Ibagiw 2019 Terminal Report by Karlo Marko Altomonte

TERMINAL REPORT Submitted by Karlo Marko Altomonte Creative Director, Ibagiw 2019 Consultant to the Creative Desk (July-December, 2019)

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS A Portrait of the Ibagiw

Creative Director’s Notes I. II.

INTRODUCTION CONSULTANT TO THE CREATIVE DESK

V VI

Exclusion of Baguio artists in international conferences – VII

III.

BACCI, BATCHEE, BACKSEE… BEEYATCHEE

VIII

For the public good – VIII Inclusivity – IX

IV.

STRUCTURING IBAGIW

Artisans’ lament –IX

Nine days under one roof – X What’s in a name? – XI IMAGING IBAGIW

Events and activities and artists’ honoraria – XII U.P. Baguio’s International Conference – XIII

VI.

FUNDING IBAGIW

XIII

Toeing the government procurement process line – XIII Starting from zero – XIV Organizational, financial issues and other challenges – XIV Confirming TPB’s sponsorship and BACCI’s lack of financial history – XV More fund sourcing efforts, private sponsors respond – XVI The need for bridge financing – XVI

VII.

LAUNCHING IBAGIW

XVII

Artists’ responses – XVII Cases in point – XVII

VIII.

ON THE EVE OF IBAGIW: THE BAGUIO CREATIVE CITY FESTIVAL XVIII Typhoon Ramon - XIX

IX.

THE OPENING CEREMONY

On a wing and a prayer – XXI

The Terminal Reports THE OPENING & CLOSING GALAS

Rationale – 2 Pre-production (Professionalizing professions, Government procurement process vs. artistic values, Putting it together)) – 2 The Opening Program – 6 The Closing Gala Rationale – 8 The Closing Program – 9

MADE IN BAGUIO: THE COMEPTITIONS IN CRAFTS & FOLK ART

Rationale / Background – 11 Qualifications – 11 Audition process – 11 Finalists, grants, mechanics – 12 The exhibition – 15 The judging and the winners – 15 Footnotes – 26

THE CREATIVE CITY MARKETPLACE

Rationale / Background – 29 Selection process – 29 Exhibit spaces – 29 The exhibitors, gross estimate sales – 30 Footnotes – 33

RE-IMAGINING BAGUIO

Rationale / Background – 37 The Murals (Selection process, The painting of the murals, The exhibition) – 37 The Installations – 44 The Short Film Competition (The Screening of the films, Awarding, Post-event) – 48

THE VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITS

Open call – 53 Curating Ibagiw – 53 Salubong – 53 The exhibits – 57

JAMMNG ON A G-STRING

Background / Concept – 65 Collaborations, audition and production process – 65 The artistic & production staff – 69

THE LIVE PERFORMANCES

Background – 74 The venue – 74 Selection process – 75 The performances – 75 Footnotes – 77

GAWAD IBAGIW

Background – 79 Selection process – 79 The first five awardees – 79 Footnote – 79

INTERACTIVITY

Background – 81 Footnotes – 82

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Rationale – 84 Students as exhibiting and performing artists – 84 Students as audience – 85 Stage managers slash exhibit docents – 85 Footnotes – 86

Postscript

XXIII RATIONALE IBAGIW & BACCI

XXIV XXIV

Revisiting BACCI’s Mission and Vision– XXIV Restructuring BACCI – XXV Funding BACCI and Financial Management – XXVII Reactions to the Director’s Notes – XXVIII

II. III.

CONSULTANT TO THE CREATIVE DESK THE CULTURAL CENTER OF BAGUIO

XXIX XXIX

Determining precisely what the Old Diplomat Hotel should be transformed into – XXIX Preserving the historical and cultural significance of the former Dominican Retreat House – XXX Phases and continuing activities – XXX

IV. V.

IBAGIW 2020 Appendix – IBAGIW 2019: IN NUMBERS

III

XXXV XXXVI

A PORTRAIT OF THE IBAGIW It was in those moments, when nobody was watching yet, that’s where the true essence of the festival lay. And just like the coming together of different strokes, textures, colors and shades that results in a singular image, or the synchronization of singular notes that produces a harmony – in the weeks before the festival proper standing outside the OTOP building at dawn to wait for the delivery of anes for the basket makers, spinning balls of yarn for hours for the weavers, travelling to the lowlands in search of giant bamboos for the carvers… and in the days before the curtains opened when hundreds of artists gathered under one roof to tell their individual stories, painting pictures, composing installations, weaving tapestries and baskets, carving bamboos or shaping copper and silver, immortalizing moments in moving pictures or in songs, from sunrise to the next day’s sunrise, those moments painted a beautiful portrait of the ibagiw as an artist, of the artist as part of a community, of a community united by a collective purpose. This document chronicles the journey that we took in the staging of IBAGIW: The Baguio Creative City Festival 2019, a journey that presented both opportunities and challenges, successes and failures, and it is my conviction as an artist and as a citizen that it is incumbent upon us who have been placed at the forefront to acknowledge and accept, examine and understand all of this – not only to seize the opportunities but to confront and find solutions to the challenges; not only to be able to replicate and improve on the successes but to learn from the failures and missteps. Predicated on actual experiences, we hold up a mirror that reveals a picture in its entirety, flaws and strengths and all, and it is my hope that we could look past our respective self-interests and self-images for the whole picture is so much bigger than all that, and deserves more of our attention. The objective, unprejudiced examination of that bigger picture is necessary as we forward Baguio as a Creative City, both as designated by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) and as a matter of fact. In our shared desire and vision to alleviate the plight of artists and artisans, provide them with an environment that inspires creativity, imagination and innovation, encourages freedom of expression, promotes economic opportunities and enables them to practice their professions with dignity and respect, I shall remain, Yours sincerely,

Karlo Marko Altomonte Creative Director, IBAGIW Consultant to the Creative Desk (July-December, 2019)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Just a day after the final press conference and one day before the formal opening of the 2nd Baguio Creative City Festival, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong was back at the site. There were no paintings yet on the walls earmarked for exhibits, and that’s because the angle bars where the paintings would be hung from weren’t installed yet. The platforms for the performances have not been constructed yet, and that’s because the boards and lumber we requested have not arrived yet. Purchases care of the City Government have been delayed which included other logistical needs such as flood lights, electrical wires, etc. Nevertheless, the venue was bustling with activity. I guided the mayor to the competitions room, which we had named Ibagiw Hall. Inside, weavers were halfway through their three-yard tapestries. The mayor engaged the weavers in conversation, asking how they were, where they’re from (two of the finalists came from Mt. Province and another two were from Ifugao. The rest were either from Baguio or Benguet), thanking them for their participation. We then walked over to where the basket weaving and metalcraft finalists were working. While there were a couple of woodcarvers in the vicinity of the competition hall, the rest have established themselves in various nooks and crannies of the old diplomat hotel to be able to work in peace. The mayor was fascinated by a work-in-progress of a finalist who was weaving strands of copper wires into a braid. He asked what she was aiming for – a bracelet, which would form part of a set of wearable jewelry which included a tiara and ear cuffs. Outside the Ibagiw Hall, 12 groups of artists that were commissioned to render their interpretation of the theme, “Re-imagining Baguio,” were working on their respective frames on every available wall space big enough to prop each of the twelve boards measuring eight by twelve feet against. The mayor requests to be allowed to paint a section of one mural, and an artist gladly offers him a brush. Noticing another group’s work which included lettering that looked similar to some un-welcome graffiti found on fences and gates around the city, the mayor playfully declares, “aha, kayo pala yun a!” While the energy of the artists and artisans working on site clearly elated the mayor, I sensed his concern that the rest of the room remained bare just a couple of days before opening. I led him to each of the rooms around the courtyard which we have named in honor of some of the original settlers in Kafagway, as the natives called the general area of what would eventually become the City of Baguio, and I proceeded to describe to him what could be expected in each of those empty spaces on opening day. Group exhibitions in several rooms, installation art pieces, a wetplate photography exhibit, the area in the courtyard where the performances will be staged, etc. I could feel both his excitement and anxiety – after all, this was the first major cultural event under his 5-month old administration, and he ran on a platform which included culture and the arts as part of his core agenda. As we were heading towards the exit, he turned to me one more time and asked, “so, Karlo, we’re all set for the opening?” Much of the materials were delayed; we’re running low, no, we’ve ran out of cash on hand since a big chunk of the funding was coming from the Tourism Promotions Board, and it would be released in the form of reimbursement after the event; our guests from Angono, Rizal were arriving any time then and will be setting up the next day; there were dozens of artists and members of the festival staff to provide meals for; add to that over a hundred featured performing artists for the opening ceremony; and so on and so forth. I usually keep an event or

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production’s problems known only to me and a handful of other people in the staff, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Either we get some cash advance to cover the coming days’ major expenses, or… no, there was no room for an alternative scenario. The festival will happen and we needed funds to make it happen. I replied, “No, sir we’re not.” The mayor didn’t seem surprised, or if he was, he managed not to show it. I added, “we need roughly one million to get us through the nine days of the festival. We were given a guarantee that the funding from the Tourism Promotions Board will be released within the year.” “Are you sure?” calmly, he asked. “Yes, sir, I am.” I wasn’t. Again, desperate times, desperate measures. With eyes closed and fingers crossed, I offered to personally sign for the cash advance. Over a month since the closing of the festival and the funding from the sponsor has not been released. The deadline to reimburse the cash advance from the City Government has come and it had to be paid back already. No ifs or buts. While acknowledging the sincere efforts of the current leadership to develop the local creative economy and uplift the artists and artisans of Baguio and with all due respect, but handing over a personal check to the city accountant, while we understand that we agreed to such terms, I couldn’t help but notice the irony of it all – an artist, asked to direct a festival being staged as part of the city’s commitments to UNESCO as a creative city, reimbursing the government for expenses for that festival. This is the story of Ibagiw: The Baguio Creative City Festival 2019. II.

CONSULTANT TO THE CREATIVE DESK

Days before The Hon. Benjamin B. Magalong took his oath of office as Baguio’s new mayor, key personnel of BACCI which included National Artists Benedicto Cabrera and Kidlat Tahimik met with him at Café by the Ruins to present their recommendations for the city’s arts and culture sector, which formed part of the mayor-elect’s core agenda. Among the proposals forwarded in that meeting was the need for artist representation in city’s newly-formed Creative Desk, which was placed under the City Budget Office. I was nominated by those present in that meeting to be appointed as consultant to the desk, which the then incoming mayor approved. I agreed to commit to a 6-month stint as consultant. I was asked to submit my proposed tasks and responsibilities. Although essentially distinct positions, in an effort to lessen the financial burden on BACCI with regards to our project management fee, in my proposal, I included the creative

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direction of the festival as one of my responsibilities as a consultant, and informed the board of BACCI that I would be deducting whatever honorarium I may receive from the LGU from said fee. In my proposal submitted to the City Budget Office, I listed the following as my primary objectives as consultant: 1.

Liaise between the Creative Desk and local artists, artisans, cultural workers and other concerned organizations/individuals.

Assist in the organization and development of the Creative Desk to enable it to be responsive to the needs of the city’s art and culture sector.

Receive project and/or policy proposals from individual artists and artisans, as well as cultural organizations, groups and other concerned institutions, assess the same and make recommendations.

After making the formal arrangements with Ms. Clemente, a contract was drafted, approved and signed for my appointment as consultant to the Creative Desk from July to December, 2019. Although somehow connected, my understanding was that I was essentially wearing two hats then – one as Creative Director hired by the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective, Inc. which was the lead private sector partner designated by the Mayor to stage the upcoming festival, and the other as Creative Consultant to the Creative Desk and my responsibilities as such go beyond the festival. My first step as the latter was to request Ms. Clemente, the focal person to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, for a comprehensive update regarding the initiatives of the city government with regards to Baguio’s designation as a Creative City and with that all correspondence by and between the LGU and UNESCO. I believed that to be able to deliver what was expected of me as a Consultant, I needed such information. There were so many concerns being raised by the sector that I was representing – the creative community of Baguio. How is the money allocated for Baguio’s creative city initiatives being spent? How much has been allocated, how much has been spent? How come no artists are being sent to various creative city conferences abroad and why was the city government sending councilors instead? EXCLUSION OF BAGUIO ARTISTS IN CREATIVE CITY CONFERENCES I would later be informed that I didn’t have the authority nor privilege to access such information. I particularly did not agree with the position of Ms. Clemente that artists had no business attending the conferences they’ve attended in Europe, Australia and different parts of Asia because what’s discussed in those gatherings are policies relating to the creative economy. The development, welfare and future of the creative community rested on bureaucrats and politicians who had a very limited understanding of the circumstances, needs, aspirations of the people that made up that community. This disconnect would later be emphasized when I was asked to sign the final contract which stated my position as “Event Organizer” instead of Creative Consultant. Despite assurances of both Ms. Clemente and Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos that the title of “Event Organizer” will only be on paper and that it was being done so that my honorarium could be processed easier, I refused to sign it. My position was that if providing an honorarium for me would be difficult as a consultant, then I would do the job pro bono. Another example of how the current system wasn’t being responsive to the actual needs of the creative community was when I requested for travel and accommodation assistance from the Creative Desk to be able to attend the CCP National Consultation on Arts & Culture in October to

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which I had been invited. But I was told that the city government could not allot any funds for such an activity. This was right before the city government sent a delegation to Australia, again with no artist representation, for another one of those UCCN conferences. III.

BACCI, BATCHEE, BACKSEE… BEEYATCHEE

After hearing different members say it differently, Baki, as in the way the word “mumbaki” is pronounced, was how everyone finally agreed to pronounce the collective’s acronym, BACCI, in one meeting. But It wasn’t just the pronunciation of its name that needed clarification - to be more responsive to the needs of its constituency, operate more efficiently and remain relevant and sustainable, the Baguio Arts & Crafts Collective, Inc., the no-stock, non-profit corporation founded as a result of UNESCO’s designation of Baguio as a Creative City needs to define its constitution, mission and vision more precisely. Recommendations in this regard have been included in the latter part of this report. FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD Sometime in mid-October, 2018 at a fundraising concert a veteran of the local music scene, Bobby Carantes, pulled me aside to ask if I knew anything about “EntaCool.” At the time, I didn’t. Although for weeks prior to that evening, I have been hearing about a new artist collective being formed in support of Baguio’s then recently earned honor of being a UNESCO-designated Creative City for Crafts & Folk Art. Baguio has been needing a catalyst that would unite the local creative community, and there have been meetings between artists and other creative economy stakeholders and I have heard that some of them have been quite intense, confrontational. I was once invited by Adelaida Lim to attend one of the meetings of this collective, but hearing of the adversarial attitudes, shouting matches, cynical young artists accusing the body of just using them, I opted not to be a participant in such intense confrontations. EntaCool, I would later learn, was the first Creative Festival, and it was being staged in celebration of the UNESCO designation, and the Carantes wasn’t happy with the fact that musicians were being asked to perform pro bono. We shared the same basic sentiment: after all these years and now with this prestigious UNESCO designation, we still get asked to perform pro bono. I got to know more about EntaCool in the coming weeks, as I was asked by the regional office of the Department of Tourism to emcee a couple of the events that they were staging as part of the festival – a photography exhibit and the launching of the Forest Bathing Trail at Camp John Hay. I would also eventually be asked to emcee the media launch of the festival and Anido, or artists’ night, pro bono. After hearing speeches and presentations throughout the festival about finally erasing the portrait of the artist as starving, of how the creative sector could be a major economic driver, I couldn’t help but mention on stage the irony of being asked to emcee for free. At the end of the program, I was surprised to be handed an envelope by the organizers containing a modest amount as honorarium for the hosting gig. Months before, my wife, RL Altomonte, was commissioned by the Asian Institute of Management to direct a research project funded by the British Council involving the mapping of Baguio’s creative economy. Their team had just submitted the results of their research at the time. This was where I was coming from when in February of 2019, Adelaida Lim visited the Ili Ay Cordillera, the arts and crafts village at The Manor at Camp John Hay we had just put together, to

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invite me to join the executive committee and attend the general assembly of the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective, Inc. INCLUSIVITY On March 16, 2019, the Baguio Arts & Crafts Collective, Inc. convened artists and artisans at the Sarmiento Hall of the University of the Philippines Baguio to give a report on EntaCool and discuss ideas and proposals for the coming year. Sentiments and thoughts about the newly-formed collective were shared – the festival could have been more inclusive; artisans pointed out that the festival seemed to have allotted more resources to the fine arts and did not give enough attention to crafts & folk art, a young multimedia artist rued the lack of representation for their field, etc. I was more of an observer than a participant in that assembly, although I did respond to the young artist’s sentiment and proposed that the name of the organization be changed to the Baguio Integrated Arts & Crafts Collective, Inc. (BIACCI), or BEEYACHEE? While the quip generated laughter in the hall, the point was serious: the collective must be more inclusive. As reported by Brenda Villanueva and an article in Sunstar Baguio (March 22, 2019), “As reiterated, BACCI is an open and non-exclusive group. It is non-hierarchical. BACCI encourages self-management and self-regulation by artists and creatives. All of which ultimately foster all artists into achieving greater creativity and innovation.” The assembly was followed by a series of meetings between the board and the executive committee of BACCI to plan for the second staging of the festival. The idea of changing the name of the festival was brought up and approved and several names were forwarded, one of which was Salidumay, which became the working title for the event. I also proposed that a project management team be brought in to run the festival so that the executive committee could focus on fund-sourcing along with the other administrative concerns of the organization. When I was asked to submit a proposal for the festival’s project management, I thought that propriety dictated that I exclude myself from the executive committee, so I did and got down to work on a proposal for the creative direction and management of the festival, including a theme for the festival, as well as a new name. IV.

STRUCTURING IBAGIW

In one of the meetings, the board and executive committee agreed that one of the main goals of the festival should be to promote innovations in the crafts and folk art sector. It was agreed that holding a competition in various fields of expertise would achieve this goal. With this in mind, we went back to the drawing table to work on a festival outline and rationale. ARTISANS’ LAMENT In addition to what was discussed in the meeting, I also envisioned a festival that would celebrate the diversity of the city’s creative community. We also took into consideration the story shared by some participating artisans in EntaCool of how they were relegated to an exhibit at the One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) Center on Upper Session Road during the first festival, away from the main venues and activities of the festival, with hardly any publicity or promotion, which had most of the exhibitors pulling out their products after a couple of days of near zero foot traffic to their exhibit.

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There were so many things that we wanted the second staging of the festival to achieve, so we enumerated the goals that we could aim to realize: 1.

Inspire and promote innovations in crafts and folk art

Provide a venue/platform for local artists and artisans to exhibit/perform

Showcase the diversity of the local creative economy

Forge a sense of community that would encourage dialogue, collaboration, cooperation and interactivity among creative economy stakeholders

And last but not the least, with the festival as model, propose the establishment of a permanent center for culture and the arts at the Heritage Hill and Nature Park

To achieve the first and allow the crafts and folk art sector to be a principal player in a major and not merely a fringe event of the festival, “Made in Baguio: The Competitions in Crafts and Folk Art” and the “Creative City Marketplace” were the first activities to be listed and given a structure. The competitions would feature four categories: Weaving, Basketry, Woodcarving and Silvercraft later changed to Metalcraft to accommodate the emerging industry of jewelry design and production using other metals. The marketplace, on the other hand, would be a showcase of a selection of the city’s crafts and folk art industry. Everything else would revolve around and support these two activities. NINE DAYS UNDER ONE ROOF BACCI board member Aris Go suggested in one meeting to make the festival a mere two-day event. But a festival that hoped to achieve and present so much, I thought two days wouldn’t be enough to be able to achieve our goals. I proposed to allot a total of nine days covering two weekends for the festival proper to be able to calendar as much of the envisioned performances, exhibitions, fora and other activities with the competitions and the creative city marketplace would run for the entire duration of the festival. The executive committee approved the plan. Alternatives to the Old Diplomat Hotel were suggested in succeeding meetings. Among the concerns raised were accessibility, lack of facilities and other logistical concerns. So other possible venues around the city were suggested – Baguio Convention Center, Malcolm Square, Burnham Park, Camp John Hay (Mountain Breeze Theater and/or Bell House and Amphitheater). But the project management team insisted on holding the festival at the Baguio Heritage Hill and Nature Park – the idea of having just one major venue where the participating artists and artisans could gather for the entire duration of the festival would go a long way in realizing goal number four, and with it, number five. The leaders of BACCI eventually approved this proposal.

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WHAT’S IN A NAME? Back to the title, we were going for a word that painted a portrait of Baguio’s creative community and the local culture to which it is deeply rooted. While the 1st staging of the Baguio Creative Festival, dubbed Entacool, was a relative success, in the meetings preceding the preparatory stage for the 2019 edition, the need to re-brand the festival was posited by stakeholders – artists, cultural workers, supporters, etc. Taking into consideration the sentiments shared in those meetings as well as feedback coming from some colleagues in the creative sector and the community at large, it was decided that a new title is necessary, and that title must:

Resonate with and engage the local community Capture and encapsulate the essence of the festival and Baguio’s creative sector Have a distinctly local tone, yet one that will also pique the interest of a larger audience Have name recall

The word Bagiw is acknowledged as the root of the word Baguio, which is widely known to mean moss in Ibaloi. In various local dialects, adding the prefix “I” to the name of a place means something or someone who is of or from that place. Thus, “Ibagiw” means someone or something that is of, from, made or created in Baguio. Ibagiw aims to instill a sense of pride and dignity in the city’s creative sector where originality, innovativeness and a high standard of professionalism and competence are paramount considerations in creating works of art in various fields of creative expression.

Ibagiw. I presented the title to the executive committee, it was approved. V.

IMAGING IBAGIW

Despite the absence of funds, the project management team worked on getting the preparatory work for the festival going, beginning with the production of the creative collaterals for the festival. I offered to use an original musical composition, “Sa Saliw ng mga Gangsa,” to serve as the theme song for the festival and in collaboration with graphic artist Brian Batong, a logo was created. These gave the festival a visual representation and tone for the rest of the collaterals.

The primary consideration in the design of the logo is visibility and easy memorability. The gentle slant and arc expresses the feel of the city’s hills. The color palette is composed of earth tones – the mossy green represents the origins of the city’s and the festival’s name – bagiw, or moss. The light brown shades represent the land and its people. And the copper-colored “G” represents the city’s crafts which are commonly have a tinge of copper or gold such as the gangsa, ornaments, woodcarvings, etc. Inside the letters are hieroglyphs that represent patterns common in the highlands including symbols that represent the mountains and trees.

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The “G” is in the shape of a sideways lingling-o, known as a symbol for fertility which in this case is used to denote a fertile ground for creative ideas. The logo stands out whether placed against a white or black background or whether rendered in full color or greyscale. Overall, it feels young and vibrant and exudes an aura of freshness and dynamism.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES AND ARTISTS’ HONORARIA We proceeded to finalize the mechanics and structure for the festival’s various major events which included: 1.

Made in Baguio: The Competitions in Crafts and Folk Art - The competitions featured four categories: Weaving, Basketry, Woodcarving, and Metalcraft. After consultations with local artisans, the mechanics for the competitions were drafted. For the Basketry and Woodcarving categories, it was decided that bamboo, a more sustainable resource, will be used as the primary raw material. The Metalcraft category shall feature designs for a set of wearable jewelry while entries to the Weaving category shall be made using the traditional back-strap loom. The festival shall choose eight finalists for each of the categories based on participants’ proposed designs and after performing a skills demonstration. The finalists shall create their entries on-site.

The Creative City Marketplace - The arts and crafts fair exhibitors shall be selected primarily based on innovativeness of the products to be offered. The main categories were woodcarving, textile, basketry, contemporary crafts and food & beverage.

Culture Bearers of Baguio - Originally titled “Uring Manlilikha,” an exhibit of portraits of the city’s artists and artisans in by local photographers.

Re-imagining Baguio: The Installations - Originally titled “The Barrel Man 2.0,” an installation art exhibition featuring commissioned works.

Re-imagining Baguio: The Murals - Originally titled “Post-no-bill,” an exhibit of 12 commissioned murals featuring local muralists and graffiti artists.

Re-imagining Baguio: The Film Competition - Sometime in August, 2019, a local independent filmmakers’ group, ArteSine, approached us for support for their proposed film festival. It was later agreed that with the group as BACCI’s primary partner, a short film competition would be launched where awards would be given for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Actor.

Jamming on a G-string - A fashion show and concert featuring local designers and musicians.

Tayaw - A dance concert featuring the dance troupes of the three major universities in the city: University of Baguio, University of the Cordilleras and St. Louis University.

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The 1st Ibagiw Award of Excellence in Art and Culture - An award to be given to selected outstanding artists, artisans, cultural workers in Baguio who have made invaluable contribution to the development of the city’s cultural scene.

Proposed fringe events included: 1.

Natural Sound – an acoustic concert performed at the Forest Bathing Trail in Camp John Hay

Tunog Kalye – a series of street performances

Simultaneous Exhibits – in various galleries and other exhibit spaces around the city

Flash Mob Performances – featuring a collaborative performance between singers, musicians and dancers in various public spaces in the Central Business District

And to be true to the ultimate goal of developing and boosting the local creative eco-system and with it, economy, the festival shall ensure that commissioned artists and artisans are compensated for their work. U.P. BAGUIO’S INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE While we eventually facilitated a few forums, we initially did not schedule such activities so as not to compete for attendance with the various fora, demonstrations, workshops scheduled in the UP Baguio-led ASEAN Conference on Crafts and Folk Art to be held at the Teachers Camp, which we agreed with UP Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos would serve as a parallel event that would be calendared under Ibagiw. VI.

FUNDING IBAGIW

Between May and July, the meetings in preparation for the festival were held at the Café by the Ruins Dua on Upper Session Road or at Mt. Cloud Bookshop on Brent Road, courtesy of BACCI chair and president, Adelaida Lim. Heading into the second staging of the creative festival, BACCI, the lead private-sector partner of the city government in staging the festival, had neither an office nor a bank account and zero funds. TOEING THE GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS LINE I submitted the first projected budget in July, which ran up to P5.9 Million or, with a 10% contingency fund which I usually allot to all projects I manage, about P6.5 Million. After more pencil pushing, on August 12, 2019, we submitted the final proposed budget of P5,370,000.00 to City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente, then the focal person to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) and de facto person-in-charge of all Creative City initiatives of Baguio. The City Government of Baguio committed P2 Million for the festival. We requested for the funds to be released to BACCI which would be then subjected to liquidation, but we were informed that the LGU cannot do this, the disbursement of the funds would be made directly by the City Budget Office. We raised the concern that much of the needs of the festival do not conform to the current procurement process of the government. For example, we intended to commission installation art pieces and under the current procurement process, each “job order” would have to be bid out in a process that’s designed to award the project to the lowest bidder. Besides, the project management team needed mobilization funds. After several meetings, we had no choice but to give in to the conditions set by the City Budget Office. We carried on without any cash on hand.

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That’s two million, we needed over three million pesos more to cover all the expenses of the festival. STARTING FROM ZERO The Baguio Arts Collective, Inc., formed in 2018 but only formalized and legalized in early 2019, was still in its infancy. The current organization structure includes a Board of Directors chaired by Adelaida Lim who was also president, officers which included Carl Taawan as Corporate Secretary and Rommel Marcelo as Treasurer and an Executive Committee headed by Maricar Docyogen as Executive Director. In the executive committee are artists representing certain sectors: visual arts, literary arts, woodcarving, weaving, etc. I was essentially coming in as a third-party service provider as Creative Director and Project Manager, and with me and under our agreement, the whole project management team which included a production manager, stage managers, production assistants and a documentation team, among others. The basic arrangement was in exchange for our services, BACCI would pay us the total project management cost we submitted that was approved by the board and executive committee. While we have learned that the organization had zero funds available at the time, the assumption was that the organization would be taking care of fund-sourcing – or that at least, it wouldn’t be up to us to source out funds to pay ourselves. ORGANIZATIONAL, FINANCIAL ISSUES AND OTHER CHALLENGES In August, barely four months until the festival, we were faced with a dilemma: while the festival’s rationale, outline and calendar of activities were ready, things wouldn’t move until funds became available, and BACCI had yet to identity personnel to work on that. Adding to our woes was the lack of an office. Aside from Mt. Cloud Bookshop and Café by the Ruins Dua which was already closing shop to move to a different location, some of our meetings were hosted by Rocky Cating at the family-owned Solibao Restaurant on Session Road. We needed to have a permanent office space soonest. Several options were considered for this, including the newly-built though unutilized museum beneath the flagpole at City Hall, but after inquiring with the City Administrator about the possibility of allowing BACCI to use the space as the festival secretariat, we were told that the city’s legal office beat us to it. The Baguio Crafts and Productivity Center (also known as the OTOP Center) was forwarded as an option, though the building was in the process of being bid out to a lessee. But upon learning that the bidding process has not been initiated yet pending the finalization of the terms of reference, we wrote the mayor, the DTI Regional Director and the president of the Association of Barangay Captains for permission to use the 2nd floor as an office. Our request was approved, and sometime in September, we moved in. We had an office, but we still didn’t have mobilization funds. So just to get things moving while we waited for the organization to find a solution to this dilemma, we drafted the first solicitation letter addressed to the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), one of the major contributors to the previous year’s staging of the festival. In that letter dated August 15, 2019, we aimed for the stars and asked for two million pesos to cover majority of the events calendared in the festival. The proposal was essentially approved, albeit with several documentary requirements that BACCI

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needed to submit but didn’t have at the time, and also with a slightly lower net amount of below P1.8 Million. One of the requirements for the approval and release of the TPB sponsorship was the organization’s financial statement, which, as mentioned, at the time was non-existent. Despite having a zero-balance, I pointed out the need for a financial statement because since BACCI’s incorporation, it had engaged in activities that involved financial transactions such as when it was provided with free booths during Panagbenga 2019’s week-long trade fair, “Session Road in Bloom,” which, at the time and in fact to date, along with EntaCool, have neither been liquidated nor audited. We raised the concern that without those, we may not be able to secure the sponsorship of TPB. But even with the TPB sponsorship almost confirmed (we say almost since the contract has not been signed yet pending the required documents), we still didn’t have cash on hand. Whatever we needed, we’ve had to personally provide from representation expenses to office supplies. Meanwhile, some BACCI officers stepped up starting with board member Brenda Villanueva who donated P2,000.00, followed by then newly-installed board member Venus Navalta who donated P20,000 which was earmarked for the opening of a bank account for BACCI. Rocky Cating lent an extra inkjet printer. CONFIRMING TPB’S SPONSORSHIP AND BACCI’S LACK OF FINANCIAL HISTORY Towards the end of September, while the Tourism Promotions Board has confirmed its intention to sponsor the festival, formal arrangements have yet to be made. I offered to personally meet with Ms. Rona Olaivar, Events Services Specialist of TPB and the person assigned to coordinate the sponsorship at their office in Manila to finalize the sponsorship. One of the concessions I requested TPB was that in lieu of the usual financial statement, could we just submit a bank statement in its place? With the opening of the official BACCI bank account, it was the only document relating to the collective’s financial circumstances that was available at the time. The meeting was held on September 27, 2019 at the TPB office during which we were able to finalize the details of the sponsorship, and I came back up to Baguio with the primary list of documentary requirements that we needed to provide. I say primary because items would be consequently added to that list by TPB. In one meeting with members of the executive committee, Ms. Maricar Docyogen committed to preparing a financial statement, and also mentioned that BACCI may have around P30,000.00 in revenues from the Panagbenga event. A meeting was called to form a “Finance Committee” composed of officers of BACCI. In that meeting, Rocky Cating was assigned as head of the committee along with BACCI Treasurer Rommel Marcelo and a report was also finally submitted by Ms. Docyogen detailing the financial circumstances of BACCI’s previous undertakings. She also turned over the amount of P10,000.00 representing, according to the financial statement she submitted, revenue derived from the aforementioned activity. Executive Ms. Docyogen would eventually beg off from being directly involved in the operation of the organization for the month October due to personal commitments, and many of the other members of the executive committee could not commit to helping with BACCI’s administrative and financial concerns. Rocky Cating would eventually travel abroad. This left Mr. Rommel

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Marcelo (BACCI Treasurer) who committed to supervising the cash flow of the organization and Mr. Carl Taawan (BACCI Corporate Secretary) whom we have also included in the project management team as Logistics Coordinator. Then there was Ms. Brenda Villanueva, member of the board of BACCI, who volunteered to help with the staging of Jamming on a G-String, one of the major events calendared in the festival and Ms. Adelaida Lim, BACCI President, who made herself available to officially sign documents on behalf of the organization as much as possible. But BACCI still didn’t have a dedicated marketing or fund-sourcing team. It became apparent that the responsibility of sourcing funds not only for the festival but also for our own professional fees would fall on our shoulders. MORE FUND SOURCING EFFORTS, PRIVATE SPONSORS RESPOND Between the City Government’s and the Tourism Promotion Board’s commitments, we’ve covered roughly 80% of the festival’s financial requirements. We drafted more letters addressed to potential sponsors. The first to respond was Victory Liner Inc. who agreed to be a major sponsor. And thanks to Ms. Lim’s efforts, this was followed by the entry of HABI – The Philippine Textile Council also as a major sponsor. Then, to our surprise, Boysen Philippines, which usually provided sponsorship in kind (usually in the form of paints and other related products), signified their intention to come in as a major sponsor providing both cash and paints. The regional office of the Department of Tourism committed to covering our printing and other promotional needs, while Converge, a new internet service provider making their presence felt in Baguio, offered connectivity on-site for the duration of the festival. Towards the end of September, we were still short by two or three hundred thousand, and the team have been consumed by fund-sourcing efforts that the actual execution of the festival’s programs have taken a backseat. We decided to make do with what we had by that time, streamline the line-up of activities, set fund-sourcing aside already, and finally begin preproduction work on the events and activities of the festival. THE NEED FOR BRIDGE FINANCING Time flew in October, but things were finally moving. And then we received word from the Tourism Promotions Board that their sponsorship would be released in the form of reimbursement, meaning after the festival. By this time, all major events were already in motion, financial commitments were piling up and the limited funds available to us from our major sponsors were dwindling fast. We needed bridge financing, I informed the board of directors and members of the BACCI executive committee. We, members of the project management team, have already advanced over a hundred thousand to cover various expenses. Loaning the needed amount from either banks or private individuals was proposed and approved. But the lack of financial history proved to be difficult for BACCI to secure a loan. Board Member Venus Navalta offered to help with this problem by directing her company, IPG Media Brands Chief Financial Officer Nette Samson to assist us in getting a loan. But she could only assist us in getting a loan either from Security Bank or Cashalo, which both required numerous legal documents and collaterals to secure, both of which BACCI did not have. Carl Taawan offered to

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negotiate with a known event financier for a loan of 200K to 300K, but eventually that financier didn’t have available cash at the moment. Maricar Docyogen would eventually offer to loan the festival 100K – we put that on stand-by because as much as possible, we wanted to secure financing for the full amount we needed so we wouldn’t have to deal with several lenders. By the time the Undas weekend holiday ended, we were only able to secure an initial loan of P500,000.00, and it wouldn’t be enough to get the festival through its 9-day schedule. It was already November 4, and the opening ceremony was a mere 12 days away. VII.

LAUNCHING IBAGIW

Instead of the rather ambiguous “creative festival,” and considering that the festival was primarily being staged in celebration of the UNESCO designation of Baguio as a creative city, the board approved the following final title for the event: IBAGIW: THE BAGUIO CREATIVE CITY FESTIVAL 2019 After several postponements, we finally formally launched the festival with a press conference on September 18, 2019 at the City Hall Lobby. The panel included Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente, City Tourism Officer Alec Mapalo, DTI-Regional Director Myrna Pablo, DOT-CAR OIC Regional Director Jovy Ganongan, BACCI Chair and President Adelaida Lim, UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos and myself as a Creative Director. In that press conference, we presented the major activities and events, which we

From L-R: Prof. Raymundo Rovillos, Rommel Marcelo, City Tourism Officer. Alec Mapalo, Maricar Docyogen, Divina Bautista, Rocky Cating, Brenda Villanueva, DOT OIC Reg. Dir. Jovi Ganongan and KM Altomonte

have had to streamline given the realities of the financial circumstances of the festival. The press conference was followed by a

Photo: Oshare Na.

media briefing on the competitions, the primary activity of the festival, on September 25.

Present in the briefing were consultants Bumbo Villanueva for Metalcraft, Wigan Nauyac for Woodcarving, Rocky Cating for Basketry and Adelaida Lim for Weaving. The briefing was attended by both local media and interested participants in the various competitions. In the weeks that followed, the secretariat started receiving submissions from artisans, some coming all the way from Mountain Province and Ifugao. After finalizing the program for the opening and closing galas, a series of production meetings were held where the featured performing artists were briefed on their respective slots in the ceremonies. Rehearsals soon followed. ARTISTS’ RESPONSES Meanwhile, we also launched the call for submissions for the various events and activities calendared in the festival and started accepting proposals from artists for various commissioned works.

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We tried to come up with a system that we believed levelled the playing field that would allow us to give more artists the opportunity to participate in the festival: artists must submit a proposal, which would be then be assessed based on artistic merits, feasibility and lastly, cost. While some of the activities, such as the opening and closing galas, involved directly booking artists based on the specific requirements of the ceremonies, we wanted the rest of the activities to be open and available to a larger number of artists. Responses were varied. Many artists welcomed the system, but there were also others who believed that they were beyond having to submit proposals and were entitled to automatically be given grants or exhibition privileges. CASES IN POINT In one example, we sent invitations to different art groups to submit proposals for exhibitions, events or activities. While several responded with specific project proposals, one groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response was to inquire how much we were allotting for their planned activity. We requested them for specifics about their activity. Their reply was that they needed to know the budget allocation for their group first beforehand. After informing them that we first needed to know exactly what the activity would be, its logistics requirements and other concerns before we could determine if one, we could accommodate the proposed activity and secondly, if we could afford its cost implications, they decided not to participate. Then there were individual artists too who, while they knew about the festival and its calls for submissions for the various activities particularly those involving commissioned works, but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t communicate with the secretariat, let alone submit a proposal. We share these experiences to illustrate the point that while we in the creative community have been demanding the government to respond to our needs, we, too, need to acknowledge that many in our sector have a misplaced sense of entitlement and that we also need to make an effort to conform to certain ethical and professional standards. The path towards a more vibrant and sustainable creative community is a two-way street. We stood by the process of curating the commissioned works based on submitted proposals. VIII.

ON THE EVE OF IBAGIW: THE BAGUIO CREATIVE CITY FESTIVAL 2019

November 15, 2019, the day before the festival, the rest of the materials purchased by the City Government finally arrived. The Mayor had just left from a final ocular visit, and activities at the old Diplomat Hotel went into overdrive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; angle bars were being drilled into place, lights were being installed, the exhibitors at the Marketplace have begun setting up their stalls, exhibiting groups and individuals have arrived along with the visiting artists from Angono, Rizal, the participants to the competitions, were putting finishing touches to their entries.

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In the meantime, in the improvised office we set up in one of the rooms, we were still crunching numbers. Do we have enough to cover all the expenses we need to pay in the coming days? The first to offer deferring their respective honoraria were the core members of the project management team. Baguio Tourism Officer Alec Mapalo called to inform us that upon the Mayor’s instructions, the city would be able to provide P500,000.00 to the festival in the form of a cash advance under his name, which I would have to sign for and guarantee personally. I did without hesitation. Later that day, Mr. Mapalo arrived with the money, in cash. Add that to the P500,000.00 in loan that we were able to secure earlier and we still didn’t have enough to cover everything, but as we theater artists say, which most of the members of the project management team were, the show must go on. With the confirmation of the participation of the contingent from Angono, Rizal which included, aside from a group of visual artists with their respective works, a choral group which we reserved a slot for in the next day’s program, we assigned the main exhibit room at the 2nd floor for a group exhibit dubbed, “Salubong,” featuring works by the Angono group alongside those by selected Baguio artists. Kawayan de Guia and Nona Garcia were among the featured local artists who also volunteered to curate the Baguio half of the exhibit. The rooms at the first floor were assigned to different groups and individuals, as follows: 1.

Pidaoan Room – Tam-awan Group of Artists

Apni Room – Wet Plate Photography Exhibit by Russel Ariola

Cariño Room – Allied Creative Services Exhibit

Oligueg Room – Pasa-Kalye Group of Artists

Camdas Room – Installation Art by Sonny Balanga

Molintas Room – Solid Line Works

Carantes Room – Installation Art by Raquel Diokno

Suello Room – Dreams and Spectrums

The rooms and other areas of the venue were named after some of the original settlers and the old names of the different districts of the area that would eventually become the City of Baguio. The hallway around the main courtyard featured works by various individual artists who offered to have their works exhibited. The main courtyard, in turn, which we have named Kafagway Garden, featured a small stage where we intended to have most of the musical performances scheduled for the week. The other courtyard, or Minac Garden, featured two major outdoor installations: “Bantay” by Sulo Projects and “Tension Sculpture” by Ana Cecilia Schmidt. All of these were still being set-up in the afternoon of the day before. TYPHOON RAMON Then we were thrown another curve ball: a typhoon was approaching and though it wouldn’t make landfall in the general area of Baguio, there was a possibility of rain the next day. We had to make a decision: move everything indoors, or set-up a tarpaulin to cover the outdoor stage area. I held off making a decision. Later that evening as midnight approached, the Baguio Photographers Club arrived with the framed prints for the Culture Bearers of Baguio exhibit at the Orengao Hall, and to set their photography exhibit up at the Cavaljuerza Room.

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Looking at the hustle and bustle of the day before, to an outsider, it may have seemed like the exhibits wouldn’t make it in time for the next day’s opening. But I personally knew most of the people who were on ladders hanging paintings, carrying platforms around, working on their respective installation art pieces, putting finishing touches on eight by twelve-foot murals and I never doubted for a second that the transformation of the old Diplomat Hotel into the city’s center for arts and culture for nine days would be completed in time for the opening ceremony. Before we parted ways after midnight to get a few hours of sleep, I made the call: we were going to go ahead with the original plan and do the opening ceremony outdoors, and hope for the best. IX.

THE OPENING CEREMONY

We ended the previous workday way past midnight, yet the team was back at the venue first thing the next morning. The bright morning sun was a welcome sight. Both teams of lights and sound providers – one for the interior and the other for the outdoor setup – were already unloading their equipment, although the truck that brought the artworks of the Angono group was parked where the main stage was supposed to be, and the drivers, out-oftowners, were nowhere to be found. We couldn’t set the platform up, on which orientation everything else depended – lights, sound system, LED wall, musical instruments, seats for the orchestra, etc. The truck’s doors were locked, and we gave the people looking for the drivers another half an hour to locate them, or we would have break down the windows to be able to get in and move the vehicle out of the way. Meanwhile, the black pig has been delivered, the Mambunong was on her way. The muralists have moved their respective works outdoors to allow us to finalize the exhibits inside.

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ON A WING AND A PRAYER The Mambunong arrived and we proceeded to a small open area to perform a ritual which involved the butchering of the black pig and the reading of its internal organs and prayers by the Mambunong. We waited silently as she held and stared intently at the offerings in her hands. We heaved a happy sigh when she declared that the offering was sufficient and that everything pointed to a successful event. Shots of tapuey and gin were passed around. Back at the outdoor stage area, the truck was still in the way and the drivers still nowhere to be found. It was almost 10:00 AM, five hours away from the start of the program. I tried tugging at the driver’s side window to see if enough space for my arm to go through could be created. It budged a little, with hardly enough space. I pulled down a little harder, the window went down another inch, and with enough effort I was able to squeeze my hand in. A couple more tugs and I was able to get my whole arm in, reach for the lock and open the door. Putting the gear in neutral, we pushed the truck out of the way and started setting up the platforms. Towards lunchtime, while we feasted on watwat – boiled meat from the morning’s ritual, the featured performers started to arrive. The stage managers were ran through the program with the emcees – members of the theater group, Open Space. There was no ribbon to cut, instead, a fire pit was set-up in front of the stage which the VIPs would light up with torches to signal the formal opening of the festival. At 1:30 PM, several sound checks and rehearsals ran simultaneously – the orchestra tuning their instruments, bands tweaking their amplifiers indoors and outdoors, Bumbo Villanueva putting final touches on the production design for his performance art piece, the energy was exhilarating. I gave the cue for the soundman to start playing the house music and the videos on the LED wall. Then shortly before 3:00 PM, I call for one final company call with the stage managers and the emcees. After the meeting, just as everyone started proceeding to their pre-set positions, the guests started arriving. Over the communications headset, I asked the stage managers: “Stage left?” “Ready.” “Stage right?” “Ready.” I gave the cue for the house music to be faded out, and Apiles, an elder from Ifugao, walked up the stage to perform the opening prayer.

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IBAGIW: THE BAGUIO CREATIVE CITY FESTIVAL 2019

TERMINAL REPORT

THE OPENING & CLOSING GALAS

Photos and videos are available online at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MdbYzMvpx-Kl3ufQMPo2kuTbVQLdf82z

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THE OPENING GALA RATIONALE

The primary design of the Opening Gala intended to give the audience a glimpse of what to expect from Ibagiw for the rest the festival. For this, we outlined a program that would complement the diversity of the artworks and crafts that were on exhibit inside the Old Diplomat Hotel. Scheduled to run from 4:00-8:00 PM, the basic concept was to spread out the featured performances throughout the 4-hour timetable and in different areas of the venue. With the theme song, “Sa Saliw Ng Mga Gangsa” as inspiration, after formally declaring the festival open, gong players would lead the audience inside the main hall of the venue where the first featured performance awaited them. Then after every 15-20 minutes, the gong players would again lead the crowd to a different area where the next performance would happen. But while we scheduled festivities and performances to run for a total of four hours, we made sure that all the formalities will be done in under an hour in consideration of the limited availability of the invited guests of honor.

PRE-PRODUCTION

Preparations for both the Opening and Closing Galas were done simultaneously. Once the Sequence Guides were drafted, the artists included in the cast were contacted to determine their availability and get their commitment to be part of the program. The confidentiality of the artists’ respective professional fees was respected, these were discussed with them individually and privately. Once an individual artist or group confirmed their participation, they were invited to attend a production meeting to discuss the details of their respective parts in the program. In the meeting held on October 19, 2019 at the secretariat office at the 2nd floor of the OTOP Center, the artists were first introduced to the festival’s rationale before the discussing the concept for both the Opening & Closing Galas. The original line-up for the Opening Gala program were as follows:

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SLU Orchestra and Glee Club – to perform their own repertoire as the gates to welcome the guests, and later in the program, together with other featured performers, to perform the festival theme song, “Sa Saliw ng mga Gangsa.”

UB - Uffon Kaafuan – a 10-minute performance of indigenous music and dances that would segue to the opening prayer at the start of the program and together with the SLU and UC contingents, perform the festival theme song, “Sa Saliw ng mga Gangsa.”

UC Dance Squad – to perform the festival theme song, “Sa Saliw ng mga Gangsa” and later in the program, to perform a 5-10 minute dance number.

John Glen Gaerlan, tenor – to perform the National Anthem.

Marjorie Atos-Javellana, pianist – to perform 3-5 classical solo piano pieces and later in the program, to accompany the classical vocalists in a few classical arias.

Stefanie Quintin, soprano – to perform classical arias solo and in duets with Lloyd Virgo.

Lloyd Virgo, baritone – to perform classical arias solo and in duets with Stefanie Quintin.

Angelo Aurelio, performance artist – to perform a specially commissioned performance-art piece, originally entitled “Barrel Man 2.0.”

Petune Band – to perform a set of original music that would serve as the culmination of the Opening Gala.

And instead of having just one or two emcees, five local theater artists were cast: 1.

Lissa Romero-de Guia

Shirley Bognot-Esplana

Adrian Esplana

Roman Ordona

Jeff Coronado

The emcees were also slated to perform during the program, which, incidentally, was also designed to be flexible enough to accommodate late additions and opportunities for impromptu performances. Except for Stefanie Quintin who was abroad at the time but had signified her commitment to perform during the program, and Angelo

Pianist Marjorie Atos-Javellana and folk singer Jose "Bubut" Olarte, Jr.

Aurelio who was out of town and whom the stage management staff

had been having a difficult time communicating with, all the other performers or their representatives were present at the production meeting.

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After the meeting, rehearsals were scheduled for the emcees’ performances under the direction of K.M. Altomonte and the respective rehearsal schedules of the other performers were requested by the stage management staff to be able to supervise and follow-up on the progress of their respective parts in the program. PROFESSIONALIZING PROFESSIONS As the professional fees for the featured artists in these activities were under the budget of the LGU, artists were also reminded to prepare the necessary documentary requirements which mainly involved having a Tax Identification Number (TIN) and a valid government-issued ID to present when claiming their respective professional fees. This would later prove to be a problem after the festival when the professional fees for the artists involved were being prepared by the LGU as some of the artists took the requirements for granted – some provided either relatives’ TINs or non-existent/random ones, others just didn’t have it and asked if there was any other way to get their fees without having to present those basic requirements. This is one area where BACCI could really make a difference in the creative community. In regular meetings between the project management team and BACCI officers who were directly involved in the staging of the festival, Rommel Marcelo, treasurer and Carl Taawan, corporate secretary, we discussed ways for the collective to make the professionalization of artists and artisans a high priority, and that one of the immediate initiatives could be for the collective to provide industry representation for its members. Further recommendations in this regard are included in the latter part of this document. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS VS. ARTISTIC VALUES We also encountered challenges when justifying the professional fees we forwarded to the City Budget Office for payment. In one instance, we were asked to justify the professional fee of a performer by the number of songs that she would be performing. We explained that the length of her performance or the number of songs she would be singing were not the bases for the amount we have requested for her, but her stature in the industry and the artistic value that she brings to her performances. This is one area where local artists find it difficult to avail of government support from the city government of Baguio. Artworks and other creative output are treated the same way as any other government purchase under a system that’s essentially designed to award a contract or a job order to the lowest bidder. For example, originally, we wanted to place the commissioned murals under the LGU’s budget, but under current government procurement rules, the process would have set the respective artistic values of the artists’ concepts aside, and the proposals with the lowest cost would have been awarded the grants.

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In another instance of the difficulty of having government support for festivals such as Ibagiw was when we were asked to submit a log containing the names and signatures of people who partook of the government-funded food and beverages during the opening and closing galas. While we were eventually able to provide such logs, this requirement meant having each guest, each member of the audience who happened to help themselves to a glass of iced tea or a piece of camote during the program to write down their names and affix their signature on an attendance sheet. Although we did point out to the City Budget Office that we have previously worked on government-funded projects where funds were directly released to the proponents but were subjected to government-approved liquidation and audit rules. Asked if this would be possible for Ibagiw, and we were informed that it was not. The basic narrative of the City Budget Office throughout the festival was how we could not do things in ways that would truly serve the interest of the constituency that we wish to serve, and we have always forwarded the idea of changing that narrative: instead of constantly justifying why we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, perhaps we could instead exert more effort in looking for ways how we could. PUTTING IT TOGETHER As the date of the opening neared, the secretariat began spending more time at the venue leaving the office at the OTOP center open for rehearsals. A synthesizer keyboard was set-up at the office for the performers, particularly the emcees and the vocalists who used the space to rehearse their respective parts in the program. Once the stage management staff determined the exact duration of each of the performances, the final script was drafted. A few minor changes had to be made. First, after finally getting hold of performance-artist Angelo Aurelio, he informed us that he preferred to paint a mural instead. He was advised that the deadline for submission of proposals has lapsed and that there were no more slots available for Re-imagining Baguio: The Murals. This left a slot open and fortunately, sculptor Bumbo Villanueva, who had been working on a performance-art piece, inquired if he could be included in the opening program. The slot was given to him. Secondly, the final list of proposed activities sent by the visiting artists from Angono, Rizal, included a performance by the Angono Chorale Ensemble. A slot was reserved for them. Finally, Lynette Carantes-Bibal, daughter of the late Geoffrey Carantes whose works were being exhibited in the festival, shared with us the short program that was prepared to launch her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibit: a ritual led by a mambunong and a performance by Bobby Carantes. This too, was included in the program sequence. Meanwhile, the secretariat printed the invitations to the opening and began sending them to the people in its guest list. The LGU, through the City Budget Office, was also

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provided with blank copies of the invitations to be sent to those included in their list. And while the secretariat was initially informed of the request of the Office of the Mayor to make the opening ceremony a “by invitation only” affair, or at least the first part of the program due to security issues at the time, it was eventually decided that the ceremony would be open to the public.

THE OPENING PROGRAM The final program sequence was as follows: 3:00 PM

Gates Open

MAIN STAGE 3:30

Live music

SLU Orchestra