The photo of an old lumad woman teaching a younger woman and a child of the traditional way of weaving has been chosen winner of the Hulagway sa 34th Kadayawan Photo Contest, the Davao City Information Office (CIO) announced on Thursday.
Titled “Pagtudlo sa Kaalam” by Jay Narangho, it was adjudged the winner not only for its impressive technical and artistic presentation, but because of its clear message of “tenderly passing a cultural gem from one generation to the next.”
“It had a powerful story, which captures the essence of Kadayawan — generations of the tribes in Davao,” said one of the judges, photojournalist Keith Bacongco.
Bacongco said photographers must understand the images they are capturing as it could greatly convey the correct message.
Davao City Information Officer Jefry Tupas said this year’s competition received a total 900 entries, which were trimmed down to 120 in the pre-selection stage and further to 30 for the final judging of a mixed seasoned and award-winning photographers and journalists.
Dexter Arcenas won second place for his photo “Davao Beauties”, which showcases the 11 Hiyas sa Kadayawan candidates and winners.
The winning photo captured the moment from afar, having a wide perspective of the scene, including not only the Davao Beauties but also the whole artwork of the well-prepared stage.
“Davao Beauties perfectly captured the message of unity among the 11 tribes of Davao. Perfect in its colors, emotions, balance, and timing – it had all the elements of a winning photo,” Tupas said.
Jonel D. Amora was the 3rd placer for his photo “Sayaw”, showing a girl performing a ritual while holding threads of abaca.
“Sayaw showed the rawness of the story of a tribe. It’s not only a photo about dance — but it’s also about the life of a community: how they produce crops, how they give thanks to the gods and goddesses for the good harvest, how they start over again. What made this photo sparkle was its eloquence in telling that story,” Tupas said. “Production, agriculture, life— not just dance but the expression of life.”
Aside from Tupas, the judges were Dennis Tan, a seasoned Davao photographer who teaches photography to children with special needs; Keith Bacongco, an award-winning photojournalist; and, Drew Dejan Jr, a Youth Ambassador of the University of Mindanao (UM).
“We have this mix of judges because we are not only looking for the technical aspect of photography, but also the composition, the impact, the overall message of the photos. We want to have different opinions, criticisms, and appreciation of the entries,” Tupas said.
Aside from the three winners, Tupas said each category of the competition also has runners up plus a Mayor’s Choice Award who received consolation prize each.
Among the winners were Arcenas, Longakit, and Cane from Kasikas category.
Losantas, Braganza, and Daquigan also won from the Tabuan category.
Junsay, Dupista, and Longakit bagged an award from the Pamulak category.
Batain with two entries won under the Pamulak category, and Maboloc who is also the Mayor’s Choice Award winner, won under the Panagtagpo Category.
Arcenas, Ng, and Pajares Jr. were the runners up for the Tunog ug Sayaw category.
Batain and Acebuche are the runners up under the Indak indak category. CIO
