The 2013 ManilART Show

by 360journals October 16, 2013 in Exhibits 0 comments tags: Art, ManilArt Show, NCCA, SM Aura, SMX, Taguig
At its 5th year, ManilART is positioned to be the definitive visual art event in the Philippines — indeed the hottest contemporary art fair in the country. ManilART 2013 is at once the venue to support new talent, celebrate icons, and advance art appreciation into the cultural mainstream. Organized by the Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (BAGO) and supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), ManilART 2013 will showcase Philippine contemporary art through exhibitions of the country’s finest galleries, as well as forums, workshops, and various activities for aficionados, artists, collectors, and investors. Last year’s attendance of more than 40 art galleries, 500 artists, 11,000 guests, and 1,400 artworks on display fulfills ManilART’s thrust to be the premier international art fair in the country. But it propels the goal even further. The event was slated from October 9 to 13, 2013 at a brand-new stage, the recently opened SMX Aura Convention Center in Taguig City, a more urbane location worthy of carrying the best in Filipino art. – Text from http://www.manilart.com If you missed the show or simply want to re-live some of the scenes, just click the image below for the virtual tour. Scenes at the […]

Heritage Month: Capul Island

by 360journals August 18, 2013 in Heritage 0 comments tags: Acapulco Beach, Capul Island, Catarman, Heritage Month, Heritage Month 2013, Laoang, Laoang Island, lighthouse, NCCA, Northern Samar, Rawis, Saluka Festival, St. Ignacio de Loyola, St. Michael Parish, Taoid
It was a rainy weather as we landed in Catarman Airport in Northern Samar; the hour-long flight aboard PAL Express’ Q400 turboprop was marred by occasional turbulence as we pierced through dark clouds along the flight path. Flying at 20,000 feet, the lower altitude provided some nice views of the terrain below us. But for almost the entire duration, this being a 5:30AM flight, the cabin was in silence, passengers only began to stirred as the aircraft wheels touch down on the runway. After a hearty lunch, the group took to Brgy. Rawis, an hourly ride from Catarman across rice fields and sandy shores, into Laoang Island, the site of NCCA’s technical assessment of the different structures for possible heritage declaration. Laoang Island is accessible by a 10-minute banca ride; these small outrigger boats are the inhabitant’s main transportation in crossing the 300 meter channel that separates it from the main land. A bridge was suppose to be build, but due to lack of funds, it was never started; nevertheless, this has given locals the opportunity to earn income from ferrying people and goods alike. First stop was St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church – built in the 17th century […]

Heritage Month: Cebu

by 360journals June 22, 2013 in Heritage 0 comments tags: Bradford Chapel, Cebu, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, City Hall, Crown Regency, Gabii sa Kabilin, Heritage Month, NCCA, TAOID 2013
Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) opened in Cebu as part of the celebration for Heritage Month 2013 at the Bradford Chapel, which will be celebrating its centennial year. Supported by the NCCA and attended by heads of the difference cultural agencies of the country, a simple song and solemn prayer ceremony followed by the actual tours of some of the heritage sites around Cebu City. A photo exhibit was also opened at the Cebu City Hall and a grand reception conducted at the courtyard of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Museum. Spearheaded by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. and inspired by the long night of the museum in Germany and other European countries, Gabii sa Kabilin aims to encourage the public to visit museums and understand their position as a venue for cultural understanding. Gabii sa Kabilin began on May 25,2007 with four Cebu City Museums—Casa Gorodo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Basilica del Santo Niño Museum and Fort San Pedro. Since 2009, the number of participating museums has grew to include other notable heritage sites of Cebu and Mactan. Bradford Chapel Opening Cebu City Hall Photo Exhibit Facade of Cebu City Hall at Night Cebu Cathedral at Night Interior […]

Heritage Month: Sarangani

by 360journals June 15, 2013 in Heritage 0 comments tags: B'laan, Heritage Month, Lake Sebu, Lamlifew, NCCA, Sarangani, T'boli, TAOID 2013
The celebration for Heritage Month 2013 continues, this time at Sarangani, hometown of Manny Pacquiao and in time for the Sarangani Bay Festival (popularly called Sarbay). Echo Rosales lead the opening of the celebration by accepting as NCCA’s Heritage Ambassador in a press conference held at the Roadhaus Hotel. We also visited the B’laan village of Lamlifew, a living tradition museum where children dressed in traditional wear danced to age-long music. Saw first hand how B’laan tapestry and other handicrafts were being made; and finally tasted some of the native foods of the tribe. The serene Lake Sebu in was our last destination the following day. Lake Sebu is a natural lake located in the municipality of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato and within the Alah Valley region. The Philippine government has recognized it as one of the country’s most important watersheds; it is one of the many bodies of water supplying important irrigation to the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato. Home to the T’boli and Ubo tribes where the land surrounding the lake was awarded to them under the ancestral domain, the lake is being promoted as one of the prime eco-tourism destinations in the municipality. Portions of […]

Heritage Month: Tam-awan Village

by 360journals June 06, 2013 in Heritage 0 comments tags: Arts, Baguio, Heritage Month, NCCA, Tam-awan Village, TAOID 2013
Tam-awan Village in Baguio became the site for the celebration of Heritage Month last May 17, 2013 spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Located in Pinsao Proper, Baguio City the village uniquely blends indigenous aesthetics and exquisite Cordilleran craftsmanship with an artist’s concept for a village adapting to Baguio setting. Chanum Foundation, Inc., founded in 1998, began to reconstruct Ifugao houses in Baguio with the view of making a model village accessible to people who have not had the chance to travel to the Cordillera interior. On a land near an abundant spring, the foundation started out with three knocked-down huts transported from Bangaan, Ifugao. Tam-awan village now has seven Ifugao huts and two Kalinga houses. Using the original materials and adding only new cogon roofs, traditional artisans reconstructed the houses and laid them out resembling the design of a traditional Cordillera Village. The huts in Tam-awan Village are named after the areas where they come from. From Ifugao, we have the Bangaan Hut, Anaba Hut, Batad Hut, Dukligan Hut, Kinakin Hut, and Nagor Hut. Our Kalinga huts are from Luccong and Bugnay. Except for Bugnay Hut, which serves as one of the village’s galleries, […]

Romblon’s Heritage

by 360journals May 30, 2012 in Heritage 1 comments tags: Fort San Andres, NCCA, Romblon, Sibuyan, St. Joseph Cathedral
The roosters here have no sense of time. Jotted awake at 4am by one cockcrow, it quickly became a chain reaction as the rest of the birds followed, seemingly taunting you to go back to sleep, but my mind had already become active with the day’s thoughts and foremost of which was to murder some fowls. Located some 260km south of Manila, the province of Romblon comprises 3 main islands – Tablas, Romblon and Sibuyan plus four other small island municipalities of Banton, Simara, Maestro de Campo and Carabao Island (touted as the next Boracay). Contrary to popular perceptions, getting to Romblon is relatively easy. Zestair has a thrice a week flight that lands in Tablas Island from the domestic airport in Manila; while the more adventurous can take the cheaper overnight Montenegro ferries that ply the Batangas-Sibuyan route. Once in the provincial capital, smaller ships and numerous bancas are available to other island destinations. Hotel accommodations in the town are currently limited to a few four story buildings, but numerous seaside resorts abound. Apart from boats, principal means of transportation around the island is via motorcycles, mostly 2-wheels for families and 3-wheels for public conveyance. Known as the marble […]