Sunday with the Ladies of Pinay.com

I SPENT SUNDAY afternoon at the Fort Santiago in Intramuros to join these women in their photo op for Pinay.com. Pinay correspondent (photographer and poet) Bopeep Espiritu lead the activity yesterday.We managed to take pictures inside the famous Fort Santiago where Rizal was incarcerated before he was executed in Bagumbayan. After Fort Santiago we went straight to the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Roxas Boulevard to catch a glimpse of the famous Manila Bay sunset.

Pinay.com is looking at finding new images for its website and campaigns. A space for Pinays and 'Pinays-at-heart', this website captures the new images of Pinays in the Philippines and in diaspora.

What is so exciting in Pinay.com recently is its new direction. Since this a 'space for Pinay' the website now takes the challenge of having hijabi Pinays as among its images of women in the Philippines. Pinay.com's Facebook covers (the site has several and you may visit Pinay.com's FB page to check several glamorous FB covers carrying Pinay.com's advocacy of 'shine mentality') will soon have veiled women from Southern Philippines. 

Two (real) Meranao Muslim sisters actually joined the fun yesterday. I am sharing some of the images my camera captured during the event. 

'Father and Son' together. I took this image at the harbor near the Cultural Center of the Philippines while the team was busy with the photo op.

Bopeep leading the model for a pose. I met Bopeep as Virginia Perpetua Espiritu in UST; she was a poet and member of the Thomasian Writers Guild. 

Bopeep with the hijabi sisters

Bopeep at work

Jovy taking a break while waiting for her queue.

Filipino and Meranao Bangsamoro women on break.

Planning for the next pose? Women bonding together for the project.

Okay they have to pose for me, too. 

The famous Manila Bay sunset. An image I took while waiting for the ladies to finish their work.

Wearing a veil (hijab) has raised considerable debates among Westerners if this practice oppresses women. Pinay.com would like to further the discourse by bringing the discussions to Muslim realities in the Philippines. Here Muslim women would like to participate in the debate (Pinay.com will release articles written by women from Mindanao and the Cordilleras soon.)

Yasmira. She is a graduate student at the University of the Philippines in Diliman taking  up Political Science. She writes for Pinay.com and co-moderates Moroism.org, a website for postcolonial and colonial  critical discourses on Moro history, culture, politics, and expressions.