TECNO and internationally acclaimed artist Angélica Dass today unveiled the Philippines portrait gallery of
100 Portraits of Becoming
Featuring portraits of 20 compelling people and personal stories, the new collection is live on TECNO’s global story
archive. 100 Portraits of Becoming is a two-year global documentary portrait project, spanning five countries and
powered by TECNO Universal Tone imaging technology. The Philippines marks its second chapter, following its
successful launch in Kenya.
Philippines Portrait Gallery of “Seeing Beyond Labels”
For the Philippine chapter, themed “See Beyond Labels,” Angélica Dass photographed 20 individuals in Manila whose
lives intersect with solo motherhood in diverse ways. The gallery honors a powerful truth: behind every societal label is
a human life shaped by many roles, deep relationships and personal ambitions, reminding us that no one should be
defined by a single societal label or a single title like “solo mom”.
This creative direction is rooted in the realities of Filipino family life. According to publicly available data, the country
has an estimated 14 to 15 million solo parents, with women accounting for about 95% of them. An estimated 2.19
million Filipinos worked overseas in 2024, with women making up 57.2% of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).
Behind these figures are individual lives that are far more layered. This is the space the Philippines chapter sets out to
explore.
Captured on the CAMON Slim 5G with TECNO Universal Tone, the Philippines chapter of 100 Portraits of Becoming
naturally connects with CAMON Slim 5G’s “Make It Lighter” philosophy, using technology to make expressive
photography feel more accessible, intuitive and open to more people.
The Stories Behind the Portraits of 20 People
Through their portraits, that broader context becomes personal, revealing very different experiences of work, family,
care and becoming.
Angélica Dass taking portrait photos in Manila
Some stories come from working solo mothers themselves. Others are told through the perspectives of adults raised by
solo mothers, multi-generation families, Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) caregivers, and media or community
advocates who work closely with women and families. These diverse narratives highlight a pervasive challenge: the
social tendency to let a single label define an individual's entire life and capability.
To challenge these stereotypes, their discussions addressed core questions surrounding work, family, and identity - How does motherhood intersect with professional ambition? How do grown children raised in solo-parent families reflect on their upbringing? And what structural support, choices and personal wisdom help families navigate everyday life?
Ultimately, these stories reveal a richer, more nuanced picture of modern family life of solo mothers and women in
general: women building fulfilling careers while raising children, multi-generational networks sharing caregiving
responsibilities, adults drawing strength from the mothers who raised them, and individuals continuously pursuing
their own ambitions.
Portraits of 20 people connected to solo motherhood
Portraits of 20 people connected to solo motherhood from the Philippines chapter now are joining the global
100 Portraits of Becoming on TECNO’s official website, where their images and stories can be explored together.
Her Many Ways of Becoming
Among the 20 participants is Ely Haig, a solo working mother, breadwinner, advertising professional, and competitive
amateur padel player.
Ely became a mother just as her career was taking off. For a time, she stepped back from opportunities and focused on
taking care of everyone around her. Later, she found a different kind of diskarte: knowing what matters to her, then
finding ways to make room for her career, her daughter, side projects and padel.
“Being a good mother shouldn’t mean leaving yourself behind,” said Ely. “I want people to see more than a solo mom.
A mother, yes, but also a creative, a career woman, an athlete, still becoming.”
The Portrait of Ely Haig
Twinkle Dimayuga Zamora raised two children as a solo mother before turning her own experience into community
support. She later founded MAMA, Mothers Advocating through Ministry and Action, an initiative supporting solo
mothers and their children. Her diskarte is simple: ask for help, communicate openly and build a village. “Sometimes
the strongest thing a mother can do is say, ‘I need help,’” she said.
The Portrait of Twinkle Dimayuga Zamora
Eunice N. Angeles, a fourth-year nursing student, was raised by a solo mother who later became an OFW in Qatar.
Growing up, she watched her mother keep finding opportunities and making difficult choices to create a better future
for them both. That confidence became something Eunice feels she inherited. “I want people to see what I grew up
with: confidence, determination and the courage to find my own way.”
The Portrait of Eunice N. Angeles
These stories reflect different expressions of their own diskarte: the wisdom, resourcefulness and choices women
draw on to navigate life in their own way. More stories from the 20 portraits can be explored in the Philippines gallery
of 100 Portraits of Becoming, part of TECNO’s global story archive.
An Opportunity to See Behind the Portraits
For Angélica Dass, the Philippines chapter is an opportunity to move from a shared social context to the individual
lives within it. Across the 20 portraits, she encountered different ambitions, relationships, personalities and ways of
navigating everyday life.
Renowned photographer Angélica Dass captures portraits using the TECNO CAMON Slim 5G in Manila, Philippines.
“What stayed with me was the realization that ‘solo motherhood’ is only one part of a person's identity. Through the
stories shared with me and the moments we created during the portrait sessions, I was reminded that behind every
label there is a person with their own ambitions, relationships, choices, and dreams. No single label can tell us
everything about who someone is.”
To ground these stories in authenticity, the portraits were photographed on location across Manila in environments
directly tied to each participant’s daily life—whether a workplace, a family home, or a familiar community space.
The creative approach echoes the campaign’s core philosophy: leaving space to portray work, ambition, relationships,
humour and daily routines — the rich parts of everyday life that extend far beyond a single role or a single label.
From Kenya to the Philippines, and Beyond
All portraits in the Philippines were photographed by Angélica Dass using the TECNO CAMON Slim 5G, supported
by TECNO Universal Tone technology.
TECNO Universal Tone was developed to more accurately represent a broad spectrum of human skin tones in mobile
photography. Within 100 Portraits of Becoming, that capability supports a wider idea at the heart of the project: seeing
people as they are, with greater accuracy and attention to individuality.
“What moved us about the Philippines chapter was seeing how naturally motherhood, work, ambition and personal
identity can coexist in the same life,” said Jack Guo, General Manager of TECNO. “We hope technology can play a
small part in helping people be seen more fully, and their stories better understood.”
The Philippines marks the second stop of 100 Portraits of Becoming, following the project’s launch in Kenya in July
2026. Over two years, the initiative will bring together 100 portraits across multiple countries, building a story archive
of people, stories and possibilities.
In Kenya, the project explored how people move beyond inherited narratives about place and the future. In the
Philippines, the lens turns to family, identity and the roles people carry, looking beyond the first label to the person,
the people around her, and who she is still becoming.
And with the Philippines now joining the archive, more portraits, more stories and more ways of becoming are still to
be unveiled in more countries.
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