Raffy Lerma is a photographer based in Manila, Philippines.
He began his career in photojournalism as a student of the College of Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines Diliman—covering events and street protests that led to the ouster of former President Joseph Estrada in 2001. He worked as a staff photographer for the Philippine Collegian, the official student publication of the university and later served as its Photo Editor in 2004.
Lerma finished his Diploma in Photojournalism at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University. He was also the Philippine representative in Hanoi, Vietnam for World Press Photo - Asia Europe Foundation Forum for Young Photographers in 2004.
For 12 years, Lerma worked as a staff photographer for Philippine Daily Inquirer covering the daily news beat in Metro Manila. He has recently shifted to working independently to focus on his documentation of the Philippine War on Drugs.
Awards
2017 Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) - Best News Photograph
2017 Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility - Award of Distinction
2016 Save The Children Media Awards - Most Outstanding Photograph
2011 Lasallian Scholarum Awards - Outstanding Photograph on Youth and Education
Press
> The New York Times: When a President Says, "I'll Kill You"
> BBC NEWS: Manila's Brutal Nightshift
> National Geographic: The Nightcrawlers
> Huffington Post: Tenacious Photographers Expose Philippine President’s Brutal Drug War To The World