ROOFLESS SHELTER Typhoon “Pablo” victims, like this woman, have taken shelter in a roofless classroom in San Antonio Elementary School in the devastated town of Cateel. KARLOS MANLUPIG/INQUIRER MINDANAO
It’s not too late to make the thousands of victims of Typhoon “Pablo” in Mindanao happy this holiday season. Buy a painting and lend them a hand in the process.
Outstanding Filipino visual artists from the Intramuros Visual Artist of the Philippines (Ivap) have joined hands to stage an art exhibit dubbed “Handog” at historic Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila, for the benefit of families in Compostela Valley devastated by the killer typhoon.
“The holidays are upon us. Ivap aspires to bring comfort and hope to the families affected by the tragedy through our personal contributions,” Nemi Miranda, the group’s president, said in a statement.
Launched on Friday, the “for-a-cause” art exhibit will run until Jan. 7 at the newly restored Intramuros Visitors’ Center in Fort Santiago in coordination with the Intramuros Administration (IA) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Miranda urged the public, especially art enthusiasts, hobbyists and art collectors, to buy artworks from a vast collection of Ivap’s masterpieces at the exhibit, which would be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The works of Pancho Piano, Al Perez, Albert Magsumbol, Roger Fulgado, William Alcantara, Nestor Villarosa, Macoy Solano, Paner Antohin, Jericho Oliveros, Paeng Pacheco, Danny Sola, Ed Parucho, Pen Medina, Ernie Patricio, Ernie Velasquez, Rosalinda Roman, Adel Agubang, Sophia Viola, Jana Mendoza, among others, will be available there.
At least 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated through the Philippine Red Cross to the typhoon victims, particularly in Compostela Valley, one of the worst-hit areas in Mindanao.
“All of us could be heroes. Through our own means, we could demonstrate our love for the country and for our fellow Filipinos. That is why the members of the Ivap did not think twice to offer the proceeds of the art exhibit to those who have been distressed by Typhoon Pablo,” Miranda said.
The Ivap stages monthly art exhibits at Fort Santiago to help the IA, the agency that manages the restoration and maintenance of the historic district, in its bid to transform the Walled City into an “artists’ haven.”
Last month, the IA launched the first “Intramuros Arts Festival” as part of the agency’s continuing program to preserve and restore the centuries-old fortress, which served as the seat of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines for more than 300 years.
IA chief Jose Capistrano Jr. earlier explained that developing Intramuros as a sanctuary for artists and artisans was one way to draw more tourists to the walled district and to help boost and support the country’s arts and culture.
Japanese donation
On Christmas Eve, a group of expatriates employed by Nakayama Technology Corp. (NTC), a Japanese manufacturing company based in Digos City, distributed 6,000 packs of relief goods to typhoon victims in New Bataan in the hard-hit Compostela Valley.
“We had visited the devastated village of Andap last Dec. 21 and were struck by how the massive destruction was and how pitiful the condition of the people is, so we decided to return today,” said Akihiro Ushimaru, NTC executive vice president.
The Philippines, he said, was among the first nations to condole with Japan when his country was rocked last year by a 9.0-magnitude quake and a massive tsunami that left over 23,000 of his countrymen dead or missing.
Ushimaru said two of his employees—Mitsuo Saito and Yokoyama Kazushi—were directly affected by that calamity. “They also understood what the (typhoon) victims are enduring now,” he said.
Aside from handing out relief goods, Ushimaru said his company was opening its doors to typhoon victims who would like to work for them. Slots for 400 factory workers are open for qualified male residents in Pablo-ravaged areas in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley, he said. With a report from Frinston L. Lim, Inquirer Mindanao