WINNERS OF BELENISMO SA TARLAC

"Belenismo sa Tarlac"-- The Art of Making Belen, a project highlighted by a province-wide competition that aims to showcase the artistic, social and religious significance of the belen, the symbol of Christ’s birth, through different categories has announced its winners!

The Belenisimo sa Tarlac 2008 winners were:

Grand Category (non-municipal division)

1st place Philippine National Police-Tarlac Police Provincial Office

2nd place Our Lady of Remedios Parish; and

3rd place Asiaten Hotel

The towering Christmas tree of the PNP-PPO with neon colored lights lit up the PNP’s Belen creation of indigenous materials such as dayami, bamboo, bamboo twigs, and talahib, all of which were gathered by the men and women of their police force from the 17 municipalities and lone city of Tarlac.

The bonsai angel used in their display was painstakingly cultivated by their Police Provincial Director, Senior Supt Rudy G. Lacadin. The huge star atop the Christmas tree was made in Gerona, symbolizing “God the Father,” keeping watch our beloved province of Tarlac.

DIORAMA CATEGORY:

Albert Dancel (1st place) for his miniature recreation of an eclectic pahiyas depicting thanksgiving for bountiful providence.

Ramon Espinosa (2nd place); and

USST (3rd place) who depicted unique floating belens in the pristine waterfalls.

MONUMENTAL CATEGORY:

Nay’s House (1st place)

Social Security System (2nd place)

Coco Grill Express-TSU (3rd place)

La Maja Rica Hotel (4th place); and

Magic Star Mall (5th place).

GRAND MUNICIPAL CATEGORY:

The Municipality of Victoria (1st Place)

Pura (2nd place)
Capas (3rd place)
San Manuel (4th place)
Moncada (5th place); and
San Clemente (6th place).

Victoria' Pasko sa Nayon was a spectacular live reenactment of how we Filipinos celebrate Christmas. It was presented with a unique historical Spanish ancestral theme reminiscent of Pinoy Christmas.

According to Tarlac’s beaming Gov. Victor Yap (who was named after Victoria town’s namesake), Belenismo in Victoria defines the local people’s way of life, an expression of their resiliency and humility and their simplicity of life in an agricultural community. Amid the trials and poverty, Pasko sa Nayon is an expression of thanksgiving to the Lord — a testimony that whatever comes, Filipino families are always grateful for providence.

The festive awards night of Belenismo 2008 coincided with the inauguration of the Maria Cristina Park on Romulo Boulevard in Tarlac City. The judges were unanimous in sharing the difficulty of determining the best because each belen was uniquely beautiful, utilizing various materials such as wood, cloth, cardboard, resin, abaca, old bottles, roofing sheets and plastic recycled from previous fiestas, corn husks, banana stalks, plastic capiz, and even old X-ray films from the nearby hospital! :)

Proudly pinoy, proudly Tarlac-made. Parang ako. (just like me)

Who Won Belenismo sa Tarlac 2008?

Here in Tarlac where I hail from, just a three-hour drive from Manila, the Art of Belen-Making is an ode, a loving testimony to the universal truth that Jesus was born so we would live. Belenismo sa Tarlac, now on its second year, is a Department of Tourism (DOT)- calendared event that started last year.

Belenismo in Spanish means the art of making Belen, a representation of the Nativity scene in which the Holy Family (Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus) is visited by the three wise men who came to the manger through the guidance of a star.

“Belenismo sa Tarlac”, a project to transform the province of Tarlac to “Belen Capital” of the Philippines was launced by Isabel Cojuangco-Suntay, sister of former Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., president of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation.

The project was conceptualized to help create an annual tourist attraction for Tarlac, develop a Belen-related cottage industry and, of course, preserve the religious importance of remembering the birth of Jesus Christ,” said Bautista Winners will be chosen in 5 categories --

personal, grand, monumental, municipal and diorama.

In the “personal” and “diorama” (closed Belen with three sides) categories, entries will be transported to the judging site and submitted by individuals.

In the “monumental” category, entries were life-size, while entries in the “grand” category are at least three meters high.

In the “municipal” category, participated in exclusively by municipal governments, the entries are larger than life-size.

The Belen Festival began in September 2007, with the first Belen-making workshop to Dec. 16. Sen. Loren Legarda led the awarding of 16 winners in 5 categories -- personal, grand, monumental, municipal and diorama. The Tarlac Police Office Belen, built by at least 24 policemen, won the first prize, Asiaten Hotel was second and restaurant Coconut Grill was third.

Last night, the Tarlac City Capitol staged an event featuring BrownMan Revival to commemorate "Belenismo sa Tarlac" which runs until January 6, 2009.

From the ones I've seen so far, the grandest and most creative would be the entry from the Asiaten Hotel seen along San Sebastian, Mc Arthur Hi-way Tarlac City. It features the nativity in all its' grandeur with a local twist using hundreds of ABANIKO fans, PAMAYPAY of all sizes, creatively stitched together into one awesome belen.

From a modern perspective, La Maja Rica Hotel's Belen tops the category featuring life size pictures of the nativity using metallic statues and modern costumes.

What do you think? Comments are welcome.