Street Children of Lawton: A Photo Essay
Bien Janine Rivera poses for a photo opportunity with the street children of Lawton after processing her photojournalism requirement. Bien Janine Rivera is an event photographer/videographer of their family’s photography business, and a Mass Communication undergraduate in Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila. She aims to be a well-known communicator with versatile skills in different aspects of media.
Ronalyn Ann, 4, lives on the streets of Lawton with her parents and one-year-old younger brother. Her family receives a monthly stipend from the Department of Social Welfare and Development for their everyday expenses. They have been living on the streets for eight years.
Marisa, 4, holds a doll she and her friend found around the streets of Lawton some two weeks ago. According to her father, Elmo, Marisa is reserved at a young age. "There was a couple of a Filipina and a foreigner who became interested in her last March. Took them about two months of seeing her every day before she finally warmed up to them. Now, she calls the woman her "mama" too," Elmo says.
Mariean Rivena, 2, was taken by her father for a bicycle ride with her one-year-old brother, Lucio Mar. Her family's source of income is from their vending stall near the Post Office building and the Jones Bridge. They have been living on the streets of Lawton for more than ten years.
Jason, 4, eagerly poses for a photo opportunity. "I enjoy playing on the streets every day," Jason says. "I hope I could get a copy of my picture afterwards."
The street children of Lawton role-plays a boxing match behind the monument of Andres Bonifacio in front of the Post Office building, on the afternoon of September 15, 2016. According to a father of one street child, their playtime routine usually starts past three o' clock in the afternoon, and often lasts until seven o' clock in the evening.
