It is said that the Takibo fishermen of Laguna wear hoods not just to protect their their skin from the sun, but also to hide their faces from the fish as they act as executioners as well.
Malot Ingel
Only properly trained National Museum personnel are permitted to handle artifacts. When they do, they wear the appropriate gloves to ensure that moisture and particles of dirt accumulated on human hands are not transferred onto the surface of artifacts and permanently damage them.
I took this photo of Malot Ingel, a National Museum researcher from Vigan, in between transporting a basi container on display from the shelf to the table where we would be documenting it.
Nur-Aizah. Yakan.
Nur-aiza started weaving when she was nine under the tutelage of her mother and aunts who were also trained in weaving as young girls. She is a promising weaver who has won several weaving competitions in her category.
Tata Corazon. Basi Maker. Ilocos Sur.
Tata Corazon is one of the better known basi makers in Ilocos. Basi is fermented sugar cane extract stored in burnay jars. Basi is produced in numerous small-scale backyard operations by Ilocano wine makers, each with his own way and preference as to the durarion of the fermenting period and ingredients and agents.
Guarding Heritage
Harry is one of the guards assigned to the National Museum site in Vigan. The museum's key exhibit is the series of paintings by Esteban Villanueva depicting the Basi Revolt of 1807.
Ursula Island Ranger
Ursula Island off Bataraza in southern Palawan is an island with a thick forest perimetered by fine white sand and crystalline waters. Several rangers patrol this protected area which provides a sanctuary for rare, endemic birds. A special permit from the Provincial Environemental Office (PENRO) is required to visit this island.
Bitatawa Hunter
Love and the Bitatawa hunters of the Sierra Madre
The chances of spotting a bitatawa in the Northern Sierra Madre National Park are very slim. To improve the odds, I employed the services of Mulvie, a forester that British biologist Stephanie Law had relied on to track down the reptile when she was doing her research on the species brought to the world's attention by National Geographic. Mulvie the forester had a scrawny dog named Seksi who aided him.
Seksi would be set loose in the forests. When a bitatawa was spotted, she would chase it up a tree, then stay at the base while continuously barking to alert the other foresters. They were able to capture several bitatawa this way. The bitatawa were released shortly after.
Seksi, along with local teens, was with us on our trip but it had just rained and there were too many monkeys, which probably confused the dog. Our attempt to meet a bitatawa was not successful. Nevertheless, it was a good trek inside the canopy, leeches and thorns aside.
I returned to Maconacon years later to reloop with Mulvie but according to the locals, he had already left the country. He and Stephanie had already hooked up and are now a couple based in the UK.
Man with a fish. Apo Island.
Difficult to believe that over 40 years ago, the reefs of this tiny island off the coast of Dauin, just outside of Dumaguete, were in a state of plunder, ravaged by unhindered dynamite blasting. Rehabilitated through the pioneering efforts of marine biologists from nearby Siliman University in Dumaguete and, equally importantly, participated in by the local community, the place was declared a marine sanctuary. Fishing was prohibited in no take zones and the area was policed against dynamite and cyanide fishers. Now four decades later, coral has regenerated and fish have returned. The reefs have come back from the dead and now teem with life. It serves as a lesson in renewal; its template to be reapplied wherever marine ecosystems are in need of rehabilitation.
Bitatawa Hunters
Love and the Bitatawa hunters of the Sierra Madre
The chances of spotting a bitatawa in the Northern Sierra Madre National Park are very slim. To improve the odds, I employed the services of Mulvie, a forester that British biologist Stephanie Law had relied on to track down the reptile when she was doing her research on the species brought to the world's attention by National Geographic. Mulvie the forester had a scrawny dog named Seksi who aided him.
Seksi would be set loose in the forests. When a bitatawa was spotted, she would chase it up a tree, then stay at the base while continuously barking to alert the other foresters. They were able to capture several bitatawa this way. The bitatawa were released shortly after.
Seksi, along with local teens, was with us on our trip but it had just rained and there were too many monkeys, which probably confused the dog. Our attempt to meet a bitatawa was not successful. Nevertheless, it was a good trek inside the canopy, leeches and thorns aside.
I returned to Maconacon years later to reloop with Mulvie but according to the locals, he had already left the country. He and Stephanie had already hooked up and are now a couple based in the UK.
Sta. Clara Father and Daughter
Prayer petitions and egg offerrings at Sta. Clara Convent
People come to offer eggs here to request for good weather on specified days – birthdays, wedding days or just any occasion where downpour could spoil festivities. The nuns of the Order of St. Claire of Assisi who lead lives in complete devotion to God, include such petitions in their prayers.
But appeals are not limited to weather conditions, pleas could be anything. Outside the building across the church, long tables have been laid out, occupied by people filling out slips of paper with requests for prayers. The petitions are dropped into metallic repositories that resemble ballot boxes, eventually finding their way to the hands of the nuns. A receptionist receives gifts and tributes and places them in a revolving contrivance that ingests the packages, delivering them to the unseen world behind the walls.
I chanced upon this father, kid in tow, filling up a prayer form. I wondered what he could be seeking intercession for. In his kid's face, I see nothing but hope.
Dane Glico. Chandelier-Maker.
Ever wondered how those grand chandeliers in Barasoain Church, Malolos Cathedral and Marilao Basilica are made? Ex-seminarian Dane Glico, his brother Donnie, and his community of workers, are immersed in the tedious craft and process to bring those detailed designs to life. His mother and father built a chapel in their compound when he was young thinking we would eventually become a priest.
