my mentor-guide, mr. sappayani

mr. sappayani was my mentor-guide for ten days. he welcomed me into his ummah--his community--and shared with me the plight of my muslim sisters and brothers in southwestern mindanao. he accompanied me back to cebu to make sure that i was safe.

learning from a young boatman in zamboanga

i requested this young man to give me a boat ride along zamboanga city's southern shores. we were talking all day--almost shouting all the time, competing with the noise of his boat's motor. he opened my eyes as he described the lives of people like him who rely on fishing. his life-story is a significant factor why i started dreaming to live among the people of mindanao.

a political rally in cagayan de oro city

they call him "bro. eddie villanueva," a religious minister presenting a moral-ethical alternative to philippine politics. he's campaigning as a presidential candidate. tonight, i really listened to his policies. they make sense. but i don't think he will win in the arena of realpolitik. i wish i'm wrong.

diving for some few coins

i took this picture when an inter-island ferry stopped just before we reached mindanao. they were asking us--the ferry passengers--to throw coins at them. they'd either catch the coins or dive into the deep water in case the coins missed their small boat. they did all those efforts for a few coins and were very thankful. they also look excited with what they do! wow!

hindered by poverty

"visitors are not allowed." i took this photo from a deck of an inter-island ferry in the visayas. it is a metaphor of so many lives being hindered to visit other places because of poverty. i wonder if they see themselves as a sort of prisoner in their own island? or, is it just my limited understanding?

the monument of our colonial mentality

this is a memorial to our defeat under the colonial power of medieval spain. and yet, this place is a major tourist attraction in cebu city. because the cross is the symbol of the christian religion, the memory of our defeat has been spiritualized.

the lapu-lapu shrine in mactan island

this is my hero, the great lapu-lapu! his determination to fight western oppression and colonialization is memorialized in this shrine. except for his use of violence, i'd like to follow lapu-lapu's example in rejecting oppressive domination against our people.

the happy people of samar

this is the fishing village where i stayed in southern samar. the people here were super-hospitable. it's interesting how human beings can be so happy with little things in life. they laugh much more than the affluent people in the so-called first world country where i lived. and yet, almost everyone in this village dream of going to manila or los angeles or new york.

majestic mount mayon

mount mayon is so majestic! it's unfortunate that in the midst of this natural majesty, the majority of the people in bicol region are experiencing so much poverty.