The Pagsusunong ng Pupuwa is a penance ritual by women in Gasan, Marinduque. Women paticipants are garbed in long black garments, their heads crowned with pupuwa leaves which completely hide their faces. The penitents walk barefoot during the procession around Gasan, praying the rosary while following religious images.
This photo is part of the exhibit of the National Museum branch in Marinduque.
Morion Penitent in Gasan
The streets were full and it was difficult to take an uncluttered shot. I asked my subject to stand against the closed doors of a hardware store which served as a backdrop.
The morion's costume was unique and woven.
This photo is part of the exhibit of the National Museum branch in Marinduque.
The young guides of Northern Flower Farms
As tourists came in droves to catch a glimpse of the pastel-hued blooms and unique rose cabbages lining up a ridge set against the Mt. Pulag range of Kabayan along the Halsema highway, the owners of Northern Flower Farms in Atok, Benguet were eventually compelled to open up their gardens, originally meant for cut-flower farming, to the public.
Initially, an occassional visitor would knock on their gates, even in the wee hours of the morning, to be permitted to take a peek at this miniature Eden citing the long distance traveled as an entitlement, and would not be turned away. But word got out and the curious public who wouldn't take no for answer put that hospitality and generosity to even greater pressure. The number of visitors rose drastically that young students from nearby schools already had to be trained and employed to lead tourists along the neatly lined rows and explain basic botany.
Tagakaolo
Of the three major indigenous groups (which include the Tboli and Blaan) in Saranggani and South Cotabato, it is the Tagakaolo who have very little coverage. The Tagakaolo (derived from olo sa tubig or inhabitants of headwater; also meaning "from the source") live in the upland villages of the Malungon mountain range which straddles Davao del Sur and Saranggani. The Tagakaolo are known for bright and colorful garments and accessories.
Siquijor Black Saturday
This is the most interesting gathering I will ever experience in my life, I thought.
Morning found us back in the forests of San Antonio where herbal practitioners and mananambals from all over the country had assembled—as they did every year during Holy Week. Their unusual purpose: to replenish their supply of herbs and to brew sumpa, the panacea to cure people, deter spells and ward off spirits. Potions concocted on Black Saturday are supposedly the most potent since the power of other supernatural forces and spirits can be summoned with Christ temporarily dead.
Some were sorting herbs or chopping branches and roots. But the main crowd was gathered around a cauldron, watching the brew—which consisted of tree shavings, coconut oil, candle wax gathered from graves around the island, beehive, herbs and chipped fragment from church walls—simmer over smouldering firewood fanned by mountain breezes.
It was a no frills affair and everyone kept to himself. Once the sumpa had fully melted, the contents of the cauldron were distributed to all mananambals present; and one by one they retreated and disappeared back into their own lives. The whole event ended as quickly as it had begun.
Sombrero Island Kids
In Sombrero Island (Aborlan, Palawan), I noticed these two boys walking around holding on to the front part of their shorts to prevent the cloth from touching their privates.
"Tinuli kami kahapon!" they declared to anyone who cared to listen. (We were circumcised yesterday!)
Cyrus is the silent one. He hardly smiles. He wants to be a soldier. Mark Anthony is more animated. His aspiration is to be a policeman.
Strangely enough, a Balete tree towers inside the tropical isle covered with coconut trees. The kids kill time under the shade.
Transplanted Farmer. Narra. Palawan.
Mark abandoned his life in Manila and escaped to the foothills of Mt. Victoria in Narra, Palawan to grow crops. Water from the mountains that cascade into multiple falls eventually cuts through his farmland. The intent was to open up the property to those seeking refuge from the heat (and heartaches). Once the purchase of a carabao is completed, white cheese will definitely be an offering. Salad bowls will be full of freshly picked vegetables from his garden.
NARRA is an acronym for National Resettlement Rehabilitation Administration, a program established in the 1950s to resettle migrants from Luzon to Palawan.
Ian Antaran. Nurse. Yolana Volunteer.
Ian is a nurse for Miami-based Carnival Cruises and was in Manila for his two month vacation leave when Yolanda struck. Yet he chose to spend his time in Leyte than in the sandy shores of Boracay or Palawan. Patients were at ease with him and his huddle always seemed like a scene from a sit-com. Kids gravitated towards him and his work-area always seemed festive.
While tending the leg wound of a female patient, he asked how it happened. The girl answered, "Bildo (mirror or glass in the vernacular)."
Leandro Elahe is one of the most experienced and highly-regarded guides in Mayoyao with his extensive and invaluable knowledge of the Ifugao rice culture and the contours and slopes of its milieu. He poses with a black and white image taken in the early 1900s by an American photographer. This image of an Ifugao lass is permanently displayed at the Tourism office of the local municipal hall. The little girl in the photo is his grandmother. Her neck wear of what appears to be a set of mother of pearl shells is said to be worn only by a select few.
