‘Belen’ takes center stage in Tarlac
NATIVITY SCENE The “belen” (Nativity scene) at Tarlac City Plazuela is made of different recyclable materials.
MONCADA, Tarlac—On Friday night, Michael Quimosing, 30, made P2,000 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. by selling boiled yellow corn beside a giant “belen” (Nativity scene) on the Manila North Road (MNR) here.
Every night since Oct. 31, hordes of people, including tourists and motorists, have been flocking to the huge lighted display here to take pictures with the giant figures in the tableau.
“Business had been good since the belen opened,” said Quimosing of Victoria town.
“I am proud that this project was able to help poor people, especially in the small towns of Ramos, Anao and San Clemente,” said former Board Member Amado Go, a director of Tarlac Heritage Foundation Inc. (THFI), a nongovernment organization founded by President Aquino’s aunt, Isabel Cojuangco Suntay.
Aside from spurring economic activities in the different Tarlac towns, the belen has been making people happy without having to spend much, Go said.
“Now, people have somewhere to go and something to see and enjoy at night in their towns. At the same time, the belen makes them feel the spirit of Christmas,” he said.
The THFI launched “belenismo”—the art of making Nativity scenes—in Tarlac in 2007, to showcase talents of local artists and to spread the spirit of Christmas in their communities.
The belen are displayed in front of town halls, churches and establishments for 60 days until the first Sunday of January. This year, at least 50 of the more than 100 belen in the province are participating in the contest.
“The project is not just about making belen. We require artists to use indigenous and recyclable materials as our way of helping address our growing garbage problem,” Go said.
This year’s entry of SM Tarlac, for instance, used more than 10,000 plastic bottles to build its dandelion-inspired Nativity scene.
The bottles were painted with different colors to create a rainbow effect, especially when lighted at night.
“Tarlac was just reeling from the devastation of Typhoon ‘Lando’ (international name: Koppu), and coming up with the rainbow somehow gave them hope. Every time people pass by and see the belen, they are somehow relieved of the pain and burden they went through when the typhoon struck,” said Elmer Ulanday, SM Tarlac marketing manager.
Artist Ramil Tongoy, the designer of Moncada town’s belen, said his biggest challenge this year was how to keep the crowd safe from vehicles passing through the MNR.
“The area given to me this year is too close to the highway. Aside from people crowding the façade of the display, there are also people crossing the road,” he said.
To address the problem, Tongoy built a wide space in the tableau, allowing more people to move freely within the 9-meter by 21-meter area and preventing the crowding of its façade. He also kept the giant figures far apart so people can take pictures with each of these easily.
Final judging of the belen was conducted on Nov. 14 and the winners would be announced on Dec. 28. Go said after eight years of belenismo in the province, participants have realized that winning the contest was no longer important.
