The result of the Dinagyang Photo Contest 2013 was announced
last Wednesday, February 20, and it revealed some interesting results. Kay Beng EE, the third place winner for the
Ati Category, and Lawrence Ang, a consolation prize winner, also for the Ati
Category are photographers from Singapore. Kay Beng EE said, “ i am not
confident to land any prize since this is my first time trying; anyway,
Dinagyang was very enjoyable though a bit short compared to the grand parade of
Sinulog.” When I informed him that his picture was selected for the
exhibit, he enthusiastically shouted on his facebook wall that he was
surprised.
Lawrence Ang, was also very happy when I informed him that
his picture was on the exhibit. He said, “Haha !
Thanks very much, Vernan. Yes, I liked that shot a lot too. And even after
reviewing a few videos of Tribu Panayanon, I still can't figure out how I
managed to get this shot. It was probably just a split second when their arms
and heads were raised.”
In our conversation, Lawrence also admired how peaceful the
city was. He said, “u know, throughout our visit, when we walked thru the streets and
various places, we never noticed any suspicious characters. we have been to
many countries and cities. most places have sleazy areas with strange
characters observing people. in ILOILO, we did not spot any of such behaviour
!” He told me that in other places some expensive things
of his friends got lost while his friend were squeezing through the crowd. “i like the ILOILO atmosphere. boisterous,
good noise, not over-crowded. and certainly friendly people.” he added. Both of them will be going to this year’s
Aliwan Festival, and Lawrence told me that following Tribu Pan-ay’s performance
will be a hard act to follow for Panayanon since Aliwan Festival have a limit
for contingent size and the current list of performers of Panayanon exceeds.
Lawrence Ang and Kay Beng EE were invited by Carlos Garcia, the vice president of Photographic Society of
Iloilo, when they met in Masskara Festival in Bacolod. “Kay Beng and I have
posted in a few Singapore forums, and I think we have managed to stir up some
interest. Yes, I will not be surprised if you see many more from Singapore
visiting Dinagyang in the next few years
A few
people that I spoke to, had talked about having an extended trip to cover
Sinulog followed by Dinagyang the following weekend.” Lawrence said.
The picture below, which Kay Beng EE also posted on his facebook wall, was taken just after the final
performance of the last tribe in stage-2. From left: Carlos Garcia, consolation
prize winner for street category; Lawrence Ang, consolation prize winner for
ati category; Vernan Jagunap, consolation prize winner for ati category; and Kay Beng EE, third place winner for ati category.
