LENS
We’ve come to a time when people take pictures mostly to promote a certain
aesthetic and rarely to preserve a meaningful moment. Do you find yourself
doing that sometimes, too? For future creatives, how would you advise them
to move past mere image-building into a more genuine storytelling?
Who hasn’t, really? If there’s anything I learned from my trips, it's that you’ll
eventually grow out of it, at least for me and my friends. Taking a few good photos
together is enough. Personally, since I like taking photos of the places I visit, I just
capture the things I find interesting and wait for those subjects to appear before me.
Do you have a dream city to explore and capture?
Yes, Tokyo and Bagan. Hopefully [I get to visit] either one of those by next
year if I get enough miles. Tokyo, I guess there’s no need to explain why. Even
Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern had nothing but praises for Tokyo.
Bagan, on the other hand, looks amazing and
not yet overrun with tourists. And with the
thousands of ancient temples built centuries ago
I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it.
What is your hope for Manila?
For everyone to appreciate its contribution
to the storied past of the Philippines. And,
naturally, have everyone respect the city that
they live in. By that, I mean not throwing
trash wherever they feel like it. When you visit
Fort Santiago and stand atop the old stones of
Baluarte de Santa Barbara overlooking Pasig
River, just imagine how a dead rat smells like
and multiply that by a hundred. That’s how
foul smelling Pasig River is—this, considering
that Pasig River stretches over 25 kilometers of
Metro Manila. While NGOs like “Kapit Bisig
Para Sa Ilog Pasig” certainly contributes to the
cleanup, it can only do so much without the help
of the national government.
Binondo, Manila, Opposite page: Home run
Follow Jose’s adventures in and out of Manila at themanilaproject.com.
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