?" (where do you live}, i asked.
"kung saan-saan lang po kami nakatira" (we live anywhere sir)

"magkano kinikita mo sa pagkuha ng plastic? (how much do you earn from getting plastic bottles?), i inquired.
"minsan po P60, minsan po P80...depende po" (at times 60 pesos, at times 80 pesos. it really depends sir - *about 2 dollars*.)

i invited him to have a burger with me and we talked about other things. after finishing up his burger, he bade me goodbye.

"sige po. thank you po sa sopdrinks at hamburger" (ok sir, thank you for the softdrink and hamburger)
"ok, ingat ha." (ok be careful). i smiled at him. with a heavy heart i looked at him as he went his way.

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old lady in quiapo

she was so happy when she saw the printed copy of the photo i took of her, a couple of weeks ago. happy that she called all the people she knew in the area and showed them her pictures. happy that she called me "apo" (grandson) many times...in between the endless Thank Yous she said to me. Happy that she gave me a hug and kissed me in the forehead to my surprise and everybody in the area's delight.

...four photos.
...endless Thank Yous.
...a lifelong joy.

i promise to keep on shooting.

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this grandmother is a newspaper and cigarette vendor
in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines

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the world in different lights

taken at SM Mall of Asia - the biggest mall in the Philippines
and 7th in the world. (Wikipedia)

(click the image if you want to view it large)

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a jeepney photo op

Taken on my way to Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. An area with a very high crime rate (some of my friends told me it’s now the new Tondo – a place famous for its notoriety).

You’ve got to have enough courage or stupidity to bring out a camera as big as mine and take photo of a guy this size and at arms length away.

Have lots of it – stupidity, I mean. So I brought out mine and shoot anyway.

“Kinukunan mo ba ko pre?” (are you taking a picture of me?), he said without smiling.

“Oo pre, hobby lang” (yes, my hobby)

“Bakit ‘di mo sinabi?" (why didn't you say so?), he said it with an angry look.
i looked at him and was thinking hard what to say.

"Next time sasabihin mo para maka-pose ako.” (Next time you should tell me so I can pose for you), he then gave a very friendly smile. I smiled back and was really relieved.

Everybody in the jeepney was smiling as I took a couple more shots.


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a jeepney photo op (the continuation)

"o pose na. isa pang kuha" (ok pose now. i'll take another shot) i told him as i start to fix my cam.

"yan ganyan, sasabihin mo" (that's it. you should tell me), he replied, smiling at me.

he gave this smile....i smiled back in surprise.
after taking a photo, i showed him the shot through my cam.

"t _ _na, ang guwapo ko ah" (@#*&$, i'm so handsome), he burst.
"tingnan niyo kuha ko...parang artista!" (look at my photo, i look like a movie actor), he said to the rest of the people in the jeepney. i then showed it to them.

they were all praises of him. agreeing, almost in unity, that he is really handsome.

well, with his built and his look....and inside a jeepney, who wouldn't.

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the guy's name is Arthur


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election beauty

"kuya ako din kunan mo....yung solo." (brother take a photo of me as well....solo), this election volunteer said with a very sweet smile.
Of course I obliged. I'll shoot that sweet smile anytime of the day and any day of the week.

I took a couple of shots and showed it to her from my cam. She called her friends for them to see as well. You could see that she was so happy with the results.

"kuya send mo sa email ha?" (brother make sure that you'll send it through email, ok?), asking for assurance.

"sige ise-send ko. mamaya mismo." (yes i'll send it. i'll send it right away), i assured their group.

I then went my way shooting some election photos in the area. I'd see them wave to me everytime we cross our eyes in the area. I'll wave back as if I've known them for years.


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free photo

"kuya libre ba yan? (brother is that for free), referring to the photos i am taking during the election. i was roaming around the voting area with my camera when her group - volunteers all, inquired if i'm from a newspaper agency.

"kuya kung libre yan, kunan mo naman ako noh" (brother if that's for free, would you take a photo of me), as she giggled along with her friends.

"oo ba....bigyan ko kayo ng copy o kung gusto niyo ay email ko sa inyo" (sure...i'll give you a copy or if you wish, i can email it to you). she then did a lot of funny poses while her friends were laughing out loud.

"kuya, nakuha ko na yung photo....ang gaganda nga! salamat ng marami ha." (brother i got the photos already. they really are beautiful. thanks a lot), said an offline message from her yesterday.

i can just imagine the same sweet smile as she saw their shots from her computer.


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glasses

He was there sitting on a bench at Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila as I was buying some snacks (fried squid). I brought out my camera and took some quick snaps of him from a good distance.



Note: click the photo to view the large size and details of this image.
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quezon memorial circle at night

The Quezon Memorial Circle

read about it (Wikipedia)

Note: click the photos in this site to view it large

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junior's plight

Junior works in a factory 6 days a week from 10pm up to 7am in the morning. He earns 4,500 pesos for a month’s work (less than $100). In a month’s time, he’ll find himself without a job because his 6-month contract will soon expire.

Contractualization has become the main form of labor in the Philippines. It has deprived workers of their right to job security, work benefits and right to join unions and organizations. Studies say that workers on contractual basis has rose to 80% of the labor force.

The most famous and biggest chain of department stores in the Philippines – SM department store, employs only 4,000 regular employees and around 20,000 workers on contractual basis – with employment contracts lasting only 3 to 5 months.

The rampant use of contractualization and labor flexibility schemes by capitalists have caused the disbandment of hundreds of labor unions.

Without any law to govern contractualization in the country, and no right to participate in labor organization -if there's any- in their factory, Junior and thousands more like him would continue to embrace the fangs of contractual labor.

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bakét (old woman)

I wanted to take a photo of her from the moment I saw her. I sat down a few meters away as she tends her goods. She sells vegetables in front of a thrift shop in an old building in Baguio City. I observed her for a couple of minutes. She does a lot of funny facial expressions and naps every now and then...reminded me a lot of my grandma.

I took a good number of shots before showing her the photos from my cam. "Ang tanda ko na. Puro linya na ang mukha ko" (I'm so old now. My face is full of lines already), she said - a bot conscious of her looks.

"Pero maganda pa din po. Parang tulad din ng lola ko" (But still beautiful. Just like my grandmother), I said, smiling at her. She gave me a very sweet smile as I thanked her and proceeded my way.

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taken at Baguio City, Philippines


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two candles

Taken at Binondo Church,
Manila, Philippines

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weld

Elmen a very good friend and drinking buddy, works in a small shop, building tricycles 6 days a week. at times he needs to work on Sundays just to finish some jobs.
A very hard worker.

working from 8am to 7pm, 6 days a week....
he earns $25 to $30 for a week's work.

"ok na 'to. malaking tulong na din. kesa sa wala"
(this is ok with me. it's already a big help to us. this is better than nothing at all.")

a typical Pinoy....hardworking, positive, resilient.
i salute you, Filipino workers.

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starting over

I decided to delete the past photos I uploaded and start all over again. I haven’t been blogging for a couple of months now. Not that I’ve lost interest in writing or reading blogs, it’s just that I’ve been smitten by another love – photography.

It all started when I begun shooting photos of kids and friends in China from a cheap digital camera. I won it in a raffle draw from a company I was working with before.

It brought me simple happiness whenever I would give friends and acquaintances a copy of their photo. Nothing beats the joy of seeing people burst into a sweet smile or laughter from a very simple gift.

From there I decided to upgrade my digital cam. So came December 2006, I gifted myself with my dearest Lumix DMC-FZ50. And that was it, a beginning of an incredible adventure.

5 months since my first snap from my Lumen (that is the name I gave my Lumix FZ50), my simple desire has turned into a passion.

And this blog is my venue.

Thank you for dropping by. Hope the photos you viewed from this site affected you in a special way.

(Please leave a line or two if you have the chance. If you want to use a photo for whatever it would be of any help to you, your site or your organization, please leave me a note. I promise to reply as soon as possible. Just don’t use any of the photo without my knowing. Thanks)

Note: click the photos in this site if you want to view it large

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