“Photography is not like painting. There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative, oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”

~ Henri Cartier-Bresson, founder of modern photojournalism, in Washington Post, 1957

Subjects : Kids of Manobo Dulangan community in Panigan Falls, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat

Panigan Falls is one of the most secluded beautiful falls in Mindanao, with multiple tiers, rivers, and cascading waters flowing continuously from a mysterious source : inside the mouth of a cave locals have yet to explore.

For the Manobo Dulangans, it is considered sacred and a source of life. This hidden gem in the province of Sultan Kudarat also entails a long and tricky route to reach through a dense forest.

Along the riverbank, we were generously treated to a sumptuous feast by the tribal leaders as we documented their daily activities. This included kids bathing in the natural pool which is normally of pristine blue color, we were told, but rains from the previous day rendered it muddy.

How I captured them : see pictures (thanks to my team who documented me). This is an ongoing travel shoot for a series of coffee table books of the beautiful tribes of the Philippines for the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) initiated by Chairperson Allen Capuyan .

Sharing more stories soon.