A fast-paced and glitzy Miss Iriga pageant

No matter how many times one visits Iriga City in Camarines Sur, there‘s always something new to discover and appreciate in what is turning out to be one of the country‘s most exciting destinations.

Iriga City has three major celebrations. These are the Tinagba Festival every February; the Miss Iriga beauty pageant in June to coincide with the celebration of the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua (the city‘s patron saint); and the city‘s Foundation Day in September.

People look forward fervently to the activities that are held in line with each one as these have become more exciting in past years due largely to the incredible efforts of its three-time Mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazmen.

Take for example this year‘s Miss Iriga pageant held a few weeks ago at the City Colosseum which carried the theme on nationalism. According to Mayor Madelaine, she specifically chose that theme because she knew many have been divided by their political beliefs and affiliations these past months.

”It‘s time to unite again and to move forward as one,” she said in the audio-visual presentation which kicked-off the pageant. Her statement was followed by a footage showing historic events in the country, as if to remind people that we have it in us to turn things around for the better as proven by the heroes who did so in the past.

The theme of the pageant not only gave the production a definite direction, but more importantly, it reminded the people of Iriga of the virtues that are needed from them at this pivotal time in our history. Inspired by the famous inaugural address of John F. Kennedy, the mayor reiterated that the government can only do so much to improve the current situation. True change will only come if everyone contributes.

It‘s interesting to note that the Miss Iriga contest has no swimsuit portion. Being a woman, Mayor Madelaine realizes that having one is not necessary to make the program more electrifying than it turned out to be. Indeed, what the pageant lacked in “skin,” was more than made up for by exciting production numbers, as well as the presence of celebrities such as Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez, StarStruck winner Mike Tan and Kapuso actress Iza Calzado.

Kudos goes to Powerdance artistic director Douglas Nierras who oversaw the over-all production of the pageant. The Miss Iriga contest this year was fast-paced and glitzy (it even had a gun salute!). Even the Q&A portion was educational and entertaining since the judges threw in interesting and relevant quizzes (e.g. “What is the difference between an accidental hero and a hero on purpose?”)

In the end, the combination of beauty, intelligence and virtue determined the three winners out of 24 finalists. These are Casey Anne Austria, Miss Bicol Tourism; Princess Armillos, Miss Rinconada; and Linda Buckland, Miss Iriga 2010.

Prior to pageant night, the contestants attended workshops on self-improvement and a seminar on the rights of senior citizens. They also went on immersion visits in some of the city‘s barangays. The highlight of their week-long activities was the girls touching base with members of the Oyango tribe in the mountainous regions of Iriga.

A bevy of beautiful women in a contest with a socio-civic aspect. It‘s time and resources well-spent.

Cinematography and digital workshop

The Filipino Society of Cinematographers (FSC) in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts held the first HD Advance Cinematography and Digital Workshop in Batangas. The workshop was attended by filmmaking students, film enthusiasts and members of the cinematography guild.

Cinematographer Ariel Reyes, workshop program director, designed the workshop program. Reyes has been conducting digital filmmaking workshops through Plusiminus Film Camp where he also sits as workshop program director.

Reyes who studied cinematography at the oldest filmmaking school in Europe, the All Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), in Russia also said that cinematography is the backbone of a good film. “Cinematography is infinite in its possibilities... much more so than music or language,” he added, quoting his favorite cinematographer, Conrad Hall.

Lecturers included Regie Paloma (editing), Karl Claveria (visual effects), and Reyes, (cinematography). FSC also invited Victorino VJ Sianghio III, marketing manager, cinema department of Fuji film to expound on the negative exposures in 35mm filmmaking and technology transfer from film to digital.

Isagani Sioson, president of the Filipino Society of Cinematography said that the FSC will continue its program on cinematography education. He added that veteran members of the cinematography guild are open to new technologies and are willing to learn the latest trend in digital filmmaking.

Among those who attended the workshop were John Paul Bedia, Orville Chua, Karen Eve Parilla, Kris Baylon, Sam Sumaray, Denison Manuel, Carlo Pena (chair, communication and language dept, FAITH Batangas), Fatima Alcoriza, Daniel Macasadia, Searle Lira and Bianca Belle Benida.