The Baguio we Want, the Baguio They Promise

Being a PR strategist  for Baguio and La Trinidad Community events mean that I am in touch base and in direct contact with people from different walks of life.

Everything is connected- you need to listen to information if you want to succeed in  everything you are doing.

I attended the forum for " The Baguio We Want, the Baguio They promise Us" and was given a chance to have a glimpse of what was inside the minds of the Mayoral candidates.

Candidates for Mayoral Position Del Claravall, Mauricio Domogan and Jose Molintas were able to present their stand, including a Guillermo Hernandez.

This is actually a good start, it might not contain the elements of an improved forum that will suit the entire taste of Baguio as a whole, but the forum is one good way to have a feel, a definite pulse as to what these candidates are.

Attended the forum yesterday at Baguio Convention center and had a better understanding of how the candidates running for Mayor formulate their thoughts.

One of the candidates for Mayor was very eloquent, he definitely knew how to speak, and the way he stood up, his bearing is unquestionable--however because I have been around this community for a very long time- I know that this candidate has yet to touch the pulse and heart of the city-- you can't just have the bearing-- of a leader, you must have a soul.

The other candidate, was obviously technical as he has always been- this will still work for other people in Baguio who don't want to formulate their own thoughts- his thoughts are still quick, obviously well read- but I heard  about projects that he insists are being done-but I have yet to experience myself as a resident.

The other candidate was for pure fun- at times we just need someone to make us feel light for something so serious.

The last candidate for which I have decided to vote was more willing to learn and adjust, there had been no false promises as to what he will do, there are no comforting words for the residents of Baguio, just plain truth-- here lies the problem of the city- and he is the only candidate in their inviting everyone in the city to move--

Because honestly, it is not just the Mayor alone who will decide the fate of this city-- it would be everyone, and only a Mayor who will invite you to Wake up and acknowledge where you are right now-- and only the one who is willing to discuss potential solutions, only the one who goes around town and mingles with every sector is the one who is going to have a chance to make it work.

Del Claravall, is the candidate for Mayor I was talking about- being a good observer of what is going on I took careful observation as to how he delivered his speech.

 And in summary-- he was logical  but at the same time he is an open vessel for ideas- this is the reason why the community has to listen right now- and help him--this is a fresh slate for the city- sure, the other candidates are very well rehearsed with their speeches-- Hitler too was rehearsed, he knew all that had to be said in order to tape into the emotional current of people-- but this is not what Baguio needs-- what Baguio needs is a leader who actually listens and is opening up the chance for a real community collaboration.

For the most part, he is the Mayoral Candidate who is not in feud with anyone, or at least has not public enemies in various sectors- this means there would be less political issues being hurled at one another if he wins- this means more time for supporting the projects of the city.

His key points during the forum was concentrated on having an actual researched plan for the city of Baguio, and the first thing he focused on  is how to engage people to come out and help.

Baguio needs a charismatic leader, someone with Charisma, who is well loved in order for people to move, it is still a small community despite the urban developments and there are still many things that could be done by people who connect with each other easily.

Del Claravall spoke about long and short range solutions and rationalized the public vehicles should park in the barangays- he has served a long time and worked with barangays and understand how they flow.

Laws must also be implemented according to him, he noted how it is taking certain government offices to process papers especially when it comes to land disputes.

He also spoke about socialized housing and how that could be used as a way to reduce the problem with illegal settlers.

Edilberto Clarvall, emphasized on community participation, to merge barangays and to connect them in order to better energize. 

He also emphasized on the value of research, when it comes to issues like water regulation and how to resolve the water problems of Baguio, he spoke about technologies like water fetching systems that will solve the lack of water.

This to me is forward thinking, none of the other candidates spoke about using research information to better equip the city with what it needs-- the city needs a better way to distribute information-- because we are already loaded with information but we are not able to process them correctly-- this is what Baguio needs to internalize better. 

After the debate, I noticed people flocking to him,  representatives of vendor in the market. Different social groups and organization representatives came and hugged him like they know him for a very long time.

They were more than eager to touch  his hand, have a quick chit chat with him- the energy of this person is very light, motivating, very in the new-- just what Baguio City needs. 

Immortality Faces in Baguio City

Baguio City is the home of some of the best artists in the Philippines.

It will come as no surprise that the art of Life Casting is also present in the city.

The art of life Casting started out in Egypt and Greece.

It is a way for Pharaohs and leaders of Greece to immortalize them.

The Art of Life Casting:

This process of portrait creation was practiced 10,000 to 8,000 B.C, and this was thought to be a form of ancestor worship.

They represent a higher degree of artistic representation, and the masks are added with precious stones that are embedded together with the plaster.

Craftsman and artists in Baguio are known for creating life casts.

Edwin Ngina,  one of the best craftsmen in Baguio City is providing the process of life casting.

This is also being offered by performance artist Tara Lalaine Natividad.

Merkaba a one of a kind handmade craft shop and workshop area for artists is offering life casting.

Interested individuals who want to immortalize their face can schedule a life casting session at Merkaba.

The face casting process in the 18^th Century is a way for the nobility to reach beyond the veil of death and touch the future with their presence. (Craftsman Handbook, 1392)

The process is intimate and meaningful and could be done by partners. 

Face casting can be done by friends who want to merge their connection for a lifetime, it can also be done with family members and the person we love the most.

·    Life casting is used by artists to study the human form, by allowing your face to be casted; it is also a contribution to the improvement of sculpture and painting.

·    The art of casting is used to capture, the likeness of great leaders, entertainers and thinkers of their time.

Famous scientists, thinkers and artists have their own face casts- from Newton, Dante and Wagner as well as George Washington.

In the past only the affluent are able to get this privilege.

 Nowadays, we want to make a revival of this precious craft here in Baguio City.

To schedule for a Face Cast process to immortalize you contact Merkaba Hand Made Crafts:

Get to experience something that is rare and special at the same time. 

Do something different this year-- get your face Immortalized.

09054043363 for Globe/ 09305674095

https://www.facebook.com/Merkaba-Hand-Made-Crafts-1560324704290931/

Immortalize your face like the Pharaohs of Egypt through Life Casting Process by Baguio Artists

Baguio City is the home of some of the best artists in the Philippines.

It will come as no surprise that the art of Life Casting is also present in the city.

The art of life Casting started out in Egypt and Greece.

It is a way for Pharaohs and leaders of Greece to immortalize them.

The Art of Life Casting:

This process of portrait creation was practiced 10,000 to 8,000 B.C, and this was thought to be a form of ancestor worship.

They represent a higher degree of artistic representation, and the masks are added with precious stones that are embedded together with the plaster.

Craftsman and artists in Baguio are known for creating life casts.

Edwin Ngina,  one of the best craftsmen in Baguio City is providing the process of life casting.

This is also being offered by performance artist Tara Lalaine Natividad.

Merkaba a one of a kind handmade craft shop and workshop area for artists is offering life casting.

Interested individuals who want to immortalize their face can schedule a life casting session at Merkaba.

The face casting process in the 18^th Century is a way for the nobility to reach beyond the veil of death and touch the future with their presence. (Craftsman Handbook, 1392)

The process is intimate and meaningful and could be done by partners. 

Face casting can be done by friends who want to merge their connection for a lifetime, it can also be done with family members and the person we love the most.

·    Life casting is used by artists to study the human form, by allowing your face to be casted; it is also a contribution to the improvement of sculpture and painting.

·    The art of casting is used to capture, the likeness of great leaders, entertainers and thinkers of their time.

Famous scientists, thinkers and artists have their own face casts- from Newton, Dante and Wagner as well as George Washington.

In the past only the affluent are able to get this privilege.

 Nowadays, we want to make a revival of this precious craft here in Baguio City.

To schedule for a Face Cast process to immortalize you contact Merkaba Hand Made Crafts:

Get to experience something that is rare and special at the same time. 

Do something different this year-- get your face Immortalized.

09054043363 for Globe/ 09305674095

https://www.facebook.com/Merkaba-Hand-Made-Crafts-1560324704290931/

Baguio Convention Center eyed as the new School of Performing arts

Baguio is the home of so me of the most passionate artists in the country, it is the haven and home of community performers like Rene Aquitania, the Father of Performing arts of the Philippines. 

However, there has yet to be an actual space for theater performances and dances that will cater to the creative industry of Baguio.

Everywhere and anywhere you will look there are artists all over the city- in need of a quiet space where they could provide actual creative work and collaborations that will put the Baguio as the Artist Capital of the North.

The Baguio Convention Center, is seen as the most favorable site for regular performances- there is a surplus of artists in the city- and the locals as well as its visitors can have something lasting to share to the tourists by way of culture and the arts.

However, a direction has to be set and made.

Every day you can find groups that are practicing their crafts, dance groups that have been active in competitions outside the city.
There is a growing number of new artists and performers that are in need of a space that they could call their own.

Due to the high number of artists that are in need of space, isn't it about time that the city offer a place where creative ideas can be merged and used for the common good?

The City parks like Burnham Park and Rose Garden has served as practice areas for these creative groups, but much has yet to be done by the city government to provide a space where artists can truly thrive and sustain themselves.

An organic movement is starting to brew in the city, this has been started way back 2013 when groups started creating events at the Rose Garden.

Creative groups and organizations where able to meet each other through the help of social media networks and activities have been created out of these meet ups.

It has been a learning strategy for many young artists, the meet up has caused minds to brew and create new plans and ideas for the city.

Through the help of social media, busking and performing activities are being started at the Rose Garden.

But a direction is being clamored for, there had been many movements, organizations and groups who have aimed to create a space, but a solid proof plan has to be created in order to build a School of Performing Arts.

The idea is to unite city performers, visionaries, artists and musicians into creating a new kind of school that will cater to dances, theater acting lessons, visual arts, photography and other related crafts but with the aim of sustaining and uplifting the quality of life of the students that enter into it.

Traditional schools have yet to recognize the value of the Creative Arts and most school curriculum are still limited- they are not able to meet the need for research, collaboration and information that emerging artists need in the city.

It is a myth that in art there is no sustainability, it is a myth that in the Creative arts-- a person will not be able to achieve their dreams and make a statement in this world- the creative arts has produced some of the best film makers, dancers, musicians, poets and visual artists that we know today.

Picasso, Rembrandt, Salvador Dali, Leonardo da Vinci , Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon, Paulo Coelho, 
 Lea Salonga, Michael Jackson, J.K Rowling,  Angelina Jolie,  Leonardo di Caprio, Lisa Macuja, Claude Monet among many other names of artists , musicians and theater performers are all well celebrated today. 

They have made the world better- if the creative industry would be given a proper school and studio from which the creative arts can surge, then the productivity and inspiration level of the city would increase.

A group of young artists have sketched an idea, a blueprint of the School of Performing arts that would house some of the best and thriving artists groups in Baguio- 

The idea is to meet up every Saturday in the park,and just share the joy of performance- through busking, eventually more projects and collaborations will ensue in order to build this one of a kind school that young artists have been hoping for.

A space where the young and the old can converge to build the new.

The city of Baguio, cannot afford to allow these ideas and passions to go to waste. 

Baguio City what are your thoughts on this proposal? 

The Multidimensional Artist: Elliot

Baguio City is the home of up and coming artist, it is undeniably the  education center in Northern Luzon and is able to attract some of the best and most talented minds the Philippines has to offer.



Elliot, a 19 year old student from Saint Louis University gives us a glimpse of what a silent but creative mind could do.

At an early age, she was already convinced by her parents to start drawing, they wanted her to become a Civil Engineer.

But a friend of hers named Jireh was the one who told her, that she had the makings of an artist and this increased her confidence  to continue.


Most of her works, are inspired by her dreams- the doodles and scribbles are images that visit her, while in a lucid state of dreaming.

The colors in her dreams are vivid and alive, and the images and visions that she sees in her dreams are the ones that are transpired into her doodles and crafts.




Apart from the dream inspired  creations, she is also a writer by heart.

She is fond of Fantasy novels, but she is also  a good observer of daily life, and this is what she is using as a guide for her written work.



There was a point where in,  she was alone during the New Year's Eve, and she took the time to write something about the experience.

List of Firsts

Would you remember?

Where untouched lips disappeared without consent

Where acceptance of at fault without its repent

Where the last breath had faded away

Where words had disappeared without a say

Where the mind was a soundproof place

Where fear had not been courageously faced

Where hope and dreams had been a harsh knife

Where love had turned to strife

Where warmth had turned to ice and coal

Where skin is scarred and a deadly soul

Where pictures flashed but can’t be intervened

Where? Where? Where have those memories been?

The Solace of the Night has a way of  getting her to write- the random spectrum and emotions visit her in time of solitude.



Her writings at times are able to evoke emotions from friends and classmates.

 There was one time when her written thoughts had touched the emotion of a classmate, which led this person to write an entire reaction paper regarding the story that she has written.

Dance of a Puppet

A smile painted on its wooden face

Its backgrounds are the four seasons

Portraying a job on a dead end’s race

Just for pathetic and petty reasons

“Dance my Puppet.” Money says

Easily controlling the puppet’s strings

He looks at you with his plays

“Aren’t you one of my belongings?”

There are also some male friends, who have asked her to write Love poetry for their partner.

 She has willingly done them in the past, but have learned the strength of poetry and no longer writes love poetry for other couples- it has to be properly done, and is not a game to write poetry for others. It involves emotions.


Elliot, is able to set herself  apart from others by wanting to be different. 

As of the moment, she is writing a novel about a teenage girl who is afraid to go against the will of her parents, and a boy who has a code name- 

The title of the novel is " When I met Nicolas Calabash"-

Her works will be featured in a one of a kind Souvenir Shop at Ili likha Village, Assumption Road Baguio City- Basement that will open in February 2016.