tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76899344498120578832024-02-18T18:48:49.548-08:00Taongbayan No.8Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-78274743052057479342021-03-10T18:34:00.002-08:002021-03-10T18:34:37.343-08:00Art and the art of making bacon First of all, if you're one of those whose basic understanding of acting is that it's about pretending, don't get me started. I'll get back to this.So almost exactly a year ago, the world went on lockdown. People's movements were restricted, we were mandated to wear masks and in our case in the Philippines, face shields. In Baguio, one can only go to the market and supermarket on certain Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-15364359746172287582021-02-10T01:20:00.003-08:002021-02-10T01:26:56.701-08:00Bonfire of the vanitiesPrivilege and entitlement, these were the words that first came to mind when I first heard of this party in Baguio. No, I heard about it not after photos of the event came out and the proverbial excreta hit the fan but before when preparations for it were being made. A couple of months prior: after the culmination of the Ibagiw Creative Festival 2020, I heard the name Tim Yap a lot. He gave Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-34999850646435548832021-02-01T04:06:00.003-08:002021-09-03T20:45:52.695-07:00Baguio's pine trees: treasured heritage or mere obstructions? Dozens of pine trees are about to killed in Baguio. Whoever sits in the various offices of power at the Baguio City Hall, they find it very easy to mention the Benguet Pine as one of the city's most treasured heritage, along with its invaluable contribution to the city's beauty and healthful climate - yet at the same time, whoever sits in the various offices of power at the Baguio City Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-21374811067992528882021-01-28T18:43:00.007-08:002022-02-17T02:42:10.246-08:00Spoiling tourismA friend, an outdoorsman and avid advocate of responsible eco-tourism and who has been vocal about his support for the gradual re-opening of Baguio to tourism provided that safety protocols are strictly implemented and observed, didn't mince words in his rant: "...I am fucking pissed that something like this is even allowed to happen and in fact encouraged in Baguio while they impose an absurd Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-59772332763169894242020-12-15T03:14:00.007-08:002020-12-15T03:38:40.763-08:00Romancing M16s, pistols and the yantok amidst a tempest I didn't dare take a photo, I was that afraid. A friend wanted to have coffee at last Sunday, so I picked her up from her workplace at the bottom of Session Road and made our way up to Luisa's Cafe. Baguio's most famous road was "pedestrianized" and closed to vehicles that day. Stalls have been set up at intervals of a few meters selling local goods - from food products to woven fabrics to Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-89166804501913027802020-12-01T00:57:00.001-08:002020-12-14T02:58:00.880-08:00Political will vs. power blocsPeople can't walk in both directions along Session Road, one sidewalk is one way going down and the other coming up to avoid face to face interactions, to minimize the spread of the virus... but tonight, we can all gather at the top of Session Road, side by side. And then later in the evening, we can all proceed to the night market, with stalls tightly packed next to each other. All it takesKarlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-66658339512097529912020-10-15T04:28:00.001-07:002020-10-15T04:28:33.798-07:00Realizing "Mithiin" One of the activities most of us probably had so much time for at the height of the lockdown was to go through folders and files and media in our computers, phones, etc. One day in May, I was doing just that, I was scrolling down one hard rive and found a folder named, Baguio Music Festival 2011. There were photos of meetings with performing artists at Luisa's (inutang na bandehado ng pansit at Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-29278083644660994402020-09-21T03:27:00.000-07:002020-09-21T03:27:17.165-07:00 SM City Baguio cannot and must not be trusted, there are 182 reasons whyEarth-balling: the process of moving a tree by digging out the earth and the roots in a circular shape, leaving most of the root system undisturbed and intact. This makes it easier for the tree to adjust to a new location. - Rappler None of the 182 pine trees ever had a chance. We, members of the theater group Open Space Productions, started out as volunteers for the planned rally on Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-80703071141786589992020-09-10T03:55:00.001-07:002020-09-10T18:27:44.091-07:00Tejeros Convention-esque petty politics and art Having witnessed and at times when necessary participated in, and now looking back at the local politics in Baguio in the last 25 years, I can’t help but be reminded of something Robert R. Reed said in his book, City of Pines: The Origins of Baguio as a Colonial Hill Station and Regional Capital. The book focused mainly on the history of Baguio from the time it was discovered first byKarlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-59952430747803802042020-06-11T04:15:00.005-07:002020-06-15T00:49:29.062-07:00For want of a breath of fresh air Based on his own pronouncements, justifications, statements, I'm trying to put myself in the Mayor's shoes. Although non-essential (i.e. leisure) inter-city travel is essentially still not allowed, with just a bit of a stretch, bringing his wife up to Baguio for some breath of fresh air could be justified as essential. It would definitely do her, having just beaten cancer, a lot of good Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-59406031819158328992020-06-09T18:00:00.000-07:002020-06-09T18:00:10.217-07:00Betrayal of public trust The following is the covering letter for the petition calling for the declaration of The Hon(?). Fancis Zamora, Mayor of San Juan City as Persona Non Grata, that I sent to the Baguio City Council... SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD BAGUIO thru THE HON. FAUSTINO A. OLOWAN Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer Cc: THE HON. BENJAMIN B. MAGALONG, Mayor, Baguio City THE HON. Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-54035304801040522662020-06-03T05:00:00.002-07:002020-06-04T03:49:27.787-07:00Naming names, connecting the dots, I know, you know Standing in the middle of Remedios Circle in Malate back in 1995, I wasn't ready when the Barangay Captain asked us, the late RJ Leyran and I, what the name of our organization was, a requirement for our permit to use the roundabout as the venue for JC - Live!, the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Jesus Christ Superstar, a concert for a cause. Around me - Cafe Adriatico, the then Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-38888660599986868102020-05-17T03:53:00.008-07:002020-05-17T17:11:01.303-07:00Throwing lines watching the walking man walk (kitakits sa dulo)I pine for the stage - to be on it, in front of it, behind it, at the wings, in the booth. Throwing lines, memorizing lines, blocking, running through, dress rehearsing. It's a bad time to be a theater artist. The very essence of theater is human interactivity, and in the time of physical distancing, it would almost be impossible for theater to thrive. Everyday, lines from plays past Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-73458455244275974802020-04-27T03:36:00.002-07:002020-04-27T04:18:57.344-07:00Sino-sino nga ba ang mga kasama sa Creative Sector?
This is where the city's private sector partners or NGOs are needed, and since the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective, Inc. (BACCI) does not have a formal membership system, and no other organization currently engages the whole creative community as a whole, the need for an actual list of local artists, artisans, cultural workers and organizations could be drafted. This would be the proper take Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-1697383636177535042020-04-25T04:30:00.004-07:002020-04-25T04:57:53.984-07:00Point 1: Immediate Considerations for Baguio's Creative CommunityIn my original presentation, I forwarded the following:
IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATIONS
1. Identifying individuals and groups that belong to the sector
2. Granting creatives access to services and businesses that would allow them to continue practicing their respective professions under the current circumstances, and Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-90443081900795741082020-04-25T02:30:00.000-07:002020-04-25T02:32:52.010-07:00To the Council for Baguio Creative City I would have missed the announcement for an Engagement Meeting between local artists and Mayor Benjamin Magalong which was held today, if not for a friend who forwarded the invitation she received. This I believe highlights the limitations of social media as the main means of reaching out to the community - which is not to say that it's entirely not effective, but each individual's news feed is Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-21459891243888042452020-04-23T21:23:00.001-07:002022-02-15T03:44:49.775-08:00Life interruptedSo where were you when the Covid-19 threat got real?
March 2020, Thursday, the announcement was made that Metro Manila would most probably be put on lockdown. My first thought was how to get the whole family together under one roof. Our three children live with us in Baguio, but the two elder ones are in Metro Manila - the eldest in Makati and his younger sibling in Las Pinas.
We agreed Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-26195457647190132542020-02-29T04:29:00.001-08:002020-02-29T04:52:59.053-08:00Because art isn't easy
When outlining a program, whether it's for an awarding ceremony, an exhibit opening, a convention, or the opening gala of a festival, the first thing that I determine is the story it must tell - and everything else follows, flows from there.
When I was putting together the script for the opening ceremony of Ibagiw: The Baguio Creative Festival 2019, there was one song that I really hoped the Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-89615429217419510682020-02-27T17:23:00.001-08:002020-02-29T03:29:09.799-08:00FUNDING IBAGIW
Between May and July, the meetings in preparation for the festival were held at the Café by the Ruins Dua on Upper Session Road or at Mt. Cloud Bookshop on Brent Road, courtesy of BACCI chair and president, Adelaida Lim. Heading into the second staging of the creative festival, BACCI, the lead private-sector partner of the city government in staging the festival, had neither an office nor a bankKarlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-79108231537062065582020-02-26T16:31:00.003-08:002020-02-27T16:47:26.798-08:00IBAGIW 2019: IN NUMBERS
Timeframe for the staging of the festival: 4 months
Number of calendared festival days: 9
Number of days for pre-festival activities: 5
Total number of days: 14
Total number of events, exhibits, performances and other activities:
18
Total number of participating artists:
600+
Total amount allotted to participating artists, Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-55148170141796793142020-02-25T17:52:00.000-08:002020-02-26T16:05:40.162-08:00Creative Hub vs. Cultural CenterIt's not what we build, but what we have left untouched that makes Baguio... Baguio.
That has always been my credo as a concerned citizen of Baguio, whether it's about defending 182 trees from being killed to satisfy a corporate giant's insatiable greed, or protesting a misguided effort to cement over a wide green space for another concrete monstrosity, or more recently, transforming a Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-25310519581605432292020-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:002020-02-24T17:42:34.178-08:00Reactions to the Director’s Notes
In one of the first meetings of the newly formed Council for Baguio Creative City, I was asked to present a general terminal report on Ibagiw. We were still working on the comprehensive terminal report at the time, and what I presented was just an overview. In that same meeting, I mentioned my intention of sharing relevant portions of that report publicly in the interest of transparency and to Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-17956391209756041452020-02-24T17:05:00.000-08:002020-02-24T17:32:53.898-08:00IBAGIW & BACCI
CAVEAT
I do not assume to be an authority on matters relating to corporate affairs, organizational structures or financial management. But the following observations are predicated on realities we experienced in the course of staging the Baguio Creative City Festival 2019. While the recommendations may be considered to be nothing more than a mere lay person’s suggestions, may be disregarded in Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-87902352541364474392020-02-24T16:48:00.004-08:002020-02-24T16:48:39.093-08:00To the Mayor and the Baguio Arts & Crafts Collective, Inc.First, I would like to express my gratitude to you for the honor of being designated as the Creative Director of Ibagiw: The Baguio Creative City Festival 2019 and as Consultant to the Creative Desk from June to December, 2019. This endeavor has brought to the fore issues affecting the creative community that present opportunities, challenges and invaluable insights that could help us in our Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689934449812057883.post-48421236503338672542020-01-12T01:40:00.003-08:002020-01-15T16:44:15.380-08:00The story of Ibagiw - Part I
The following is the introduction to my notes on Ibagiw: The Baguio Creative City Festival 2019 which form part of the terminal report that we shall be submitting to the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective, Inc. and the newly-formed Council for Baguio Creative City.
In the coming days, relevant parts of the report shall be posted on the festival website and its Facebook page with the Karlo Marko Altomontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229605653316644617noreply@blogger.com0