When I agreed to be one of the judges in Silay City’s Christmas Village Arko Competition, little did I know that I will be the only non-artist in the group. It was an honor to be in such an esteemed group of judges. Good thing they have no air and made jokes so I was immediately put at ease.
Judging 16 entries is not easy and especially since there were a lot of very good entries. In the end, we were glad we have a unanimous decision.
Third Place – Brgy. Hawaiian
Brgy. VI or Hawaiian got the Third Place. Brgy. VI is where the Hawaiian-Philippine Company is located that’s why it was renamed Hawaiian. The theme of their Arko focused on sugarcane milling which is very reflective of their barangay. The Arko is an iron dinosaur or steam locomotive made from acacia leaves painstakingly glued all over the arko. Hawaiian-Philippine is one of the few sugar centrals which still maintains a running steam locomotive using bagasse as fuel. Brgy. Hawaiian’s iron dinosaur Arko is complete with smoke and train horn sound.
Second Place – Brgy. E. Lopez
Brgy. E. Lopez’s entry was made from corn husk meticulously folded and glued on the Arko. What’s amazing was that if you looked closely, the folded corn husks overlapped so closely you won’t see it’s base. The main figure of the Arko was a star with a Nativity scene at the center.
The kids will surely love the Pinocchio figure on the left post and a clown on the right which are both made from empty water and softdrink bottles.
First Place – Brgy. III
The inspiration for Brgy. III’s entry was the first settlement in Silay which was a coastal village named Carubcub. The artist, Silaynon wire sculptor Ian Valladarez, used twisted wires and scallop shells for his creation. You’ll surely admire his artwork especially if you look closely at the minute details.
According to Ian, the three seahorses in the Arko represent the Three Kings and the baby in their pouches represent a rebirth of the meaning of Christmas which is the birth of Jesus Christ which we so often forget because of too much commercialism.
The kids and the kids at heart will enjoy the marbles which roll around the seahorses through a mechanism using gravitational force. I was pretty impressed with the artist who also has a good grasp of science.
Viewers are free to play with the Arko so you are free to inspect the mechanism if you happen to visit the Christmas Village, which I highly recommend you do.
We had no time to go around the Angel Category entries from the various schools so below is a sneak into some of the entries.
The Silay City Christmas Village runs until January 6, 2012 at the Silay Public Plaza. I recommend you find time to bring your family to this display of Silaynon artistry. It’s a cheap way to spend quality time with your family and make your kids happy. Believe me, you’ll be elated too with the colorful display.