Veejay Villafranca: “SIGNOS” – Philippines Everyday Survival

Veejay Villafranca was born in Manila. He started out in journalism as a staff photographer for the national news magazine Philippines Graphic. After becoming a freelancer in 2006, he worked with several international news wire agencies before pursuing the personal projects that later paved the way to his career as a full-time documentary photographer.

Philippines –

“These are images from 2009 up to present following the displacement of communities brought about by the extreme weather conditions. Following the devastation Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng to greater parts of Metro Manila and Luzon province, documenting the aftermath seemed invaluable as it gets drowned by the headlines.

But the daily traverse of the survivors and the displaced continue, dealing with a barrage of issues from daily sustenance, shelter, security and an overlooked aspect of displacement which is depression. I touched on different facets of their lives from adjusting to their new homes to coping with the daily grind and to dealing with loss and instability.

What came on November 8, 2014 was one of the most unexpected and sadly memorable times in Philippine history. Typhoon Haiyan made landfall little before sunrise carrying strongest winds ever recorded in recent history. Signos is a dark sign, the devastation brought by Typhoon Haiyan should be a stern sign for everyone specially the countries susceptible to climate change. This is but a part of the lives of the survivors, a re-telling of resilience.

Signos, the new norm.”

Photography & Written by Veejay Villafranca