One thing that struck me about the Filipinos were the joys of childhood and the contrasting early aging/ hard lives of adults. In many ways the Filipino children, especially the Agta, had very difficult lives, but they seemed to take advantage of lots of freedom to explore and find fun. Notice this little guys goggles -- they are homemade! They're cut from coke bottles and then fitted with rubber and fishing wire. John Paul is one of the children I enjoyed spending time with on San Migel Island. I loved taking pictures of and observing their fun, and they slowly worked up the nerve to bring me shells, come sit by me, enjoy the shade of my umbrella and examine my features, including the hair on my knuckles! ;)
They seemed to have contests and take great pride in their abilities to run up the side of the pier and jump!
One interesting novelty in Bicol is "Coke in a bag." Even I must admit I enjoyed the drink on such a hot day... We got a round for everyone after our trip back across the lake from Ipil.
Though most dogs are not friendly pets, these children in one of the villages in which Steve is teaching were enjoying a litter of puppies. Since even public school incurs supply costs, the need for lunch, transportation, etc., children in these villages did not attend. We were met by a large crowd here -- I think they were less timid because they could all gawk at us from across the river, and also because they all wanted to witness it if we were unsuccessful in making it across the log bridge!

On a side note, you may have noticed that many children only wear one article of clothing (very often, a shirt with no pants). Keep in mind that all of these children were dressed in their very best for the American visitors. Also, you may have noticed the little boy's swollen testicle. We're not sure exactly what the problem is, but many of the children and adults have medical problems and deformities that they simply don't have the means to attend to.
This is the "jungle gym" at Ipil. One naked little boy was especially skilled at flips and hanging upside down... This was located precisely where the Chieftain's toilet drained and the livestock ran. They all had a great time, oblivious to these facts, and they sang some great songs for me while they climbed ;)
One of the villages is directly across from a cock farm, and they have a few roosters alongside their huts as well. The Filipinos attach blades to their feet and let them slice and fight, betting on the winner. Our kids had fun playing rooster limbo... I insisted Chloe not be a part of poking and harassing the poor thing, but it was fun to watch him fly if they lifted the stick above their heads.
These are the roosts... Though it was across the river, between the hundreds of roosters over here, the handful by the huts, the kids playing and the pig chained next to Steve, the study was very interesting!