BATANGBALER

UTTERLY ART presents

MILK SWEAT AND HONEY SPIT
JEHO BITANCOR

GUEST-OF-HONOUR
GOVERNOR BELLAFLOR J. ANGARA-CASTILLO
AURORA PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

Opening
THURSDAY 11th SEPT 2008 7 pm
Utterly Art Exhibition Space
(diagonally opposite the Sri Mariamman Temple, Pagoda St Exit)
229A South Bridge Road (2nd Level) Singapore 058778
Tel: 6226 2605 E-mail: utterlyart@pacific.net.sg
Mon-Sat 12 noon - 8 pm Sun 12 noon - 5.30 pm
The exhibition runs to SUNDAY 21st SEPT 2008 .

After residing in the United States of America for a year, Filipino artist Jeho Bitancor presents a contemplative exhibition based on his migrant experience. While a great deal of his countrymen regard the colonial power as “The Land of Milk and Honey”, Jeho as the artist and observer is more circumspect, but neither does he deny that detaching “oneself from his or her origin… is a form of salvation which renders the diasporic phenomenon a painful reality in itself”.

Relevant to Singaporeans engaged in the “Stayers” and “Quitters” debate, the show investigates the dilemma of individual emancipation over national deprivation. Jeho points at the foibles of both migrants and their adopted home, by examining the social landscape and condition it generates for migrants, to unravel the contradictions inherent in even the most sought-after dreamland. Marrying his social realist and symbolist genres, he muses on how migration might affect his artistic practice and posits “a crystallization of one’s essence… a re-contextualization of the self”.

Jeho Bitancor is a Cultural Centre of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Awardee of 2006, who has exhibited extensively in the Philippines, Singapore, USA, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Trained in the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts (1984-1992), and the New York City Art Student’s League (1997), Jeho has won several awards and distinctions, and is collected by the Singapore Art Museum, Ateneo Art Gallery, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Aurora Provincial Government, Museo de Baler, as well as several private collections.

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O mga tiga Baler at Aurora, punta kayo dito at suportahan ang ating kabayan. PAgkakataun nyu na pating makipagkamay kay Gov. Bella. Ayus!

Matapos ang kanyang one-man exhibit sa Mistlin Gallery sa Modesto, California, ang ating tanyag na kababayang si Jeho Bitancor ay magkakaroon naman ng isa pang one-man exhibit sa Utterly Art Exhibition Space sa Singapore. Ang eksibit ay may titulong Of Milk Sweat and Honey Spit at itatanghal mula September 11 hanggang 24, 2008. Ang Utterly Art Exhibition Space ay matatagpuan sa 229A South Bridge Road, Singapore.

Inaanyayahan ang lahat sa isa na namang art exhibit na gaganapin sa Bistro Baler simula sa August 23 hanggang September 6, 2008. Itinatampok dito ang mga likhang sining nila Vincent Gonzales, Roy Buen, Clemente Aragon, Sherwin Gonzales at Joel Vedad, lahat ay mga tiga-Suklayin.

Mga ilang pictures ng Day 2 ng Baler Fiesta 2008

Hitik sa mga pasinaya ang ikalawang araw ng Baler Fiesta 2008. Kaya namili lang ang inyong lingkod ng mga ilang okasyon para pityuran. Ang mga naganap nung umaga at malayo sa plaza ng Baler ay di ko napuntahan kagaya ng Tuklas Talino at ang Shootfest sa Camp Ravina. Di bali, ang mga nanalo naman sa Tuklas Talino na isang singing at dancing contest ay nagtanghal sa Ms. Baler kaya nakunan ku din sila.

Pasado alas tres ng hapon ay nagkaroon ng opening ng Gorhet at Guhit, isang painting exhibit na ginanap sa Museo de Baler. Si Mayor Arthur Angara ang nanguna sa ribbon-cutting ng exhibit. Ang mga paintings ay magtatagal sa Museo de Baler hanggang August 24.

Nagkaroon din ng painting contest na ginanap sa loob ng munisipyo ng Baler. Ang paligsahan ng galing sa pagpinta ay nilahukan ng mga elementary at high school students na galing sa ibat ibang paaralan ng Baler.

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Bilang bahagi ng pagdiriwang ng pista ng Baler, itinatampok ng Aurora Arts Council ang Gorhet at Ukit - a Statement Beyond the Canvas, Contemporary works on oil, acrylic and mixed media. Tampok dito ang mga gawa nila Ani Querijero, Ibu Querijero, Roy Buen at Mike Lester Carreon, lahat ay pawang mga tiga Baler.

Magsisimula ang eksibit sa August 16 at magtatagal hanggang August 24. Ito ay sa Museo De Baler.

Manatiling naka-antabay sa Batangbaler para sa mga kaganapan sa piyesta ng Baler.

Ang tanyag nating kababayan at CCP Thirteen Artists Awardee na si Jeho Bitancor ay magkakaroon ng isang exhibit na may titulong “Spicy” sa Mistlin Gallery ng Central California Art Association. Ito ay sa 1015 J Street, Modesto, California, USA. MAgbubukas ang kanyang exhibit sa July 21 hanggang August 23. Ang gallery ay bukas ng Martes hanggang Biyernes, 11:30 ng umaga hanggang 6:00 ng hapon at tuwing sabado sa 12:00 hanggang 4:00 ng hapon.

Sa mga gustong maka-ugnayan si Jeho, magkakaroon ng Artist Reception sa July 21 ika 6:00 ng gabi at sa ika 7:00 ng gabi sa July 22 ay magkakaroon siya ng Artist Talk.

Sa mga Akaw na malapit sa lugar na ito, suportahan po natin ang ating kababayan.

“This mural I dedicate to the youth of Baler that they may always remember and strive to emulate the valor, self-reliance and quiet heroism of their ancestors who all lovingly cared for their children and aspired to give them a better life.”

Senator Edgardo J. Angara
Dedicated June 30 2008

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Kasabay sa pagdiriwang ng Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day noong Ika-30 ng Hunyo ay ang pag-i-inagura at pagde-dedika ng bagong “Baler Historical Mural”. Ang mural na na ito ay makikita sa harap ng gusali ng Museo de Baler at inilalarawan ang mahigit apat na raang taon ng pagsakop ng Espanya sa Pilipinas, mula sa kanilang pagdating hanggang sa pag-alis ng “Los Ultimos Filipinas”, ang mga Kastilang sundalong nagtanggol sa simbahan ng Baler sa loob ng halos isang taon matapos isuko ng Espanya ang Pilipinas sa Amerika. Makikita rin sa mural ang ilang mga larawan ng kaunlaran sa Baler at sa bayan ng Aurora.

Ang bagong mural na ito ay ginawa ng tanyag na iskultor Toym Imao. Si Toym din ang gumawa ng rebulto ni Andres Bonifacio sa Bonifacio Historical Shrine sa Maragondon, Cavite, at kamakailan lamang ay nabalita dahil sa kanyang disenyo sa E-jeepney, ang jeep na tumatakbo sa pamamagitan ng kuryente. Si Toym ay kinumisyon ni Sen. Edgardo J. Angara upang gawin ang mural na ito. Siya ay anak ng National Artist na si Abdulmari Imao.

Si Mrs. Ilovita Mesina, habang ipinapakita ang noon ay plano pa lamang ng mural sa Museo De Baler. Kuha ito noong June 30, 2007.

So Toym Imao noon June 30, 2008 sa Museo de Baler.

Magandang pagmasdan ang likhang-sining na ito sa parke ng Baler. Kapag ganito ang pinagkakagastosan ng pera ng Gobyerno ay wala akong angal. Sana sa susunod ay bigyan naman nila ng pagkakataon ang mga local artists na makagawa rin ng mga ganitong klase ng public art. Ito’y isang hakbang pasulong sa eksenang sining ng lalawigan ng Aurora.

I-click ang slideshow sa ibaba para sa iba pang larawan ng bagong Museo de Baler.
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Click the slideshow below for photos of last night’s successful opening of Dimalangat’s first art exhibit at Bistro Baler. The opening was attended by artists and art enthusiasts from different places of the Province. Vice Governor Gerardo Noveras, Mayor Arthur Angara, Vice Mayor Pilot Bihasa and other government officials also attended. Revered sculptor Toym Imao, who is currently installing a commissioned sculpture on the facade of Museo de Baler, also graced the event. Toym is the son of National Artist Abdulmari Asia Imao Sr. The Dimalangat Aurora Arts Movement hopes to rekindle the waning arts and culture scene in the Province through exhibits, workshops and other advocacies.

the exhibit at Bistro Baler will run until June 27 then it will be transfered to Museo de Baler in time for the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day celebrations.

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About Dimalangat

Summer of 2008 brought together a group of young artists inspired by the local environment, aspiring to express their creative juices productively and share the creative thinking process. Joel Vedad, a returning artist from Bahrain (having had his exhibit open there last April 23), motivated the group (composed of Val de Leon, Elias Angara, Jay Urbano, Roy Buen, Vincent Gonzales, Tapok Ranillo and others) that was initially meeting in Vincent Gonzales’ gazebo on Gloria street. While workshops and sessions were conducted in other scenic places like Isla Virginia, Ms. Osang’s beach house, and other places, planning and preparation for an exhibit wherein they could showcase and share their works with the general public was top agenda.

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The newly organized Aurora art group named Dimalangat is inviting everyone to the opening of their first arts exhibit titled Tiwala at Kapaligiran. It will be on June 15, 6:00 pm at Bistro Baler, T. Molina St. Brgy. 5, Baler, Aurora. The exhibit will run until June 27, then the artworks will be transferred to Museo de Baler to be part of an all-Aurorans exibit to coincide with the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day celebration.

The future looks bright for the arts and culture in the Province with the forming of this group and the recent creation of the Aurora Arts Council last May 28. Expect more activities like this in the future.

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This marks the 1000 posts since Batangbaler evolved into a blog back in December 2004. The first incarnation of Batangbaler was as a simple website hosted on geocities way back in 2001. Let’s celebrate!

Things are pretty busy with yours truly this week, so i’ll just round up the herd, so to speak.

1. Good news for all arts and culture enthusiast of Aurora, the Aurora Arts Council was organized at the provincial capitol yesterday. I was invited to join and contributed my 5 centavo worth of opinions. Things are pretty much still in the planning and organizing stage but thanks to two artists consultants for making the birthing of this much needed council a painless experience. They were Junyee and Jun Nicdao, tapped by Sen. Angara to help organize the council. We visited Gov. Castillo after the meeting. I managed to chit-chat with her about Batangbaler on the way out of the door. I’ll update more about this Arts Council thing in the future.
2. And I was informed by Ms. Rose Querijero and Noli Guerrero during the meeting yesterday that they have just organized a new arts group in Aurora called Dimalangat, named after that small rocky islet jutting out of the dibudulan headland on the left of Baler bay. They will have their first exhibit on June 15 at the Bistro Baler. The good news is when Junyee found out that there’s an active community of artists in Baler, he changed the plan of inviting artists from other provinces to have an exhibit at the Museo de Baler during the Philippine-Spanish Friendship day celebration. Instead, the local artists will be tapped for the exhibit therefore turning the spotlight on them and not the other way around.
3. Oscar Querijero - I was talking with Tya Rosa yesterday about some unrecognized artists from Aurora and she mentioned about Oscar Querijero, who was a cinematographer from the 70’s up to the late 90’s. A quick IMDB search later and I have Mr. Querijero’s filmography: Cinematographer for Tar-San (1999), Isprikitik, Walastik Kung Pumitik (1999),Hataw Tatay Hataw (1994),Hulihin: Probinsiyanong Mandurukot (1993), Tangga and Chos: Beauty Secret Agents (1990),SuperMouse and the Robo-Rats (1989), Elvis and James, the Living Legends! (1989), Panday IV (Ika-apat na aklat), JR (1983), Kapag buhay ang inutang (1983), Daniel Bartolo ng Sapang Bato (1982), Mr. Wong Meets Jesse James (1982), Masikip Maluwang Paraisong Parisukat (1977), Sapin Sapin Patong Patong (1977), Makahiya at Talahib (1976), Bagsik at kamandag ni Pedro Penduko (1974), Dragon Fire (1974); Camera and Electrical Department: Curacha ang babaeng walang pahinga (1998) (camera operator: second unit)
4. I just came from Manila and attended the International Symposium on emerging Trends in ICT in Education. The symposium was held at the Peninsula Manila and surprisingly, I managed to stay awake throughout the whole gig. Must be the great foods.
5. And here’s your chance to help your province with the gift of knowledge. The Aurora State College of Technology is looking for instructors to be hired this school year. If you’re into the field of Engineering, Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Computer Science and Information Technology, and have majors in English, Filipino and Mathematics, and like to experience the joy of teaching, drop your resume at the Aurora State College of Technology, Brgy. Zabali, Baler, Aurora. Or you can email ascotbaler@hotmail.com.
6. These new courses are also being offered at ASCOT: Associate in Tourism and Resort Management, BS Hotel and Restaurant Management, Associate in Aircraft Maintenance Technology (in collaboration with PHILSCA), and BS Fisheries (to be held at Brgy. Esteves in Casiguran)
7. I was also alerted that a girl with the last name of Fernandez from Baler is competing at the Little Ms. Urduja contest at Eat Bulaga. She won the daily round last Thursday, so she could be up for the weekly finals today. Watch it for what it’s worth. She could be the next Charice Pempengco.
8. from inquirer.net: Highlight of a Filipino-Spanish Friendship Day to be marked on June 30 will be the screening of a documentary by Spanish filmmaker Jesus Balbuena Garcia on the historic “Siege of Baler” in Aurora Province.
9. On to the congratulations:
   • Congratulations to my bro Dr. Ericson Friginal for finishing his Ph.D. (in Linguistics, i think) at the Northern Arizona University.
   • Congratulations to MS. BERNADETH P. JAVAR for passing the examination in the COMMISSION OF GRADUATES OF FOREIGN NURSING SCHOOLS (CGNFS) and in the NATIONAL COUNCIL LICENSURE EXAMINATION (NCLEX) -Registered Nurse. NEW YORK.
   • Congratulations to Ms. Jessica Gonzales for making it to Westpoint Academy.
   • Congratulations to Jan Joshen de Guzman and June Lowell Uy for passing the Electrical Engineering Board Exam.
10. And lastly, the Batangbaler Forums is slowly being populated. there are already more than 15 users and i’m just waiting for them to have their first dip in the pool. If you recently registered and didn’t receive your password in the your mailbox, click here to get your password. The BB Forums is here.

Works of Filipino contemporary artists from the Philippines;
JEHO BITANCOR
NORMAN DREO
DENNIS GONZALES
SALVADOR CHING
& NOEL PAMA SR.
is still on view at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum
until 27 April, 2008

asia-art-link website

artworks from the Philippines

Too late for our kababayans in Vietnam. The exhibit ended yesterday. Anyway, I still posted this exhibit as a shoutout to our ka-baler Jeho Bitancor who is now based in the US. I was in Manila last week and met two other persons whose works are included in the Hanoi exhibit, Noel Pama Sr. (who went to Baler a few years ago for the Sining Silangan workshop) and Buddy Ching. Metz invited me to this art event called TAMA 08, the 5th Tupada International Action Art Event at the Kanlungan ng Sining in Luneta. I will post the pictures later. Rommel “Metz” Espinosa is a part of the event. He is Participating Local Artist No. 12. His performance will be at Dagupan. Here’s a poster with him on the picture:

More info here

When Francis Ford Coppola shot “Apocalypse Now” in the Philippines in 1976, he and his crew left behind burned forest, weapons, uniforms… and surfboards. This is the genuinely and absolutely true story of how Kuya Ed and Pawikan became the first Filippino Surfers…

Gusto kong mapanood ang mockumentary na ito. Sana ay mahimalang makatanggap ako ng kopya galing kay Marten para makapag-Philippine premiere naman ang batangbaler ng isang tutuung pelikula. Si Marten ay isang Aleman na nakabase sa Espanya. Tumira siya sa Baler bilang volunteer ng proyektong Buhay na Tubig nung 2005 -2006. Siya ang tumulong mag-organize ng mga skateboarders sa plaza ng munisipyo sa Baler. Gumawa din siya ng mga documetary tungkol sa Baler, isa na nga dito ang Three Foot Charlie, na natapos niya nang siya ay nasa Espanya na.