The Baguio City High School arts and design students officially ended their four month apprenticeship under the Pasa-Kalye Arts Society Saturday and accepted under the group’s junior program during the Pasa-Kalye Teens Day at the Ibaloy Park.
Seventeen grade 12 students “graduated” under Pasa-Kalye teen program coordinator Sonya Oyam during the day long activity marked with an on the spot painting contest where the kids also won cash prizes.
A workshop on gongs and Cordillera dances was facilitated by Sherwin Libatique.
“Thank goodness I finally learned some ‘gangsa beating’ basic hands on. Worth all the sweat. I’m proud of myself,” said Gideon Omero, a Sabangan, Mountain Province native but who grew up in Baguio, who was also the event’s camp director.
“I will still be your mom. I enjoyed your stay with us,” said Oyam, who spent Friday afternoons with the kids after a brief sleep. She works as a call center agent until dawn.
Thirteen art works were up for display and judged by Roland Bay-an, Bayard Aquitania, Oliver Abuan, Salvador Cabrera, Gilbert Rafer and BCHS alumni Joseph Domirez, Jr. (1999) and Leonard Aguinaldo (1984). Aguinaldo is not linked with Pasa-Kalye but was invited to inspire his soon to be fellow BCHS alumni.
“Just paint and paint. Never give up,” said Bay-an in his brief message to the youngsters during the awards ceremony late in the afternoon whose message touched on hit and miss and never giving up.
It was a fruitful five months apprenticeship for the kids who spent the whole Friday painting or doing crafts.
Shiela May Aklin was named most promising young artist due to her much improved works as she also topped the painting contest.
Last September, Aklin, Jhett Valderama and Seth Arellano joined the National Police Commission on the spot painting contest. Valderama was also the most responsible student awardee.
The kids also became audience to the Kawiwit Storytelling Initiative who were in their scrubs-like uniform as Kulin Imperial, Janice Sueno and Cristina Nino narrated the story of the mother hen’s missing chicks, an original, and a Kalinga folklore. The stories were accompanied with props like dolls painstakingly handcrafted by the Kawiwit ladies. Kawiwit is an Iloko term meaning a child being held by a mother while walking.
“First because we are all mothers,” said Imperial. As the chief writer, she is Oris, while Sueno is Harpa and Nino is Kubbing.
It was a busy week for Pasa-Kalye with Tuesday’s launching of the 1 Nation: Apache Indians exhibit at the Old Baguio Boys in a sort of homecoming for the works. The venue is owned by two Baguio Apaches, the all Baguio boys club, dentist Vincent Go and security specialist Jojo Marrero. Nevada Square is woned by the Nevada family which has members, former councilor Elmo and Eduardo as part of the group. Thirteen art works of Roland Bay-an and Joseph Domirez, Jr. are on display.
Some 200 meters, at the Upper Session Road rotunda, a sculptor of an Apache astride a horse can be found.
On Sunday, the group joined the National Union of Journalist in the Philippines organized Wayawaya, a cry for press freedom and organized by the media group to help local journo Frank Cimatu who is facing libel charges from Department of Agriculture secretary Manuel Pino, also a journalist, over his Facebook post.
“This is our way of supporting Baguio as a creative city and the people, the artists, responsible for our city’s recognition,” said Pasa-Kalye president Maricar Docyogen. **PML
