A day of fellowship and sacrifice

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan The adhan (call to prayer) echoes throughout the mosque and nearby houses in Los Baños, Laguna just before 6:00 a.m. While the town is still half-asleep, a hypnotic male voice chants over the loudspeakers, summoning members of the Muslim congregation to the mosque for…

The TokHang effect

Text and photos by Dax Simbol Sonny (not his real name) is sweating bullets. The water in the glass he's holding is half empty. No, he didn't drink it; he lost half of the water with his hands still shaking. Oplan Tokhang which means toktok-hangyo or knock and plead is the Philippine National Police's (PNP)…

Breaking the fast

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Kimmy Baraoidan and Bong Ranes Six in the morning and the green mosque quickly filled up with Muslims. They were there to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marked the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is Arabic for ‘festival of breaking the fast.’ During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for…

Over 2k UPLB students graduate this year

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan A total of 2,245 students from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) were conferred their degrees during the university’s 44th commencement exercises held on June 25 at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park. Biology graduate Christian Jirard Z. Custodio finished at the top…

Al Rasheed wins Wild in the Parks

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan “Fear no forecast. Boards shall roll in rain or shine,” said the announcement on the Volcom Facebook page. The Wild in the Parks skateboarding competition was delayed twice because of thunderstorms. Backyard Skatepark in Sta. Rosa Laguna, is an open-air venue, and it was…

On the road again: Bangkok

Photos and text by: Sonny Yabao Playing tourist in this modern city is no big deal. In an age when everybody takes pictures with a cellphone, you no longer stand out in a crowd even with a big SLR around your neck. Only a sleepy dog lazing in the sun on the pavement would dare…

The Lenten experience

The Alternative brings together four stories and image collections from this year’s Lenten observance. We explore the country’s rich culture and tradition, a mix of Roman Catholicism and Pre-Hispanic beliefs, and their continuing relevance to today’s society. Dax Simbol documents the Magdarame, women mourners in Capas, Tarlac. Kimmy Baraoidan continues to follow the men of…

Lenten lucid dreams

Photos by: Sonny Yabao Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Is this real or just a dream? I thought when I saw these images of Sonny Yabao that he took during this year’s Lent. His photos always have a dreamlike quality to them. And most of the time these dreamlike images border on nightmares, which would haunt…