In the metro Manila areas of Muntinlupa and Taguig cities, life on the lake front of Laguna de Bay is different from the rest of the urban area.

In the City of Binan, Philippines, we spent a few hours wandering up the tracks located behind one of the city's main streets. We witnessed up close some of the life spent by gypsies and displaced people with no place else to live. Even though the government once moved them to another location with better housing, the people returned because they had no means to earn a living and there were no schools available for their children...

A community of the Iraya, a subtribe of the Mangyan, live at the foot of Mt. Malasimbo, located 9 kilometers from the town proper in Barangay Talipanan and offers a glimpse of the indigenous people’s heritage, slowly catching up to the modern times. The Mangyan people were barefoot, wore old and torn clothes, and could rarely afford to eat rice in a week, surviving by gathering lami (sweet potato). After a major battle between government forces and communist rebels in 1986, the indigenous families were forced to leave the mountain and squat in the lowlands. The foot of Mt. Malasimbo in Puerto Galera alone is home to as many as 200 Iraya-Mangyan families. The Ayala family bought a piece of the property in 1990 and with the help of the Department of Education constructed a four-classroom elementary school for the tribe. In 2007, the rest of the 4.2-hectare land was acquired and this started the development of the Mangyan Village, complete with power and water supplies. The center of the Mangyan Village is a large hut that serves as showroom for the hand-woven nito (native vine) baskets, beer bottle holders, place mats, laundry baskets, key chains and other trinkets. Every day, about 40 Mangyan, mostly women, gather around the showroom, wearing their uniform yellow shirts, and begin weaving into strands. This is an acquired skill many learned from their elders, and requires much patience. Their finished nito baskets carry intricate woven patterns. At the very least, each Mangyan can earn P60-P70 in a day. To curb accidents and other modern-day disturbances, alcohol drinking, gambling and pornographic materials are strictly prohibited. The people are friendly and want tourists to buy their products, and are seemingly not too shy about having their picture taken.

The feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 is considered one of the most spectacular religious events that takes place in the Philippines. Every year thousands of devotees from all walks of life come to the district of Quiapo to take part in the procession as a way of strengthening their faith or fulfilling their vow to the Lord. The Black Nazarene is the patron saint of Quiapo, a small but well-known part of Manila, a hub of trade and commerce because of the Quiapo market and the many stores located there. The life size image of the Black Nazarene shows a "black" Jesus Christ carrying a cross. The statue has been housed at the Saint John de Baptist Church in Quiapo, Manila also known as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene since 1787. The image of the Black Nazarene is brought out in procession on its feast day and Good Friday. The statue is placed in a gilded carriage for the procession. As the procession starts, procession participants garbed in maroon tops grab two long ropes and pull it to make the carriage move. Many will attempt to touch the image while some throw their handkerchiefs and towels in the air. People who join in the procession walk barefooted as a sign of humility.

Witnessing the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States, from the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office plaza in Harlem, New York