It can be tough staying positive in Manila. The streets are rampant with systemic corruption, endless traffic, and persistent poverty. But despite all of these issues plaguing our beloved capital, art gives us respite, allowing us to hope for the best and keep fighting for a better city.
The Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia has just posted their list of finalists and winners for their “Manila 2019-2050: Comics Contest” and the entries will leave you feeling renewed. From a green Manila rising from the ashes of environmental cataclysm to a cyber-gentrified capital beaming with new tech and old values, the diverse set of narratives illustrated through these comics shows us there’s more than one way to achieve a better future for Manila.
The contest guidelines read, “Manila was once called “The Paris of the Orient.” It is the capital of the Philippines, a country which has consistently been one of the fastest growing economies of Southeast Asia with an annual average GDP rate of around six percent….It focuses on a vision of what Metro Manila can potentially become by 2050: a region of sustainability, a center of economic and technological progress, and more importantly, a home for Filipinos.”
Check out all the entries below.
Photo from official contest entry, “Broken But Still Beautiful” by Rod Espinosa