Thank You to Michael Ferrenci

It's time to begin to thank a few people here, for what they've done for me on my past trip to Philippines.

First and foremost, I want to thank Michael Ferrenci who actually made the Manila & Cebu City part of the trip possible, by sponsoring my operational and on-the-ground support costs (hotel & domestic flight Manila to Cebu) involved with my short stays in those cities so I could shoot and have the time I needed to spend with the Families featured here.

If it were not for Michael's kindness and generosity, I actually wouldn't have been able to have a hotel room in Manila and Cebu to stay in upon arrival - and I was actually looking at flying into Manila from the USA on a 22hr flight, landing in Manila's International Airport around 12 midnight, and instead of checking into a regular small hotel I'd head directly over to Manila's Domestic Terminal which opens at before 5am so I could hop a flight to Cebu City on the first flight of the day, all on no sleep - only to have to repeat it again after arriving at Cebu's domestic airport.

That was a very crazy idea, not to mention impractical - but it couldn't be helped, as I simply did not have a physical budget for even 1 night in Manila or Cebu, and it was becoming apparent to me that I might not get to see any of the Families, much less do any shooting there - and I raise awareness to the plight of the poor and working poor I know in Philippines solely through my photography.

I thought about trying to stay at one of the cheapest places ($13USD per night) I knew of, close to where the Families are, but these flop houses have zero security and can be a bit dangerous to stay in,  and since I'm traveling with my mobile office (notebook, monitor, etc) good physical security at any hotel is an absolute must, and I could not afford to gamble with the security of my gear in a place like that, so the flop house was not an option, and I couldn't afford anything else.
 
As soon as Michael heard my concerns while the trip was in the planning stages, he stepped right up and told me that he understood what I was doing with my photography and food for the families, and that he would sponsor those expenses so I didn't have to physically skip all of Manila and all of Cebu, and Michael was my miracle last year, which was a very rough year for my own Family.

Only then was I able to stay in a standard $30 per night hotel for the few days in Manila & Cebu; both hotels there are very safe and have very good security for guests AND any gear they travel with, which is what's most important to me (I lose my gear to theft, then I lose my photographic content creation tools)

I have never met Michael before; he found me online and was a fan of my work and has always been most encouraging and positive about what I try to do, and what blew me away is that he was willing and able to financially take care of a few expenses for me when I couldn't, which made all of my ProjectRice photography and local Family issues happen in Manila and Cebu.

With Love & Appreciation I Thank You Brother...
PJAMES