Below are some of my favourite posts covering a variety of categories…
The Philippines:
Poverty, Devotion, Death, and Big Block Parties.
The Philippines is a poor country. It is also a country with public, large scale acts of religious devotion, and massive street parties (called ‘Fiestas’) that put families into debt. There is an argument that can be made to link one to the others, but whatever the case the people do alot of praying and drinking.
Canada to Spread Democracy in the Phils?
Apparently Canada and the Philippines are talking about signing their own ‘Visiting Forces Agreement‘ (VFA).
Gold: Our Conflict Diamonds
As a balikbayan [Filipino with a foreign passport returning home], sometimes you’re confronted by a situation that makes you embarrassed to have a Canadian passport. This last Christmas season was pretty crushing for both the Filipino and Canadian in me.
Gold Mining: Problem is Not Solb
It was a Wednesday afternoon and I was conducting a photography workshop in Cavite, a city near Manila when I got a call from Oxfam-Australia’s mining ombudsperson. That night I rushed back to my place in Manila (2 hours away), packed, and jumped on an overnight bus headed north towards the mineral rich mountains in Nueva Vizcaya.
After Arroyo, Then What?!?
CBT’s “People Power,” the recent Toronto visit of three progressive Philippine congresspersons, and the continuing bad news coming from the homeland has a lot in the Filipino community and others wondering about what to do about politics in the Phils.
A Friday in Manila
This was a particularly interesting Friday. Myk and JR, Fils (and KPCer’s) from Toronto, and some foriegners that were volunteering in Manila were interested in visiting some urban poor areas to see how a vast number of their fellow Filipinos lived.
Arts and Entertainment in Toronto:
You’re In Canada, Be Happy and Grateful
I had the honour of doing the production stills for “The Taxi Project” for PEN-Canada last week (my photos were used in the Toronto Star, NOW magazine, and SingTao Daily). I went to see the show this afternoon, and it really was a moving and inspirational work.
Randy Couture and Sean Sherk
These are production stills from a shoot with Sean Sherk and Randy Couture.
Philippine History:
The Philippine-American War: America’s Imperial Debut
Today’s North American news has daily reports of the debacle in Iraq. It’s just the latest in a string of US invasions into sovereign lands, but the grand-daddy of it all was in the Philippines.
What Killed Dr. William Jones?
Who was this Dr. Jones? What was he a doctor of? What was he doing in the Phils and, presumably indigenous territory? And, of course, why was he killed?
Post Independence Day
‘Independence Day’ 2008 has come and gone, so I figure it’s a good time for a visual retrospective on the years after Aguinaldo declared the Philippines ‘free’ on12 June 1898. As a Filipino photographer, I find these old archival images gripping…
Toronto’s Filipino Community:
Filipinos in Canada
Of course all of our experiences are unique and with a community as large as ours the stories of migration vary widely, but when you look at the big picture a heart wrenching reality emerges.
Should Canada Deport Juana Tejada?
She completed all the requirements of the live-in caregiver program, but when she underwent the manditory health check that comes with applying for permanent residency they discovered she had cancer. This discovery prompted the order for her to leave Canada.
Juana Tejada: A Celebration and a Campaign Launch
Yesterday Migrante-Ontario, the Independent Worker’s Association (IWA), and associated groups celebrated Juana Tejada’s successful fight to gain permanent residence status. Juana is the live-in caregiver (LCP) that was denied status twice after she was discovered to have terminal cancer and deemed a burden to the Canadian healthcare system.
Migrante Camping Weekend
It was wet, really wet, but I’m glad I was there to spend some time with some of my kababayans [countymen] at a campsite near Guelph, Ontario.
