Fotobokfestival Oslo
Fotobokfestival Oslo

VEEJAY VILLAFRANCA - SIGNOS

Signos illustrates different scenarios brought about by severe weather patterns in the Philippines. As typhoons get stronger, water levels and temperatures rise, the country, and indeed the rest of the world, is faced with a reality we can no longer ignore.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest recorded typhoon to ever make landfall in the Pacific, left over 6000 people dead and an estimated 4 million people displaced. It was devastating to the marginalized communities, many of whom live on the waters edge.

Signos is about the lives of the people displaced by extreme weather events, further complicated by humanitarian issues such as inadequate relocation, livelihood security and social justice. Every year, as more people face these issues, Signos illustrates what is the new norm. Climate change does not happen in isolation. Signos is a dark sign of things to come.

BIO

Veejay Villafranca was born in Manila, Philippines. 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. Villafranca has tackled issues such as changing Filipino cultural and religious practices, the transformation of Filipino gang members, and climate displacement and other environmental issues. He has been covering extreme weather events affecting the Philippines since typhoon Ondoy in 2009 up to Yolanda and its aftermath in 2015. Villafranca was first assigned with the United Nations to document Climate Refugees and since then has carried on a personal mission to raise awareness in the Philippines and throughout the world about the devastating effects of Climate Change.

VEEJAY VILLAFRANCA - SIGNOS

Signos illustrates different scenarios brought about by severe weather patterns in the Philippines. As typhoons get stronger, water levels and temperatures rise, the country, and indeed the rest of the world, is faced with a reality we can no longer ignore.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest recorded typhoon to ever make landfall in the Pacific, left over 6000 people dead and an estimated 4 million people displaced. It was devastating to the marginalized communities, many of whom live on the waters edge.

Signos is about the lives of the people displaced by extreme weather events, further complicated by humanitarian issues such as inadequate relocation, livelihood security and social justice. Every year, as more people face these issues, Signos illustrates what is the new norm. Climate change does not happen in isolation. Signos is a dark sign of things to come.

BIO

Veejay Villafranca was born in Manila, Philippines. 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. Villafranca has tackled issues such as changing Filipino cultural and religious practices, the transformation of Filipino gang members, and climate displacement and other environmental issues. He has been covering extreme weather events affecting the Philippines since typhoon Ondoy in 2009 up to Yolanda and its aftermath in 2015. Villafranca was first assigned with the United Nations to document Climate Refugees and since then has carried on a personal mission to raise awareness in the Philippines and throughout the world about the devastating effects of Climate Change.