Makeshift Windows | Vilen Gabrielyan

Open Edition with a Fotomoto Certificate of Authenticity.

8 x 10in Pigment Print on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag.

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Metro Manila is a sprawling metropolis with a population nearing 20 million. To house the ever-growing population, various government administrations built tenement buildings throughout the city. This provided housing for Manileños, while also serving as subsidized homes for low-income residents. As administrations changed and urban development shifted, many tenement residents were left to fend for themselves.

Today many tenements do not meet adequate living standards; most do not have running water, electricity and garbage collection . Despite these challenges residents work together to make up for where the government has fails them. Manila is ever expanding with residents moving to Manila with big city dreams. Property and land value is increasing and under-served communities are caught in the cross hairs of land developers and urban planning. Many tenements have been condemned by officials who are eager to relocate the residents and propose new construction projects. Despite this, the residents insist that the buildings are safe and inhabitable; they refuse to leave and cling on to life in their homes. Only time will tell what happens to the residents of these communities but one thing is certain: as the city changes these tenements will become a part of disappearing Manila.