Iloilo, Philippines
December 2005


Maybe it was his intense gaze.

Or the deep chocolate color of his skin.

From among the throng of kids who flocked in front of me
in a “perya” on the eve of the town fiesta of Maasin, Iloilo,
he grabbed my attention.

I framed him tightly and with every click, he smiled more widely.
“His father is Bombay”, someone volunteered the information.
That explained his unique features.
The blue plastic sack used as a roof
enhanced his “Tisoy-ness”.