Mount Arayat – View of the surrounding neighbourhood of Angeles City. In the background rises Mount Arayat (1026m), an extinct volcano.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Mount Arayat)

Mitch – Mitch, 28, and five months pregnant from an unknown foreigner. She works in a bar as a ‘waitress’ in Fields Avenue to support her two children.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Mitch)

Las Vegas Club – The ‘Las Vegas’ one of the many nightclubs in Balibago, the red light district of Angeles City. There are about 12’000 women working in Fields Avenue. Foreigners hold most of the bars: Americans, Australians, Germans and more recently Koreans and Japanese.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Las Vegas Club)

Kayla Jolie – Kayla Jolie, 6 years old. Her father, an Irish, supported her and her mom financially for 10 months, before vanishing. They remain without any news from him.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Kayla Jolie)

Princess Ann – Princess Ann, one year old. Her father, around 60, comes from Spain and spent one week in Angeles City as a “tourist”. He does not know about his fatherhood.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Princess Ann)

Sara Jane – Sara Jane, 20 years old. Her father is American. She has no information about him and her mother doesn’t want to talk about it. A relative living in Las Vegas has sponsored her for her education. After graduation from college, she studied computer programming at the University of Angeles. Today she is looking for a job.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Sara Jane)

Barangay – Typical view, as a diptych, of Ipil-Ipil, a barangay (neighbourhood) surrounding Angeles City. Most of the sex-workers live in these areas.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Barangay )

Barangay – Typical view, as a diptych, of Ipil-Ipil, a barangay (neighbourhood) surrounding Angeles City. Most of the sex-workers live in these areas.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Barangay )

Mary Grace – Mary Grace, 16 years old. She never met her father, a Swiss citizen, but knows his name. Mary used to have a picture of him, but the humid climate destroyed the print. She grew up with her aunt.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Mary Grace)

Dirt path – Dirt path leading to barangay Cutud Northville.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Dirt path)

Angelica and Azumi – Angelica, 24, and her daughter Azumi Rain, 1 year old, at the “Renew Foundation” shelter. Her father, a German is managing a hotel in Balibago. He does not recognize Azumi as his daughter and refuses to make a DNA test. He cut all contacts with Angelica.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Angelica and Azumi)

Bus stand – The bus stand of Balibago at dusk.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Bus stand)

Dance floor – Dance floor at the Tao Bar in Fields Avenue. The manager is German. There are about 12’000 women working in the bars in Fields Avenue. Foreigners, such as: Americans, Australians, Germans and more recently Koreans and Japanese hold most of the bars.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Dance floor)

Jocelyn and Hearty – Jocelyn, 31, and Hearty, 5 years old. Hearty’s father, a 55-year-old Australian, had a three months “relation” with Jocelyn. Most men coming to Angeles city are looking for a “girlfriend experience”, a long term paid relationship.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Jocelyn and Hearty)

Interior – Interior of a living room in Balibago.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Interior)

Mark Anthony – Mark Anthony, 29 years old. Mark’s father, a Latino-American US marines stationed in Okinawa, came for holidays to Angeles City and had a one-month relationship with Rose. He wanted her to abort, but she refused. Since he left to North Carolina, they remain without any news from him. As a child, Mark often got called “kabuti” (mushroom; in reference to ‘growing like mushrooms’) and “peke” (fake American) at school. “I became mad!” he recalls. Mark is now a staff in a hotel in Balibago.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Mark Anthony)

Vought F-8H Crusader – An old Vought F-8H Crusader of the Philippines Air Force (ex U.S. Navy aircraft) in the former Clark Air Force Base. Before the Pinatubo eruption in 1991, the former Clark US Air Force Base was the largest US military air base outside of the United States. It counted 150’000 soldiers. The Americans pulled out after the eruption and the base became a special economic zone.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Vought F-8H Crusader)

Military plate – Curtis, 33 years old, is a trike driver (moto-taxi). He wears his father’s dog tag (military plate), a US Air Force soldier. He never met him, but tries desperately to find his father.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Military plate)

Marilyn and Curtis – Marilyn 61, and her son Curtis, 33 years old. Curtis’s father, a USAF soldier, used to be based in Seoul and came for a TDY, temporary duty, to Clark Air Force Base. He was 27 and Marilyn was only 17 when he got her pregnant. She lost contact with him since. All she and Curtis have of him are a few photographs and his military plate.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Marilyn and Curtis)

Girlie Bar – An advertisement for a “Girlie Bar”. Angeles City became a hot spot for sex-tourism. Its bars were legendary, particularly around the red-light district on Fields Avenue. It started with a few Girlie Bars bordering Clark Military Air Base and it grew bigger during the Korean and Vietnam wars. After the Americans pulled out of the base in 1991, many bars closed and it is only five years later, probably due to internet and social networks, that it all started over again. Today, about 12’000 women are working in the bars on Fields Avenue.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Girlie Bar)

Mechelle – Mechelle, 19, works in a bar in Fields Avenue. While walking with her mother on Fields Avenue when she was 9 years old, her mom pointed at a man: “That’s your dad.” Today, she can’t remember his face. She only knows his first name and that he is an American doctor from Santa Maria, California.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Mechelle)

Jayvee – Jayvee, 5 years old. His mother still has e-mail exchanges with his father, 45, from Wisconsin, USA. However, they get no financial support from him.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Jayvee)

Flowers – Flowers at dusk.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Flowers )

Benny – Benny, 3 years old. His father is from Australia and supports his son financially with 10’000 pesos per month (approx. 220 USD/month). Benny’s mother continues to work in Fields Avenue.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Benny)

Balibago at dusk – View from Balibago at dusk. The jeepneys are modified US army jeeps from World War II and transformed into long shared taxis. Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Balibago at dusk)

Address – Antonia, 26, holds the address of her daughter’s father. He is around 60 years old, comes from Spain and spent one week in Angeles City as a “tourist”. He does not know about his fatherhood.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Address)

Wild grass – Wild grass at dusk near barangay Cutud Northville.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Wild grass)

Christian Jayson – Christian Jayson,11, in the barangay of Ipil-Ipil, a popular neighbourhood of Angeles City. His father is American.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Christian Jayson)

Jeepney – A jeepney stationed under a coconut tree in barangay Hensonville. The jeepneys are modified US army jeeps from World War II and transformed into long shared taxis. Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Jeepney)

Ritchell Bulilan – Ritchell, 29, only knows that her father is German. She is seeking her spiritual path and plans to become part of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Ritchell Bulilan)

Empty couch – An empty couch in barangay Capaya.
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Empty couch)

Antonio – Antonio, 30, was abandoned when he was three months old. He does not know his parents but knows that his father is British. A Filipino family adopted him. He is father of four children and is working as a bartender in a 24/24 open bar and nightclub. He states: “I’m proud to have foreign blood, I feel British.”
Angeles City, Philippines, August 2014. – Copyright © © S. Borcard – N. Metraux – Angeles – Central Luzon – Philippines – (Map Antonio)