This new series focuses on church activities in Talisay City, Sibonga and Carcar (all in Cebu) during last March’s Holy Week when I was at home during that time. These are some of my favorite shots from the opening series image, to the candle vendor and boy outside of Carcar church as well as the the two men looking at a child at the back of the sacristy at Sibonga church.
A series of 9 B/W as well as one colored photos (okay, I really can’t resist the colors but might as well post it other than the doutone version) taken during my travel to Sagada last February. Except for the opening photo, as above, these are not your typical Sagada shots of caves, waterfalls and coffins as what one goes there to see and read in websites and guidebooks.
1 June is World Photo Day 2005 and I have submitted the photo above which was taken at Manila’s premiere airport terminal, the NAIA 2 when I was there to catch a flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan for a meeting.
This series started already at my photoblog, Binary Silver. This comprise 10 photos taken during the harvest festival at Lucban, Quezon and includes colored as well as black and white photos. Its not only limited to the views of the decors that identifies Pahiyas but also those that I’ve seen: the procession, the vendors, Lucban longganisa.
This is the first series output from my Canon 350D. Due to the different photo dimensions as compared to my Canon G5, I’ve increased the photo size from 500×375 pixels to 600×400 pixels.
From shanties to colorful homes.
From sickness and malnutrition to health.
From streets to caring schoolrooms.
From slums to peaceful communities.
From poverty to self-reliance.
From a people in despair to a people with hope.
- from the GK website
I was supposed to be in General Nakar, Quezon last Friday, as a volunteer for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to build houses for the typhoon victims there, which was sponsored by my company. However, since I had a very important presentation, I passed this one up and instead joined Melvin, a fellow club member in the company’s photo club, when he invited me days before. This is supposed to be an immersion trip for writers and photographers were welcome to tag along. Gawad Kalinga, a Couple’s for Christ initiative that has been implemented and entails volunteers to build houses for indigents. We visited three sites within Metro Manila: Brookside and Payatas (the infamous dump), Quezon City and Buwayang Bato, Mandaluyong City. There I saw and experienced firsthand the transformation of these very poor communities, from shantytowns living beside the dump to spanking, colorful concrete houses, as my amour calls it, the benetton houses, formed into communities with schools, a church/chapel and a way of life that is a far cry from their old selves.
GK volunteers have now constructed 11,441 houses in 467 communities as of 5 May 05.
The Brookside GK site that we visted first. Here, people were friendly and polite, greeting visitors as they pass by their new homes. They have now this self confidence that they wear with utmost pride and a smile on their faces. GK gave them hope from a former wretched existence to one that they can truly be proud of.
The “Benetton houses,” neatly lined along the streets. These colorful houses in Brookeside, is a GK trademark. These were entirely built by volunteers and were given free of charge to the beneficiaries but they have to pay for the land titles on easy terms. Each house costs around P50,000.00 (about $900) and is entirely financed by donations.
Roldan and Cora Anunciado, GK beneficiaries at Brookeside, talks about their life before and after GK during the immersion trip. They are former scavengers of the garbage dump in the area. Roldan, a reformed drug dependent and his wife are now actively participating in the community’s Couples for Christ group.
This house at the Payatas GK site in Payatas, Quezon City, was built by 35 Ateneo high school students using funds they raised around two years ago.
Volunteers from the Recio+Casas Architects painting one of the houses in the Payatas GK site. They started volunteering since December. What makes the GK concept appealing to donors, groups and individuals is that they harness volunteerism spirit to benefit poor people irregardless of faith.
The photographer volunteers: Deo, Dennis, Art and Melvin. This was at Buwayang Bato, Mandaluyong City which is along the Pasig River, the last GK site that we visited.
Langyaw EstanCabigas.com blog Simbahan
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