ZURÜCKGELASSEN / LEFT BEHIND
Children born from sex tourism in the Philippines.
Commissioned by DER SPIEGEL
Angeles City, eighty kilometres north of Manila, is known for its red-light district. Until 1991, the city was the home of Clark Air base, the largest US Air Base outside the United States of America. This favoured the raising of many brothels and Girlie Bars, turning the city into one of the most popular sex tourism destination. Today, about 12’000 women are working in the bars which flank Fields Avenue. Unlike in Thailand, international customers in the Philippines seek a “girlfriend experience” that can last for several weeks or months.
Each year, thousands of children are born from these paid relationships. The fathers, whether American, Australian, British, German, Swiss, Korean or Japanese often abandon their offspring. In this very Catholic country, abortion is considered as a crime and punished by law.
Left behind, these children grow up in search of their own identity, where the father figure is still a question mark.
Nathalie and Blessimai – Nathalie, 32, and Blessimai, 9, on the field behind their house in Mabalacat, 15 km from Balibago. In a few months the construction of a shopping centre will begin here. In the background lies Mount Arayat (1026m), an extinct volcano.
Mabalacat near Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Mabalacat City – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Nathalie and Blessimai)
Nathalie and Blessimai – Nathalie, 32, and Blessimai, 9, in their house in Mabalacat. Nathalie works in Fields Avenue to give a better future to her seven children.
Mabalacat near Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Mabalacat City – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Nathalie and Blessimai)
Nathalie’s Facebook chat – The only means of contact with Blessimai’s father is through Facebook. This British citizen does not want to do a DNA test and refutes the idea of being Blessimai’s father. He is married now to a local and lives in Manila.
Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Nathalie’s Facebook chat)
Fields Avenue by night – Women working at the Tarana Fire Restaurant wearing Ferrari outfits on Fields Avenue. Of late there has been an increase in South Korean ownership of both bars and brothels.
Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Fields Avenue by night)
Viagra on display – Street vendor on Fields Avenue. Besides selling cigarettes and lighters, he also sells Viagra and Cialis for 500 pesos (10 €) a box.
Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Viagra on display)
Tarana Fire Restaurant – The Tarana Fire Restaurant on Fields Avenue is decorated with Egyptian symbols. Since a few years, this red-light district attracts more and more South Korean tourists. Of late there has been an increase in South Korean ownership of both bars and brothels.
Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Tarana Fire Restaurant)
Hygiene Center – Teresa Lyn, 24, and Charmaine, 38, at the front desk of the Balibago Social Hygiene Clinic. All women working in Fields must be checked for STI’s once a week. The result will then be printed on an ID tag that all women must wear while working. The clinic opened its doors in July 2011.
Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Hygiene Center)
Veteran Cemetary – Annual Memorial Day at the Clark Veterans Cemetery. The cemetery is the burial place of almost 8’600 Filipino and American soldiers who served the US Army. There are over 2’100 unknown soldiers interred here. Until 1991, Angeles was the home of Clark Air base, the largest US Air Base outside the United States of America. This favoured the raising of many brothels and Girlie Bars, turning the city into one of the most popular sex tourism destination. Today, about 12’000 women are working in the bars which flank Fields Avenue.
Angeles City, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Veteran Cemetary)
Joylyn and Renzo – Joylyn, 21 and Renzo, 1, in their home showing the only photo of Renzo’s, father, an Australian citizen on a cell phone. Joylyn and Renzo, get no support from him and have lost his contact.
Angeles City, Philippines, June 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Joylyn and Renzo)
Santo Niño – In every Filipino home is a figure of Santo Niño, the oldest religious image in the Philippines. It is a venerated figure of a vested infant Jesus who is believed to be miraculous.
Angeles City, Philippines, June 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Santo Niño)
Shay Cullen – Father Shay Cullen, an Irish missionary established in the Philippines and founder of the PREDA foundation celebrating the Sunday mass at the girl’s shelter of his foundation.
Olongapo, Philippines, May 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Subic – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Shay Cullen )
Abigail – Abigail, 21 born from an American father. She has no contact neither support from him.
Angeles City, Philippines, June 2015. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Abigail)