Baguio artists to bring art to typhoon-hit areas

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines -  In 2009,  theater artists trekked to Ondoy and Pepeng-hit Coroz in Tublay town, Benguet and help the ravaged village rise up again after the devastation.

Various art forms ushered in the dimension of piecing togeher the psyche once again, said Baguio theater artist Karlo Altomonte who is leading a team of artists to head to the Visayas in January to do the same to Yolanda survivors, particularly villagers in Iloilo.

Altomonte, who founded in 1995 “Open Space”, a Baguio-based artist collective composed of theater artists, writers, musicians, composers, filmmakers, said workshops to be held aim to help children deal with the emotional and psychological trauma after the tragedy that hit them.

"Aside from distributing relief goods, art therapy is our contribution to the overall effort for people to rise up again amidst these tragedies,' said Altomonte who regularly stages plays about  social, cultural and historical issues in the city.

The group  has  also gathered  additional personal hygiene kits and distributed the same through the Mother Butler Mission Guilds, an organization in the forefront of relief efforts in Iloilo now.

Last November 17, Open Space staged "Agas Para Iloilo", a benefit concert that gathered medicines that were sent to the Mother Butler Mission Guilds.  Two boxes of assorted medicines particularly for children, and some cash which was used to buy hammers and nails to help communities rebuild their homes.

Altomonte said, local BPO company, International Hotels Group (IHG) heard of the concert and offered to host the repeat last November 23 dubbed "Agas Para Visayas" and was done in cooperation with RockEd Baguio and the Cordillera School of Digital Arts.

Altomonte said they We will target at least two villages (in Iloilo) for the therapy and  teach those who underwent such to do it to other communities.  

From Iloilo,  the therapy session could reach Tacloban, he added. - Artemio A. Dumlao