Signos

"The numbers and figures alone are astounding, but nothing captures the country's vulnerability to climate change quite like images. Veejay Villafranca has spent the last six years in the Philippines photographing the impact of these extreme weather events."

— TIME Magazine

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, tore through the Philippines with unprecedented ferocity, leaving over 6,000 dead and displacing more than 6 million people across the Visayas region. While the world focused on the storm’s raw power and the staggering damage it caused, Signos uncovers the untold stories of those who bore its brunt: the survivors trapped in makeshift evacuation camps and forced to rebuild their lives amidst chaos.

This gripping narrative delves into the harsh realities faced by climate refugees—families uprooted from their homes and thrust into unsafe living conditions rife with disease, crime, and exploitation. The book exposes systemic failures in disaster response and critiques the slow, inadequate efforts of those in power, even amid an outpouring of international aid. From orphans vulnerable to human traffickers to the silent mental health struggles of survivors, Signos paints a vivid picture of the lasting scars left by one of history’s strongest storms.

Through years of meticulous documentation, Signos goes beyond the numbers, offering a searing indictment of how political inaction amplifies human suffering in the wake of natural catastrophes. At its core, it is a powerful call to recognize and address the growing phenomenon of climate-induced displacement, and a poignant tribute to the resilience of those who continue to fight for dignity and hope.

Published in 2018 by Mapa Books

144 pages / Hardcover