Filipinos celebrate Good Friday by crucifying one another. Typhoons sweep across the archipelago and devastate poor rural communities. Muslim separatists kidnap foreigners and behead hostages. These stories hit the newswires every year, portraying the Philippines with striking images and attention-grabbing headlines but little context or follow-up.

The lack of in-depth coverage contributes to an ignorance about The Philippines that Veejay Villafranca wants to dispel. His interactions with people around the world has given him an insight into what outsiders think of his home.

“The country is still living in post World War II situation,” says Villafranca. “That the majority of the country is still using carabaos as a means of transport to get to the next farm. That we are in Latin America. One photo editor whom I met in Arles a few years back critiqued my work and gave a long talk about Latin America, and how photographers did amazing work in such and such countries, only to find out that the Philippines is in the Pacific. That we are ruled by headhunters. Well … some of the provinces were ruled by head hunting tribes years ago.”