One can only imagine the sheer pain that a desaparecido has gone through. Those who survived torture by government agents have narrated many tales, our only hint of what could have happened to the missing. Theatre performances could recreate such scenes but they are noway near to the real and palpable horrors of political persecution. Below is from the theatre adaptation of the novel Desaparesidos by Lualhati Bautista.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
In the age of anything online, newspapers and magazine become quaint. Luckily, Baguio is a city where its inhabitants still read.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
When the kápok tree is in season, its cotton-like fluff permeates the air. This sight is the closest thing a tropical country can experience something akin to snow.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
The Japanese have their konbini (convenience stores) while Filipinos have the sari-sari (variety) store. Usually a sari-sari store is an adjunct to a residence, and is tended by a family member. One can find them in every street and corner, with some operating until late at night, even 24 hours. Such stores serve the community without the formality of commercial stores with cash registers and barcode scanners.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
Children, even in harsh environments and situations, remain as children – they will go out to play and discover things, and probably lose their innocence about life together.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
The Ifugao culture in the Philippine highlands had been set apart from the invading cultures of the lowlands for centuries, if not millennia. Today, although adapting with the times, it is seen as a rich repository of traditions and as a display of proud ethnicity. Here, a life-size model is decorated with the kango headdress that has a hornlike structure and a centrepiece made from a scarlet hornbill, as well as with necklaces of various origins.
Photo by I.R. Arenas
Visual Tales 