Pics: Over 300 boys undergo mass circumcision in the Philippines

In the Philippines circumcision is a tradition for boys who are just about to enter their teenage years. Uncircumcised boys often end up being teased by their peers but as these images show, the price of social acceptance is a painful one.  Circumcision is traditionally associated with Muslim and Jewish culture but the ritual of 'tuli' is common in the Philippines, where the majority of people are Roman Catholic. This week 300 boys began the traditional journey into adulthood in a single mass circumcision exercise at a school in Marikina City, east of the Filipino capital Manila. Afterwards they are encouraged to wear loose skirt-like clothing and in the local Tagalog language the swelling which follows the operation is known as pangangamatis, which translates as 'becoming like a tomato'.
More pictures after the cut

The World Health Organization reports estimates 30 to 33 per cent of men aged 15 or over are circumcised but in the Philippines the figure is 93 per cent.