Christmas surprises – creative sights

Christmas often brings out the most creative and impressive products of Filipino artists and craftsmen. But sometimes one can still be jarred by native creations. And that was what happened to me and my children and grandchildren.

Among the most memorable sights were the Christmas trees of the Gaisano Supermall along Singcang. The most impressive was that of a Christmas tree which soared high and with actual rice seedlings growing to regale viewers. And the indigenous materials of bamboo as well as newspapers crafted into Christmas trees.

The provincial government served a surprise to Negrenses by putting up the Christmas Village at the provincial lagoon and park. This was a project of fine arts students of the La Consolacion College. They depicted the traditional Filipino way of celebrating the Christmas season. The miniature figures included carolers. There is also the simbang gab-i scene, complete with a church and Christmas lanterns festooned the church yard and the church itself.

What drew the crowd was the addition of a fish-filled lagoon which attracted the children. But even the old folks delighted in violating the rule of not giving the tilapia anything. They simply tossed corn flakes and pop corn into the water. Many cheered at the sight of the fish school vying for a bite.

But the most impressive was the Christmas Village of artist Bamboo Tonogbanua. The drawback was that it was inside the second storey of the Tonogbanua home along San Juan Street.

Only a limited few could view it. But there is the problem of transporting the entire scene to a public place. It occupies virtually one half of the entire floor and dismantling the whole thing could be an almost impossible prospect.

"It took me eight years to come up with what you are now seeing. It’s next to impossible to transport it elsewhere," Tonogbanua told me.

Well, just for the record, he had invited to me to view his creation five years ago. "Finally after five years you have accepted my invitation," he greeted me at the door of his home.

It was only after I had taken in the entire panorama that I quipped – "now, you know it was worth the wait," I assured him.

Western Motif

The major difference between the Tonogbanua creation and that of the LCC students (some his own students) was that his collection of miniatures were European and American. Those at the provincial lagoon were native, most of the materials used were wood and local materials.

The most impressive of Bamboo’s presentation was that of the Christmas Village. This included not only scenes of a Sweden, but also miniature reindeers, sledge and twinkling lights.

They were so meticulously crafted. The figurines are themselves according to size, computed mathematically. And there were also three trains that were activated by a switch and chugged their way through tunnels under what could immediately be deduced as the Alps and European mountains.

Actually, Bamboo has a Swiss Alpine Village which reduced to miniature a typical Swiss village. Then, there is also the New England scene, the miniature figures reflecting in details costumes and their way of life. And topping it all were fiber optic lights and a scene of a mansion with residents.

There was a steady stream of people crowding the Tonogbanua residence. Entry, however, was regulated. For most, however, it was a visit that was a worth the wait. What they saw was a work of art that boosted the stature of Bamboo as one of Negros Occidental’s great artists who painstakingly put together his Christmas Village.

What started as a young man’s avocation has become an awesome work of art.

Row On Sugar Crisis

As I had mentioned in an earlier column, sugarmen found themselves confronted by a crisis of sorts – falling millgate prices due to overproduction.

The Philippine Sugar Alliance, however, moved swiftly to alleviate the situation. In consultation with Sugar Regulatory Administrator James Ledesma, the PSA agreed to the early shipment of the 85,000 metric tones of "D" (world) sugar by late January. This will almost coincide with the first shipment of 18,400 Mts. of the Philippine share of the US sugar quota. In short, the shipment of these stocks will leave a projected balance of 114,300 mts. by the end of the crop year.

That will lead to a tightened supply. Normally, that is below the buffer stock of the months usually built up to avert any possible shortage, according to a study by Ledesma.

Of late, however, there has been agitation on the part of some members of the industry to ask President Arroyo to create an inter-agency task force to address the issue by, among others, to order the National Food Authority to buy sugar. It called for a P6 billion emergency fund.

It sounded good. On paper.

But the authors – including Sugar Commissioner Rafael Golez – may not have realized that the move precisely is opposed by the bulk of the Philippine Sugar Alliance. These are the four producers federations, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association, and the Association of Independent Millers (ATM). The four producer’s federations are the UNIFED, the Confed, Panay-Fed, and the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP).

What is strange is that among the proponents of government intervention was Enrique Rojas, president of the NFSP.

That proposal immediately created a howl of being politically motivated at P270 per bag. Worried sugarmen could take in the fact that the impact of the "D" sugar on the composite price is minimal.

Assuming that "B" (domestic sugar) prices increased by P50 to P750 per bag, the composite price will still be P761.05. Provided that a producer looks at the composite price instead of focusing on the farmgate prices of domestic sugar.

It seems, according to Trebel, most have forgotten that it took a longer time to raise up the price of sugar following the intervention by the NFA during the term of former President Fidel Ramos, when the rice agency started selling sugar below the market price, that also triggered a much bigger howl among the producers than the temporary alleviation of the dip of sugar prices to almost P500 per bag.

This time, however, the industry is better prepared to cope with the situation now, with its masterplan in place, the PSA launched a program to increase productivity, improve efficiency and reduce per unit production cost.

Reduction of our unit cost is our insurance for survival and to maintain self-efficiency," Trebol stressed.