PANAGBENGA PAINTING COMPETITION IS A PATH TO BECOMING AN ARTIST

February 15, 2025 Provincial

BAGUIO CITY

The annual painting competition and exhibition conducted by the Panagbenga Festival under the activity ‘Handog ng
Panagbenga sa Pamilya sa Baguio’ is a way to shape aspiring artists. With the theme “Blossoms Beyond Boundaries,”
participants will once again showcase their skills in painting in the open painting competition and exhibition held at the Melvin Jones Football ground, Burnham Park, Baguio City, on February 9.

The painting competition includes 20 slots for amateur; 20 slots for professional and 24 for family category, while 24 for non-competing and 24 for guest. “We have limited it now, because there are prizes attached to the competition,
which for an amateur is P5,000; for a professional is P10,000 and for a family is P15,000. Their paintings must be
creative, because Baguio is known as the Creative City,” said Vangie Payno, chief of staff of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFI), According to Payno, this year they limited the number of canvas paintings to 102,
compared to previous years which reached 200 canvases, because only pure Baguio residents can participate and the
completed paintings will be included in the grand parade celebration on February 22.

The “Handog ng Panagbenga sa Pamilya Baguio” is one of the traditional major events of the Panagbenga Festival offered by the BFFFI for residents to participate in their talents in the field of art painting. Payno added that the goal of BFFFI is to encourage artists in the city to showcase their talent in the Cultural Heritage and beauty of the Cordillera through painting. One of the participants was the professional artist Tatay Santiago, 63, of Barangay San Luis and the oldest participant in the competition under the professional category.

He first participated in the Panagbenga painting contest in 2023 and has been participating ever since. “This is my third time! It’s really institutional, when there is Panagbenga, Art is promoted and it’s a great help to amateurs to be able to show their masterpieces to the public,” said Tatay Santiago. With the talent displayed by Tatay Santiago, the art and culture of Baguio continues to flourish, proving that age is not a barrier to creating a colorful world of art. Also participating in the painting as guests are Mayor Benjamin Magalong, with his wife Arlene Magalong; DoT Cordillera Director Jovi Ganongan; PIA Regional Director Helen Tibaldo and renowned professional artists in the city.

Zaldy Comanda/ABN