letters to layag-layag

layag-layag: to set sail tausug: tau=man ; sug=current. people of the current this is for the people i met in layag-layag, a small water village of tausugs' off the coast of zamboanga.

[letterstolayaglayag]

this is what greets you at the airport in zamboanga. an unfortunate truth among such beautiful people.

[letterstolayaglayag]

the philippines is rooted in warrior culture. much of this still exists today, with all of the violence predominantly in the south. lapu lapu is celebrated for defeating magellan and resisting the spanish. while i disagree with the insanity that exists in mindanao and the rest of the PI today, learning filipino martial arts has always been an interest of mine in part of my quest to discover my roots. 

after returning from my last trip to mindanao, i set off to find an eskrima instructor here in san francisco, which led me to guro bob manalo and the cabales serrada eskrima system. i've trained in various martial arts my whole life, but this is definitely the most exciting for me on a number of levels. although serrada eskrima was technically founded in the united states, it's grandmaster angel cabales learned the art in the islands and refined it through many challenges along his travels before ultimately settling in northern california. 

while i've only had a few lessons thus far, i get a great sense of pride knowing that the lineage of this art can be traced back to those who protected the philippines such as lapu lapu, the katipunan, and the WWII guerilla's.

[letterstolayaglayag]

we took the girls to jollibee for their first time ever. they were super excited, but for me, they made me remember how much fun it was to eat kamayan style (with your hands). i used to eat like this a lot growing up, but do it less and less as i get older. it's one of the few practices that makes me feel rooted to the islands...

[letterstolayaglayag]

it seems self-evident, but proper education isn't always emphasized in many places. the philippines was once a pioneer in education in asia, with many of the oldest universities built during spanish colonial times their. unstable governmental changes between spain, the US, japan, back to the US, and eventually self-governance left the country with much to rebuilt and a long road ahead of them..

[letterstolayaglayag]

zamboangueño warriors

[letterstolayaglayag]

sari-sari stores in layag-layag and zamboanga.

[letterstolayaglayag]

we spent the day with charlyene and nazra at their school. there are lots of students in each class, but they're all very focused..

[letterstolayaglayag]

riding bagong pag asa into layag-layag. this is the route many of the kids had to swim daily.

[letterstolayaglayag]

peter jordan, taking some portraits of layag-layag students wading through the waters they used to swim to class in which they now ride the boat bagong pag asa. 

[letterstolayaglayag]

some of the boys playing playing ball. half of the time, the ground is covered in water, but that doesn't stop them from having a good time.

[letterstolayaglayag]

some example of bahay kubo in layag-layag. each family was very warm and welcomed us into their homes.

[letterstolayaglayag]

sun drying agar-agar.

seaweed is the main crop in layag-layag. in zamboanga, it is usually blanched and then combined with chupadera (green mangoes), calimansi, onions, and vinegar to make a salad.  

[letterstolayaglayag]

layag-layag: to set sail tausug: tau=man ; sug=current. people of the current

layag-layag is a small village on the shore of zamboanga. it's inhabited by a small number of tausug families that fled the sulu archipelago due to the turmoil there. they settled informally on the outskirts of zamboanga city in a mangrove area where they've built a community of small bahay kubo (bamboo stilt huts).

what originally brought me there was to document the story of the young kids. in order to get to school, they swim over 2 miles during high tide to the shore, where they then put their uniforms on and get ready for school. next, they walk another 2 or so miles to the town elementary school in barangay talon-talon. 

blogger jay jaboneta from manila, heard of the story and used facebook to raise money to help the village build a commuter boat for the kids so they no longer have to swim to class. 

what i didn't anticipate was how moved i would be by the people. they're the most hard working and industrious community i've encountered, and an incredible cultural bridge between the old world and my modern filipino-american heritage. the children were awe-inspiring...disciplined in their daily routine with a remarkable independence, while still maintaining a youthful demeanor.

documenting their story was not only a lens into a different lifestyle, but a way for me to connect much deeper to a culture that i once considered a distant world away. i can't wait to go back and visit everyone, and to see the kids mature over time.

[letterstolayaglayag]

meet batman. he keeps the village safe from pirates.

[letterstolayaglayag]

it is a beautiful village. when the tide is high, they use a small bangká to get around. during low tide you can walk. 

[letterstolayaglayag]

these are a few of the friends i made while in layag-layag. i miss them already and it's only been a day.