Text and photos by Veejay Villafranca
“Fate introduced herself to us in the form of a hurricane,” to quote an environmentalist’s daughter on her thoughts on Typhoon Haiyan, its aftermath, and the future.
This quote stuck with me, especially during the time the world’s attention was on the Philippines, but not for a positive reason. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the average of 20 typhoons that hits the Philippines annually, left so much destruction, loss and despair. It urged different communities all over the world to move and act. Not only did the world respond, but communities also called for action and accountability from big nations who, according to data, are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Signos is a re-examination of the irresponsible use of the trait, of resilience.
This project tackled the greater challenges the survivors faced every day until they are given a proper relocation. Displacement due to a natural catastrophe posed even more dangers than the naked eye could see such as mental health and the continuous psychological suffering of those who have lost their families, the security of orphans, their vulnerability to human trafficking syndicates, and the growing pains that they faced in their relocation sites.
The images seem to be a repetition of all images produced during the aftermaths of devastation and calamity. Will that make us look beyond these images and know more about the stories of people in danger, or will it make us look away?
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.
He has tackled issues such as changing Filipino cultural and religious practices, the transformation of Filipino gang members, climate displacement and other environmental issues. In 2008, he was awarded the Ian Parry Scholarship and a residency at Visa Pour l’Image for his project on the lives of former gang members in Manila and in 2013 attended the prestigious Joop Swart Masterclass program of the World Press Photo Foundation. His first book co-published with MAPA Books, SIGNOS, garnered the 2018 Invisible Photographer Asia first photobook award.
In addition, Veejay has mounted over a hundred print shows since 2006 in exhibition spaces in New York, France, Netherlands, Rome, Portugal, Japan, Singapore and his work is collected by institutions and private collectors in Asia, Europe and the U.S.
Veejay continues to work around the Asian region, collaborating with different organizations to engage a wider audience.
