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An extraordinary gathering

A day after the predominantly Catholic Philippines celebrated Easter Sunday, hundreds of activists, artists, journalists, past and present government officials and leaders of sectoral organizations gathered at a place in Makati City.

It was an event rarely seen in many years. Most of those who attended would rather not be seen together, much less talk to each other. They have been at odds with each other most of the time as they belong to different political colors.

But they came nonetheless, willing to find out if their love of country can make them talk to each other. They were brought together by the realization that tyranny once again rules the country.

There event had no prepared program, just songs. There were no prepared speeches, just announcements of future events. They spent hours telling stories and the need to stand up for truth, justice and human rights.

They ended the night singing songs and raising fists.

Something extraordinary happened Monday night somewhere in Makati. #

CHRIST IS DEAD, THE SACADA ARE RISEN

By Nonoy Espina

Philippine Catholic tradition holds that Black Saturday, when Jesus Christ lies in the grave, is devoted to prayer and reflection. But these sacada, seasonal migrant laborers shipped to Negros from Panay, rise at daybreak to resume harvesting sugarcane in a hacienda in Bacolod City.

Starting them young

Neighborhood kids learn the value of working and earning early by selling flower garlands to churchgoers on a Sunday morning. (Quezon City. Photo by R. Villanueva)

Rice Fields and Carabaos: A Glimpse of Rural Life in the Philippines

Text by Mong Palatino / Global Voices Southeast Asia Editor

Photos by Lito Ocampo

Listen, can you not hear the song of a new life coming from the fields and the mountains? Photo and caption by Lito Ocampo, used with permission.

Veteran photographer and activist Lito Ocampo has been making frequent visits to his hometown of Pampanga, located in the central part of Luzon Island in the Philippines, to escape the noise and dirt of the capital region Manila.

His visits allowed him to recall his childhood while enjoying the quaint beauty of his birthplace.

Through photos he shared with Global Voices, Ocampo captured not just typical scenes in a lowland farming village, but also, perhaps unintentionally, the state of Philippine agriculture.

For example, the continuing prevalent use of carabaos reflects the backward condition of the country’s agricultural sector in general. The use of roads for drying crops indicates the lack of facilities available to farmers.

Beyond highlighting idyllic countryside life, Ocampo reminds young photographers to take in the plight of rural residents, especially farmers, who are among the country’s poorest people and suffer health risks due to the backbreaking work they undertake in the fields.

With urbanization continuing to spread, many farming villages and green habitats like the hometown of Ocampo can be instantly converted into commercial land or tourism centers. Thus, Ocampo’s photos can also be used to educate the public about problems regarding land use, the status of the land reform program and the pressing need to protect the environment.

Take a virtual tour of Sta. Rita town in the province of Pampanga: