Free registration for Pamulinawen Photo Experience

The City Government of Laoag and The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS), Inc. are inviting all photography enthusiasts from Ilocos Norte and other places to join the PAMULINAWEN PHOTO EXPERIENCE.

There will be a free seminar-workshop in the morning session of February 10, 2012 at the Laoag SP Session Hall and a festival photo shoot in the afternoon session during the street pageantry at Rizal Street.

Participants will have the chance to exhibit and enter their photos for the contest top 3 best pamulinawen photos. Certificate of completion, IDs or access pass to the festival site and trophies for the winners will be given out.

Limited slots only, so hurry sign up now! For further details and free registration please contact TIPS PRO Alaric Yanos at alaricxyz@yahoo.com or 09175682416 and TIPS President Dr. Edwin Antonio at antonioedwin@gmail.com or 09179189762.

TIPS veep’s photo on Lonely Planet

The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS) vice president Bryan Rapadas has been consistently covering festivals and events in Ilocandia and in out of town. He showcases his wonderful shots on his flickr site andreceives very positive response from the viewing public.

This time, one of his photos landed on the prestigious pages of the magazine Lonely Planet Philippines issue 8. His work depicted the Ati-atihan Festival of Kalibo Aklan. It is considered as the mother of all festivals in the country for it existed for the longest time.

His photo was taken in January 2011 when he, together with his colleagues from TIPS, covered the said exciting festival event in the Visayas region.

Another work by him has appeared on the Digital Photographer-UK magazine issue 115. He has covered the Masskara Festival of Bacolod City in Negros Oriental on October 2010. One of his colorful photos was published on the said magazine.

TIPS prexy receives a National Award

The alumni association for the Japanese cultural exchange program called Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) International Philippines (SIP), Inc., held its ceremony for SIP National Awards on November 12, 2011 during the Reunion on Board the Fuji Maru at Pier 13, Port of Manila. The said awards aims to recognize alumni members who make exemplary contributions to society.

One of the alumni is no less than Dr. Edwin V. Antonio, president of The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS). For his active membership to arts and cultural organizations and his outreach project made him bag the award Excellence in Arts and Culture.

The awards committee made the following citation:

”SSEAYP National Awardee for Arts and Culture

DR. EDWIN V. ANTONIO
Batch 2002

... “ To share my experiences in life, to help others hone their talents, to impart knowledge and art skills in visual arts to the less fortunate and to the young minds and to preserve, develop, promote culture through my blog and my work at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)”

Our Awardee is the Secretary, Executive Council (Execon) National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities, Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts (SCCTA), NCCA until Dec 2013. Their activities include among others Capability Building Seminars/Policy Making for the Cultural Communities/Participation in Indigenous Peoples events and activities. In this area, he has tapped blogging as a new media to reach more people in promoting the culture of Ilocandia. He is a cultural & travel blogger in the site www.ilocandiatreasures.com.

He is also the VICE-PRESIDENT, TAWID CULTURAL TROUPE – Ilocano cultural organization and presently, he is the PRESIDENT, THE ILOCANDIA PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY (TIPS), INC. It will warm your heart to know that the awardee is also the proponent and founder of KIDS ON PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY - a project that teaches cultural photography to kids in the orphanages.”

The award was handed in by SIP Board Chairman Yvette Ledesma and President Greg Alcera. Dr Antonio is so grateful and honored to receive the award and he dedicates it to his associations. It’s a validation of his efforts to promote the Philippine culture especially indigenous arts and culture.

TIPS officer wins Canon Photo Marathon

Canon Marketing Philippines held its annual event last year called Canon PhotoMarathon in the different regions of the country. One of them was in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur for the Northern Luzon group held on September 10, 2011.

Canon has the vision of building the Philippines as a country of ImageNation citizens. This photomarathon is a one-day photo contest that tests the skills and creativity of the participants. It started in 2006 with increasing number of participants per year. In Northern Luzon area alone, there were around 200 participants. One of them was the representative of The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS).

Joseph Andie Lamug, board director of TIPS represented his organization in the said event under the DSLR category. They were given themes to interpret with two and half hours to tackle and find the best shot of these challenges.

He depicted in his work the pottery in Vigan City and it came out to be the best one in the photomarathon. Joseph took home the bacon. He won the grand prize in the DSLR category and took home a brand new Canon EOS 600D, Tripod, Loot Bag with SD cards, bag, etc. as prizes. He was so happy to win in the said photomarathon, "I almost missed joining this because of my work", he relates.

A Christmas Get Together

As a thanksgiving for a wonderful year of 2011, the officers and members of The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS), Inc. had a Christmas get together at Papa Paus Diner on December 19, 2011.

Present during the occasion were President Dr Edwin Antonio, Vice-President Bryan Rapadas, Treasurer Dr Robert Luzod, PRO Alaric Yanos, Board Directors Dr Jose Orosa and Michael Ong with members Raffy Pasalo, Landell Galiza and James Ragus.

The group had dinner and exchange of pleasantries. They had discussion of the activities to be undertaken in the year to come. The group came up with some ideas and hoping to achieve these.

TIPS holds Dayaw Exhibit in Davao

The Indigenous Peoples’ Month is celebrated in the month of October. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) sponsored and conducted a national gathering of all the indigenous peoples in Tagum City, Davao del Sur. There was a parade of all the IPs, rituals and ceremonies, performances, culinary arts, art exhibits, community outreach and forum during the event.

The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS), Inc. also took part in this celebration. Dayaw Photo Exhibit was held on October 7-9, 2011 at the Energy Park in Apokon, Tagum City. Featured photographers were Dr. Edwin Antonio, Dr. Marie Joy Lazaro and Lorna Tolentino-Macatulad. Dayaw means joy or happiness in the Visayas while respect in the Ilocano terminology.

The participating photographers showcased some of their best photographic works depicting Ilocandia. There were indigenous product photographs, beautiful sights and structures. The images are printed on canvas in a dimension of 10x16. It was a successful exhibit since they admire the photographs displayed.

TIPS covers Semana ti Ar-Aria and Tumba

The past week was the season of the ghosts in the province of Ilocos Norte. There were celebrations lined up for ar-aria, ghosts for the Iloko term. The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS), Inc. members were there to cover them all.

There was a free-of-charge horror film festival held at the Robinson’s Mall and Mariano Marcos State University courtesy of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. The provincial government of Ilocos Norte invited TIPS members for the opening ceremony of the said festival held at the Plaza del Norte on October 25, 2011. The group was represented by Bryan Rapadas, Lorna Tolentino-Macatulad and Ronald Macatulad.

On October 31, 2011, a parade of scary characters and costumes from the different towns of the province was held from the Laoag Cemetery to the Capitol. It was a night of fun and scare because of make believe ghosts costumes and effects. There was also a pageant called Reyna Iloca-locana. Halloween games such as the lungon challenge were played during the program Dr. Robert Luzod, Ronald Macatulad, Dr. Edwin Antonio, Alaric Yanos and Lorna Tolentino Macatulad were the TIPS members who documented the event.

On November 01, 2011, the same people went to witness and cover the Tumba celebration in Paoay. It is a celebration where the people in the community help put up a tumba made of bamboo, coconut leaves and indigenous materials and set up an altar full with food offerings, antique images, candles. The old women folks usually recite the prayer.