Prints | Martin San Diego - Documentary and Editorial Photographer based in Manila, Philippines. His work has been published globally on The Washington Post, The Guardian, VICE, South China Morning Post, and Al Jazeera. Martin is a National Geographic Society grantee, a Diversify Photo member, and an alumnus of the Angkor Photo Festival Workshops.

MARTIN SAN DIEGO

Filipino Documentary Photographer

Bio

sandiego.martin@gmail.com

A selection of Martin’s prints are available via ShelterFund, Tarzeer Pictures, Fotomoto PH. An NFT of one of his images is also available through The British Journal of Photography’s Edition 365 exhibit.

www.shelterfund.ph
www.tarzeerpictures.com
www.fotomoto.ph
www.opensea.io/collection/edition365

For specific photo print requests, please reach out via sandiego.martin@gmail.com

The sunrise in Sulu is simply majestic.

The sunrise in Sulu is simply majestic.

One day “the only remainder of their land could

One day “the only remainder of their land could be the mud on their feet,” Dumagat chieftain Cipriano Dela Torre warns for his people.

Indigenous communities have been guarding our forests and seas for thousands of years, yet today, many see them as mere hindrances to economic progress. The Dumagat and their ancestral domain in the pacific coast of Aurora in northeastern Philippines are one of such facing the same plight around the world.

Wide roads meant to serve outsiders, not them, are coming.

To save their land, the Dumagat turn to the skies.

My latest with @reginecabato on the @washingtonpost : https://wapo.st/3zNvIaI
Editing by @olivierlaurent, @reemakkad, Alan Sipress

31M #everydayphilippines

31M

#everydayphilippines

No, these photos are not from 2016 or 2017. They w

No, these photos are not from 2016 or 2017. They were taken just this month, all on the same day, when two men were laid to rest while five others were exhumed from their tombs.

Duterte's drug war has killed thousands through the hands of police and vigilantes, many in gunfights that witnesses say never happened.

If our conversations with victim's families, witnesses, a priest, and a forensic pathologist are any indication, there is no end in sight.

This is #DuterteLegacy

On The Washington Post: 24 hours full of pain and anger but few answers: https://wapo.st/3OvOARG

With words by @reginecabato and @mikemillerdc, editing by @olivierclaurent

Puwede bang maki-"para sa Bangsamoro" kahit minsan

Puwede bang maki-"para sa Bangsamoro" kahit minsan lang?

I am deeply honored to be chosen as a finalist in @the_aftermath_project 's 2022 Post-Conflict Grant cycle, along with work from Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, and Italy. This recognizes my and many others' work's call on intently understanding and addressing the roots of armed conflict, more so 'terrorism', in the Philippines and beyond.

With this ongoing body of work, in the eyes of the Moro youth, I attempt to convey that we all should first acknowledge and address the fact that the state and our social structures have lacked in providing the needs and honoring the rights of our marginalized populations. When these are adequately answered for, violence and extremist ideologies will be irrelevant, even to the most ardent of rebel fighters.

I have always had a small doubt about the relevance and importance of working on this topic in Mindanao, particularly in the Bangsamoro. This recognition erases that. Nothing but gratitude to the jury and TAP founder @saraterry13. This may not equate to a financial reward (yet!), but for a project that has been self-funded for years this is a huge boost.

@sweeneesajili definitely helped set a clearer direction with the sleepless writing nights approaching the deadline. Many thanks too to everyone I bug for proposal review, especially those for this most recent cycle: @elsija, @vjvillafranca, @ronin.bautista, @ciaravenezia, @villanuevapau. And my hosts @jaiijamm, Nam Ambor, @lakbaynidah, @hanaanaxx ++!!

Please read more about the project here: https://theaftermathproject.org/project/children-lake-rebirth

Tondo, Manila Children play near the wake of two

Tondo, Manila

Children play near the wake of two of their uncles, the latest and hopefully some of the last killings in Duterte's Drug War.

Side notes while on a recent assignment for the @washingtonpost with @byreginecabato

#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #reportagespotlight #onassignment #everydaysocialjustice #everydayimpunity #duterte

Did someone just say you’ll get kidnapped when y

Did someone just say you’ll get kidnapped when you go to Mindanao??? If she meant its rich heritage will take your breath away, I definitely agree.

Here’s Tawi-tawi (taken 2021) for starters:

#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #wtnadventures @wtn_wheretonext @sonyalpha @sonyphinc #SonyA9 #everydaymindanao #bangsamoro #tawitawi #mindanao

A vessel of hope. In the past six years we have a

A vessel of hope.

In the past six years we have all witnessed how hate became the primary driver for political shifts (deterioration, actually) around the world. In the Philippines, @bise_leni ’s Presidential run pierces against this trend.

Her campaign culminated last night in Makati City with a sub million-strong crowd rally. In the weeks leading to this moment, volunteers from all social classes invested time and resources to push VP Leni Robredo’s message of hope to the narrowest of streets and the farthest of mountains.

The Filipino votes on Monday, May 9. Robredo is facing nine male candidates for the Presidency, with the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., ‘Bongbong’ leading surveys.

Favorable results or not, may this contagious hope never wane.

As the song titled ‘Rosas’ written by @nicadelrosario in a first-person voice goes, “hindi ako magpapahinga hanggang hindi mo pa magawang muling ipagmalaki na ika’y isang Pilipino (I will not rest until the moment you can once more proudly say you are Filipino).”

All images by Martin San Diego

#everydayphilippines #everydayeverywhere #everydayasia #ipanalona10to #lenirobredo #halalan2022 #eleksyon2022 #phvote @sonyphinc @everydaysocialjustice @aicadioquino #wtn_wheretonext #wtnadventures @support.photojournalism

Here's a little Ramadan story from Morocco: It

Here's a little Ramadan story from Morocco:

It was around seven in the evening and I was wandering aimlessly in the city of Fes when a man stopped me and handed a croissant (a kouign-amann says the internet). I then remembered it was just time for Iftar, when Muslims break their 14 plus hours of fasting with a huge meal, often with others right after sunset.

I haven't even taken a bite when he gave me another round-shaped pastry, and poured me a mug of milk.

The man in orange vest was Abdou, he is a security guard at the corner building which I was passing by when he invited me to share the meal. With him were Suleiman and Dreiz. They all spoke French, not Arabic. While trying my best at the Asian squat, we conversed through Google Translate. They asked where I was from and who I was with, I asked what they do and why they were at that corner. We laughed and pretended to understand what each other was saying.

Ramadan and Iftar in a nutshell, rather, a humble corner.

Eid Mubarak to all!

City of Fes, Morocco, 2022

#eidmubarak #ramadan #iftar #everydayafrica #everydayeverywhere #morocco #fes @everydayafrica @everydayeverywhere @sonyphinc @wtn_wheretonext #sonyalpha #wtnadventures #bealpha

Faded lines between old and new, race, language, r

Faded lines between old and new, race, language, religion, and geography.

Morocco, 2022

#everydayafrica @everydayafrica #Everydayeverywhere @everydayeverywhere #Morocco #marrakech #chefchaouen #ramadan @sonyphinc @sonyalpha #wtnadventures @wtn_wheretonext #streetdreamsmag #yourshotphotographer #EverydaySocialJustice #capturestreets #ReportageSpotlight

The crowd here at the @bise_leni Robredo-Kiko Pang

The crowd here at the @bise_leni Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan campaign rally in Pasig City as of 4:15pm.

Images by Martin San Diego

Maligayang araw ng mga pusa! @sweeneesajili + @pa

Maligayang araw ng mga pusa!

@sweeneesajili + @pandakot

#valentines #cats

Closed the year of January with friends, the sea,

Closed the year of January with friends, the sea, smoked salmon, and a shooting star.

@sweeneesajili @adibonts @juricuuuh @ciaravenezia @kevinprudon (plus @pandakot )

Underwater images made with @sonyphinc A7RIII inside a @seafrogs.com.hk housing

#everydayphilippines #everydayeverywhere #zambales #anawangin #underwater @wtn_wheretonext #wtnadventures @sinopinas #seafrogs

The first hours of 2022, sans context

The first hours of 2022, sans context

Indigenous Mangyan and Rangers protecting the Phil

Indigenous Mangyan and Rangers protecting the Philippine Tamaraw cross this bridge to transport goods and reach their patrolling stations daily. During the rainy season, the river below rages and makes crossing deadly.

Over the years, the Apton Hanging Footbridge, located within Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park in Mindoro has been deteriorating causing dangers to the lives of the people who need access to it everyday.

@phparksandbiodiversity is raising Php 50,000 to repair this bridge essential to the protection of the Tamaraw and the livelihood of the Mangyan in this part of Mindoro.

I've personally crossed this bridge twice and it's... not fun.

To donate, please head over to bit.ly/bridgerepair2021

@wtn_wheretonext @ecoexplorations #everydayphilippines #wtn_adventures #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere @sonyphinc

Honored to share that this image is part of a glob

Honored to share that this image is part of a global exhibit and NFT collection by The British Journal of Photography @bjp1854 , Edition365: a portrait of the year that changed everything.

All the images in the exhibit were created between 11 March 2020, when the World Health Organization officially announced a global pandemic, and 10 March 2021. 365 days in 365 artworks from around the world.

See the virtual exhibit: https://newart.city/show/edition-365/
Own the NFTs: https://opensea.io/collection/edition365/

In this photo is @jjvbesa, an Internal Medicine resident at the Philippine General Hospital, on his way to the COVID-19 wards in the early days of the pandemic.

Drove the fam to Batangas for their first sun and

Drove the fam to Batangas for their first sun and sea (a lake, actually) since the pandemic began.

For two straight days, we saw a bright glimpse of

For two straight days, we saw a bright glimpse of the future the Philippines might just get. And strong women definitely are in it.

@maria_ressa @bise_leni

Maria Ressa photos from her 2019 arrest; Leni Robredo photos from her 2016 post-election thanksgiving

On the night before Metro Manila imposes its stric

On the night before Metro Manila imposes its strictest lockdown measures since May of 2020, hundreds showed up at the Quezon City Hall in the hopes of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The night was designated for office workers, but many, without appointments still lined up only to be told to go home.

The rush, officers on the ground say, might have been fueled by a rumored police order that unvaccinated individuals will be barred from leaving their homes, and a threat that those who refuse to get inoculated will be arrested. Both came straight from the mouth of President Rodrigo Duterte.

#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #covid19 #reportagespotlight #onassignment

Tawi-tawi is all the bits of Mindanao we were neve

Tawi-tawi is all the bits of Mindanao we were never told about. Overshadowed by the narrative of armed conflict in nearby islands, this gem has so much stories to add on how we define what and who is the 'Filipino'. ⁣⁣
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@sweeneesajili and I were fortunate to witness the Tausug wedding of Farhaina (@imhaina1819) and Aljie while we were there a few weeks back. The simple yet vibrant union speaks volumes on what we do not know about the Philippines. ⁣⁣
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#EverydayPhilippines #everydaybangsamoro #everydaymindanao #everydayasia #Everydayeverywhere #wtnadventures @wtn_wheretonext #SinoPinas @sinopinas #ReportageSpotlight #SonyAlphaA9 @sonyphinc #tawitawi @everydayeverywhere @everydayphilippines #yourshotphotographer

Today marks World Refugee Day. Around the globe, 8

Today marks World Refugee Day. Around the globe, 82.4 Million individuals are displaced mainly due to conflict, violence, and persecution.⁣
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In Southern Philippines, decades of armed conflict and displacement mark the lives of many. There, over 267,000 are currently internally displaced. Some continue to be forced to leave their homes due to protracted and renewed conflicts, while a number of communities have been able to return and rebuild their lives, showing glimpses of resilience and hope.⁣
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The @unhcrph has been catalytic in these communities’ path to healing and growth. ⁣
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Two months ago, we visited communities of displaced in Maguindanao and saw how they have become empowered to weave their way to a brighter future.⁣
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#EverydayPhilippines #EverydayEverywhere #EverydayAsia #EverydayRefugees #EverydaySocialJustice #OnAssignment #ReportageSpotlight @sonyphinc

Happy Independence(?) Day, Philippines! Get this

Happy Independence(?) Day, Philippines!

Get this print via @shelterfund. Link on bio.

#independenceday #everydayphilippines #EverydayEverywhere #everydayasia

Made a quick visit to Marawi City last December 20

Made a quick visit to Marawi City last December 2020 to see how everyone's doing (and to escape Manila pandemic stress).⁣
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Met old friends and earned new ones.⁣
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Today we mark the fourth year when the Marawi Siege erupted. Some buildings and roads may have been rebuilt (as you probably have seen from government pages and @jeffcanoy ), but tens of thousands still can't go home. Researchers and peace advocates fear the 'rehabilitation' will only give birth to a myriad of problems if selfish interests prevail.⁣
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#everydayphilippines #everydayeverywhere #everydayasia #MarawiCity #reportagespotlight #everydaysocialjustice #SonyAlphaA9 #SonyA9 @sonyphinc

Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends! And for everyon

Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends!

And for everyone else, let's all take the time to understand the conflict happening between Palestine and Israel at the moment. It's one of the saddest legacies of colonizers.

Just because we're Catholics doesn't mean we have to cheer for Israel 😉

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Images from Ramadhan and Eid 2020, taken with support from @insidenatgeo

#eidmubarak #everydayphilippines #freepalestine #everydaysocialjustice #reportagespotlight

Drove my mom and her best friend to a nearby vacci

Drove my mom and her best friend to a nearby vaccination site and thought, might as well take photos 😆

They lined up for a total of 3 hours, went through 5 stations/interviews, and were given their first dose of Sinovac.

The process felt disorganized and primitive as expected, but vaxx is vaxx.

This assignment got me biking (well, for a few day

This assignment got me biking (well, for a few days).⁣
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Cycling has definitely transformed Manila streets a lot in less than a year. ⁣
As COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surge to its highest numbers, it has become the only means for many to continue working, and for some, to keep their sanity. ⁣
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My latest with @reginecabato on @washingtonpost : Filipinos are cycling their way through the pandemic

Lovely edit by @olivierclaurent

Link on bio

#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #everydaysocialjustice #reportagespotlight #sonyph @sonyphinc @sony #spicollective #wtn_wheretonext #sinopinas #nativphotograph #cycling #biking

I often lose track of time facing my desktop all d

I often lose track of time facing my desktop all day throughout this pandemic. How do I know the day’s ending? Clock? No. Rooster? No. When our toddler neighbor starts running and screaming, it signals the sun is setting.

Today, he “washed” my car.

"It was to please my mom."⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That was @

"It was to please my mom."⁣⁣
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That was @dokjonas' answer when I asked his reason for becoming a doctor towards the end of our interview.⁣⁣
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The youngest of four children, Dr. Jonas Del Rosario was his mother’s last hope of having a doctor in the family. He did not want to go into medicine, but decided to follow his mother’s wishes.⁣⁣
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Both Dr. Jonas' parents died of COVID-19 in the middle of 2020, while he himself was confined due to the disease.⁣⁣
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Since then, he became a rare voice of trust in the pandemic-battered Philippines with his work as the spokesperson of the Philippine General Hospital, one of the country’s largest medical institutions.⁣⁣
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@anthesguerra writes "in a country where faith in the government’s response has taken a hit, Del Rosario’s personal story of loss combined with his public health credentials have turned him into a rare figure of trust.⁣⁣
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Read on VICE: The Tragic Journey of a Public Health Hero in the Philippines⁣⁣
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#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #onassignment #reportagespotlight #covid19 #coronavirus @sonyphinc @sony #SonyAlphaA9 #SonyA9 #frontliners

Reminding everyone of a time well before social di

Reminding everyone of a time well before social distancing 🥳⁣⁣
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Photos from 2018: Devotees take part in the Traslacion, a day-long procession around the streets of Manila that culminates the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The event draws millions of faithfuls and curious kids, making it the largest religious festival in Southeast Asia. ⁣⁣
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This part of the feast has been cancelled for 2021 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. ⁣⁣
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#Traslacion2021⁣
#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #everydaysocialjustice #yourshotphotographer #reportagespotlight #sonyph @sonyphinc @sony #spicollective #wtn_wheretonext #sinopinas #nativphotograph

At the beginning of the coronavirus lockdowns, I t

At the beginning of the coronavirus lockdowns, I told @anaallsaints only journalism will keep us sane and afloat in the months to come. True enough, 2020 became my most productive year in pursuing stories.⁣⁣
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From the Feast of the Black Nazarene with @vice, to the Taal Eruption (my first @washingtonpost coverage!), to my first @natgeo grant, to telling stories differently with @reginecabato, it would be a lie to say this year was only unkind to me. It was in some regards, but the circumstances led me to do more of what I always wanted to be doing, pursuing stories.⁣⁣
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I have nothing but gratitude to all the editors for the trust this year. @olivierclaurent @shibanimahtani @natashya_g @glendamgloria @bethfron @theresereyes @jessonduty @yannickspics @sonnythakur @donjaucian SALAMAT.⁣⁣
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AND senpai @vjvillafranca for the guidance. ⁣
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Not in the images but equally thankful for projects with @harrisguevarra @thekafter2mrw @jamiesuperable @colanievera @happytummytravels <3⁣⁣
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Yun na. Will keep it short!⁣⁣
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Looking forward to a better 2021 with everyone <3

Grateful to @worldpressphoto for sharing my work o

Grateful to @worldpressphoto for sharing my work on their platform. Thanks too to @elsija and @angkorphotofest ❤️⁣
• • • • • •⁣ #repost
1. Arlyn Jawad-Jumao As in her clinic. She grew up watching military operations as a kid in the 70s. Her father died in an explosion from a rebel landmine in 1977. ⁣⁣Arlyn now runs her own clinic. Among her regular patients are children, wives, and rebels.⁣⁣⁣⁣
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2. An assessment found 93% of the young in one community in Basilan were under different degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the war.⁣⁣ Everywhere they went the “stories of children are heartbreaking,” Arlyn said.⁣⁣
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3. Art therapy was held where children sketched their pasts and the future they wanted. Bombed schools were rebuilt and repainted. A tree was planted where three children died from an explosion.⁣⁣⁣⁣
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4. The community of Basilan. Basilan has seen the ravages of war but is now crafting a new reality.⁣⁣
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Images by Martin San Diego (@martinsandiego).⁣⁣
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Basilan Island is in the Muslim-majority region in Southern Philippines.⁣⁣⁣ The island has a long history of rebellion calling for self-rule. Since the 70s, the military battled to suppress rebel forces.⁣ ⁣Civilians, soldiers, and rebels all lost comrades and family. More government forces were deployed, while orphaned youth from the hinterlands fought for rebels.⁣ Peace deals were signed, but the violence remained and the conflict dragged on.⁣⁣⁣ This is the story of a doctor who stayed and helped heal her homeland.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Martin San Diego is a Filipino documentary photographer, alumni at @angkorphotofest, member of @diversifyphoto, and a @natgeo grantee.⁣ His work traces the intersection between social justice and history, particularly in the context of Filipino-Muslims in southern Philippines.⁣⁣
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The #WPPh2021 Photo Contest and Digital Storytelling Contest are open for entries! The contests are free to enter and open to all professional visual journalists around the world. See the link in the bio to find out about how to enter, categories, and prizes.⁣

Each time we check, 2020 just becomes more and mor

Each time we check, 2020 just becomes more and more dreadful than the years before. Just a few days ago, a policeman killed an unarmed elderly woman and her son, on video. A few weeks ago, a trio of Super Typhoons ravaged through northern Philippines. Oh, and there's that pandemic.⁣
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This Friday, Christmas will inevitably have to come to Christmas-obsessed Philippines. Will it reverse the curse that is 2020? @reginecabato and I went around the metro to see how it'll be. ⁣
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Regine writes: Christmas resonates with Filipinos because of its concepts of blessings and gift-giving, said Sapitula, the sociologist. But this year, many are in "survival mode."⁣
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"Blessings now will be, 'We're still here . . . We're still together, even if life is hard,' " he said. "Now we don't have enough — but we're still here."⁣
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On the @washingtonpost: Filipinos go the whole hog at Christmas. But coronavirus is crimping a yuletide tradition⁣

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Thank you for this year @olivierclaurent @shibani
And @reginecabato !
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#everydayphilippines #everydayasia #everydayeverywhere #onassignment #reportagespotlight #christmas #filipino #philippines

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