Festivals are commonplace in Bhutan and the
Philippines. It is a symbol of a people’s
fervor for religious beliefs, Catholicism and Buddhism in particular. These
photographs were taken when I visited Tacloban City in the Philippines, to
witness the Pintados Festival for the first time. Pintados means the painted ones, and it was
named after the indigenous people that had intricate tattoos painted on their
bodies.
Philippine festivals are usually held in honor of patron
saints and some of the most popular festivals are performed in honor of the Sto.
Nino*. The Pintados Festival is one of
such festivals. As in Bhutan, it is
characterized by colorful costumes and a lot of street dancing. The festivities could last up to one month
and it is common for popular celebrities to grace the affair.
Bhutan and the Philippines have common struggles towards development. One is the seeming lack of identity or
national pride that has allowed the former to exploit child labor while the
latter continues to peddle its migrant workers to the world. Both have likewise failed to value its vast
natural resources as the numbers of their endangered species continue to
rise.
But hope remains alive for the two, as the blood of
positivism continues to run down their veins.
Both have learned to overcome adversity in stride, if not with a
smile. Bhutan is the only country to
have quantified happiness, with their Gross National Happiness index, while countless Filipinos have been immortalized in
photos flashing their best smiles in the midst of landslides, flash floods and
even volcanic eruptions.
Yes, I hope to give my five-cents’ worth of effort in
helping Bhutan, one of the Philippines’ kindred spirits, regain its
self-identity, as well as keep its indigenous species alive, through the power
that is innate in photographs.
