Photos keep funds for poor students coming
UK-BASED Filipino photographer Yen Baet mounts an exhibit of her photographs to raise money for Holy Angel University’s scholarship fund. E.I. REYMOND T. OREJAS/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON
ANGELES CITY—All 30 photographs of United Kingdom-based Filipino photographer Yen Baet were sold out on her first exhibit in the Philippines, raising in one night P225,000 in tuition for poor students in Pampanga.
After the event’s opening at Holy Angel University here (HAU) on Saturday, Baet said she was ready to work with groups promoting education or tourism.
“I’m so happy about the turnout. This [exhibit] shows my amazing journey in photography. It’s my way of thanking, of doing something for the country,” she told the Inquirer.
She gave the proceeds of the photographs, coming in 20 inches by 30 inches and 10 inches by 15 inches, to the HAU scholarship fund, said Robby Tantingco, the school’s vice president for external affairs.
The self-taught Baet had won awards from the National Geographic and other prestigious organizations worldwide. Her subjects had been landmarks and people in Europe, the United States and Asia. She began with a point-and-shoot camera and, inspired by beautiful places in the United Kingdom, bought a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera to better capture images.
Baet said she relayed her initiative to support the education projects of her alma mater through the social networking site Facebook. “I didn’t think twice,” she said.
Tantingco said the exhibit led to other HAU alumni.
Ferdy Lapuz, producer of many award-winning independent films, said the proceeds of the Philippine premiere of “Bwakaw,” the country’s entry to the Oscars, would go to the same scholarship fund.
Oscar Balajadia, a graphic artist and painter who is teaching at the University of Macau, is set to mount an exhibit, also for the scholarship fund.
Apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda) of the Black Eyed Peas is among the graduates who support education programs. He funded a music library at HAU and a computer learning center in his native upland village Sapang Bato in Angeles City.
Hobbyists and students interacted with Baet during the opening, and she gave a single tip: “If you’re passionate about your art, nothing is impossible.”
“The exhibit may be a precedent. I can collaborate with other institutions. I would love to shoot Philippine travel sites,” she said. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
