Manila: Portrait of a City
These stories follow the lives of children, the elderly, artists and business people from the poorest slums to hip nightclubs.
“The Philippines is a third-world country and, more often than not, the whole world only hears about our country when something terrible happens on this side of the world,” explains Bacason.
“Through these images, I wanted to show some of the people that constitute the capital city – a sense of the place, if you will, and who you may bump into, if you roam the city streets.”
At first he was reluctant to take on what he perceived as just another poverty story and didn’t expect anything special to come from the experience.
“When we entered the complex and saw how extreme their living conditions were, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The noxious smell coming from garbage and burning wood was instantly suffocating but you can see little kids running around in dirty, torn clothes and adults going about and flashing smiles at you as you pass by,” writes Bacason.
“They’ve given me a stark reality to reflect on and a hard lesson in life and I am still to give back something in return.”
“I saw individuals rather than a cluster of poverty-stricken people,” remembers Bacason. “I wanted them to look into the lens and out to the audience, to make that connection.”
Bacason was first exposed to photography as a child when his father brought home a 35mm Zenit SLR camera. He didn’t start using a camera seriously, however, until after college in 2004 when he began working as a news correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a national newspaper.
“From appreciating photo stories, I eventually started getting interested in the process of making journalistic photos and reading lots of resources online,” recalls Bacason.
Bacason lives in Manila with his wife Patty and their five-month-old daughter Cassy.
Poklong Anading, an established artist in Manila.
A local underground band poses for a portrait.
Ene, the lead vocalist of the local underground band, The Ronnies.
Portrait of a teenager at Cubao X, a hotspot for up-and-coming artists and musicians.
Neil Monsalud, street photographer.
Local band Stick Figgas performs at Cubao X, a hotspot for up-and-coming artists and musicians.
Portrait of a senior citizen of a local neighborhood called Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government. He has called this place home since he was in his teens.
Portrait of one of the elders of a local neighborhood called Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government. She is one of the settlers of the area in the mid-50s. She now lives in Daangtubo with all her sons, daughters, and grandchildren.
Portrait of an old citizen and her relatives from a local neighborhood called Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government. She has called this place home since she was in her teens and now lives with her extended family.
Portrait of one of the community leaders of Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government. He has called this place home since he was in his teens.
Portrait of a senior citizen of a local neighborhood called Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government. After more than sixty years of settling informally, residents are threatened with eviction after the government plans to reclaim the area.
Portrait of a father and son living in Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government.
Portrait of a senior citizen of a local neighborhood called Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government.
Portrait of a senior citizen of a local neighborhood called Daangtubo, a small community residing on a strip of land owned by the government.
Generations of this family live and make a living in Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila. Most of the residents of Happyland collect recyclable materials such as plastics, bottles, and metal parts and exchange them at nearby junk shops. They also salvage any wood from the dump and nearby construction sites for the charcoal makers to produce charcoal. Scavengers earn a measly eighty pesos (USD 2.00) for a day's work while the charcoal makers are better off with two hundred pesos (USD 5.00).
Children of residents of Happyland play on an old, discarded bicycle. Happyland is a large garbage dump in Manila where families of scavengers and charcoal-makers call the place home. The place and its adjacent poverty-stricken areas are also fondly called "children factory" due to the sheer number of children and pregnant women living in the community.
Portrait of the keppers of peace and security of Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila.
A couple expecting a child rests outside their house in Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila.
Portrait of a resident of Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila.
A charcoal maker makes a toug-guy pose with his cigarette amidst the thick smoke emanating from charcoal kilns inside Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila.
A charcoal maker rests for a cigarette break inside one of the kilns producing charcoal in Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila.
A scavenger cleans up a box spring of a discarded bed collected from Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila.
Happyland scavengers forage the large mound of garbage for any recyclable materials such as plastics, bottles, and metal parts where they exchange them at nearby junk shops. Scavengers earn a measly eighty pesos (USD 2.00) for a day's work.
Happyland scavengers line up as they await for the garbage truck to unload trash collected from all over Manila.
Two kids try to mix play with work inside Happyland, a large garbage dump in Manila. Several scavengers inside the complex are out-of-school children forced to do their parents' jobs to augment their daily income. Scavengers earn a measly eighty pesos (USD 2.00) for a day's work.
Street children play at the church facade in Quiapo, Manila on a slow day while their parents sell various goods and novelty items to tourists and churchgoers. They help their parents sell their goods during busy days.
A street child stands beside the large monument in Manila dedicated to Andres Bonifacio, a hero of the Philippine Revolution.
A mother and her child cool off in a park in Manila on a hot summer day. The city is dotted with parks and other places where the residents can sit down and relax. These places are also sometimes venues for petty crimes and small-time crooks.
Two tattooed teenagers loiter on a bridge in Manila while asking for money from passersby to see them jump to the murky waters some twenty to thirty feet below.
Portrait of an elderly man on the streets of Manila.
A jobseeker, accompanied by a child not related to him, waits for the status of his application outside a factory in Manila. Philippine law mandates a minimum wage for blue-collar jobs in the Philippines of about USD 10.00 per day. Employers usually offer significantly lower rates for contractual employees who do not need to sign contracts.
Portrait of an elder Moslem inside the Islamic complex in Quiapo, Manila. Most of the Moslems in Manila hail from Mindanao provinces, where Islam is the main religion.
The head of the family describes the tough situation at the Baseco compound, a poverty-stricken community of informal settlers in Manila, while one of his children looks for spare change in his pocket.
A street vendor wipes sweat off his forehead while selling rosaries and other religious items outside the church in Quiapo, Manila.
Portrait of a street vendor selling cigarettes and religious items on the streets of Manila.
A photographer waits near the broken clock at Luneta Park for any potential customer asking for souvenir photos. Along with other resident photographers in the park, he uses film, refusing to use digital cameras because he cannot waste time and opportunities while trying to learn the new technology.
Portrait of a Luneta park photographer offering photo souvenir services to tourists and passersby.
Portraits of young business process outsourcing (BPO) employees enjoying higher-than-average salaries and better social standing. The BPO industry has flourished in Manila and other major cities in the Philippines since the turn of the century due to the labor force's high proficiency in the English language and low labor costs. BPO companies currently employ most new graduates seeking quick employment and high income.
Portrait of Patty Labrador, a Psychology graduate, now employed as an HR personnel responsible for screening applicants in one of the BPO companies in Manila.
Isabella Cassandra, a newly born infant, enjoys the medical benefits BPO industries provide to its employees. Health maintenance organizations employed by BPO companies usually offer coverage to the employee's immediate family members. Most BPO applicants look forward to these benefits when seeking employment in BPO companies to offset high medical and dental bills.
A colorful character wears the Philippine flag in one of the rallies against the sitting heads of the government.