The 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 intention of sharing information that could help future initiatives be truly responsive to the needs of the creative community, improve the plight of local artists and artisans, help the creative community understand the challenges we face and the opportunities and other possibilities available to us, and further forward Baguio as a creative city, as designated by UNESCO and as a matter of fact.   

I. INTRODUCTION 

Just a day after the final press conference he attended and one day before the formal opening of the Baguio Creative City Festival 2019, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong was back at the site. There were no paintings yet on the walls earmarked for exhibits, and that’s because the angle bars where the paintings would be hung from weren’t installed yet, the platforms for the performances have not been constructed yet, and that’s because the boards and lumber we requested have not arrived yet. Purchases care of the City Government have been delayed which included other logistical needs such as flood lights, electrical wires, etc.

Nevertheless, the venue was bustling with activity. I guided the mayor to the competitions room, which we have named Ibagiw Hall. Inside, weavers were halfway through their three-yard tapestries. The mayor engaged the weavers in conversation, asking how they were, where they’re from (two of the finalists came from Mt. Province and another two were from Ifugao. The rest were either from Baguio or Benguet), thanking them for their participation. We then walked over to where the basket weaving and metalcraft finalists were working. While there were a couple of woodcarvers in the vicinity of the competition hall, the rest have established themselves in various nooks and crannies of the old diplomat hotel to be able to work in peace. The mayor was fascinated by a work-in-progress of a finalist who was weaving strands of copper wires into a braid. He asked what she was aiming for – a bracelet, which would form part of a set of wearable jewelry which included a tiara and ear cuffs.

Outside the Ibagiw Hall, 12 groups of artists that were commissioned to render their interpretation of the theme, “Re-imagining Baguio,” were working on their respective frames on every available wall space big enough to prop each of the twelve boards measuring eight by twelve feet against. The mayor requests to be allowed to paint a section of one mural, and an artist gladly offers him a brush. Noticing another group’s work which included lettering that looked similar to some un-welcome graffiti found on fences and gates around the city, the mayor playfully declares, “aha, kayo pala yun a!” Everyone in the room laughed.   

While the energy of the artists and artisans working on site clearly elated the mayor, I sensed his concern that the rest of the room remained bare just a couple of days before opening. I led him to each of the rooms around the courtyard which we have named in honor of some of the original settlers in Kafagway, as the natives called the general area of what would eventually become the City of Baguio, and I proceeded to describe to him what could be expected in each of those empty spaces on opening day. Group exhibitions in several rooms, installation art pieces, a wet-plate photography exhibit, the area in the courtyard where the performances will be staged, etc.

I could feel both his excitement and anxiety – after all, this was the first major cultural event under his 5-month old administration, and he ran on a platform which included culture and the arts as part of his core agenda.

As we were heading towards the exit, he turned to me one more time and asked, “so, Karlo, we’re all set for the opening?” Much of the materials were delayed; we’re running low, no, we’ve ran out of cash on hand since a big chunk of the funding was coming from the Tourism Promotions Board, and it would be released in the form of reimbursement after the event; our guests from Angono, Rizal were arriving any time then and will be setting up the next day; there were dozens of artists and members of the festival staff to provide meals for; add to that over a hundred featured performing artists for the opening ceremony; and so on and so forth. I usually keep an event or production’s problems known only to me and a handful of other people in the staff, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Either we get some cash advance to cover the coming days’ major expenses, or… no, there was no room for an alternative scenario. The festival will happen and we needed cash to make it happen.

I replied, “No, sir we’re not all set for the opening.”

He didn’t’ seemed surprised, or if he was, he managed not to show it. I added, “we need roughly one million to get us through the nine days of the festival. We were given a guarantee that the funding from the Tourism Promotions Board will be released within the year.”

“Are you sure?” calmly, he asked. “Yes, sir, I am.”

I wasn’t. Again, desperate times, desperate measures. With eyes closed and fingers crossed, I offered to personally sign for the cash advance.

Over a month since the closing of the festival and the funding from the sponsor has not been released. The deadline to reimburse the cash advance from the City Government has come and it had to be paid back already. No ifs or buts.

While acknowledging the sincere efforts of the current leadership to develop the local creative economy and uplift the artists and artisans of Baguio and with all due respect, but handing over a personal check to the city accountant, while we understand that we agreed to such terms, I couldn’t help but notice the irony of it all – an artist reimbursing the government for expenses for a festival that was staged as part of the city's commitments to UNESCO as a member of its creative cities network.

This is the story of Ibagiw: The Baguio Creative City Festival 2019.