The Rodallie S. Mosende Story

Filipinas Heritage Library presents

The Rodallie S. Mosende Story
Photographs by Rick Rocamora

April 28 to May 5, 2016
2F Ayala Museum
EXTENDED UNTIL MAY 11, 2016
(Closed May 7, 9am – 12nn & May 9)
FREE ADMISSION

“Dito po sa amin sa Quiapo, halos lahat ng kabataan dito, mga naliligaw ng landas. Ayaw ko po matulad sa kanila, gusto ko po maiba. Na-appreciate ko po na napakahirap ng dinaranas namin, kaya gusto ko po makatapos ng pag-aaral.” (In our community here in Quiapo, nearly all young people have lost their way. I don’t want to be like them. I want to be different. I know that we have a hard life, which is why my goal is to get an education.)
– Rodallie S. Mosende

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Rick Rocamora, an award-winning documentary photographer, tells a visual story of Rodallie S. Mosende who grew up homeless in Quiapo, Manila yet determined to pursue her college education. Through Rocamora’s photographs, people learned of Rodallie’s plight and stepped forward to offer assistance which helped her achieve her dream of graduating from college. This exhibition aims to inspire people through Rodallie’s story — a great example of survival against the difficulties in life.

This exhibition coincides with the launch of the book Blood, Sweat, Hope, and Quiapo: Rodallie S. Mosende’s Story by Rick Rocamora, Rene Ciria-Cruz, and Dan Amosin. The book can be purchased at the Ayala Museum Shop starting April 28, 2016.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

RICK ROCAMORA is an award-winning documentary photographer who has dedicated himself to documenting issues about civil liberties, immigrant rights, and immigrant contributions in the U.S., as well as human rights and social justice issues in the Philippines. He is the author of FILIPINO WW II SOLDIERS: AMERICA’S SECOND-CLASS VETERANS for which he received a Local Bay Area Heroes award from KQED and Union Bank of California. His work is part of the permanent collections of San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts, U.S. State Department Art in Embassies program, and private and institutional collectors.
His work is widely exhibited in national and international museums and galleries and published in print and online. His work had been exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Vargas Museum and University of the Philippines, BenCab Museum, Ateneo de Manila University, and the halls of the Senate of the Philippines.

ABOUT THE BOOK Blood, Sweat, Hope, and Quiapo: Rodallie S. Mosende’s Story

The real story of Quiapo is not about crime and filth. Those in the know see Quiapo in a different light: as a haven for strong-hearted, hardworking individuals tenaciously trying to overcome life’s obstacles for their dreams.

– Rick Rocamora

Rick Rocamora’s work has always exemplified the very best of what documentary photography can and should be. He commits to his subjects over a long period of time, he brings a warm heart and good intentions to his purpose and his gentle yet attentive eye often captures moments that both reveal and touch. His new book embodies the best qualities of what Mr. Rocamora does, with the additional commitment to a single individual, whose life was profoundly changed by the focus of Rick’s camera on her life.

– ED KASHI (VII Photo Agency), award-winning documentary photographer, lecturer, and author
The photographs in the book will be part of FHL’s Retrato Photo Archive