Poets, mountain climber honored at Outstanding Albayano Awards

Albay honored its most distinguished sons and daughters at the Outstanding Albayano Awards, held on April 3 at the Albay Astrodome. Awardees were honored for their accomplishments in the field of literature, tourism, music and broadcasting arts, as well as for notable endeavors.

Attended by Senator TG Guingona and Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda and opened by poet Abdon M. Balde Jr., the awards ceremony was part of the month-long Daragang Magayon Festival, which showcases the province's rich culture, history and natural resources.

The awardees

 

Marne L. Kilates was recognized for his outstanding career as a poet, writer and editor. He has written four books, the latest being "Pictures as Poems and Other (Re)Visions". Last year, Kilates was named Poet of the Year by the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards, given by the Philippines Graphic.

Born in Daraga, Kilates worked in government service and in advertising before getting into freelance writing and editing. Kilates' work has been awarded by the National Book Development Board, the Manila Critics' Circle, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and the Southeast Asian Writers' Awards. Most recently he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professional Chair for Creative Writing at the Ateneo De Manila University.

Merlinda C. Bopis was also awarded for literature. A trilingual writer and scholar currently holding a teaching position in the University of Wollongong in Australia, Bopis has published three novels, a collection of short stories, five poetry books, and creative and scholarly works in journals, magazines and anthologies. Her plays have been performed all over the Philippines, Australia, the US, Canada, Spain, France, China, Thailand and the Slovak Republic.

Ricardo Dy  was awarded for his work as a pioneering Mayon Volcano climber and tour guide. Born in Barangay Cullat, Daraga, the man known as the “Mayon King” has climbed the peak more than 600 times. Celebrated in internationally acclaimed mountain climbing books and publications, Dy began climbing the active volcano when he was only 9 years old, and throughout his career conquered other peaks in the Philippines to do comparative studies. Dy last climbed Mayon in 2010, when he was already 78 years old.

Aguinaldo “Gina” Cariño, Sr. was also awarded for his contributions to the tourism industry. The multilingual speaker spent his childhood in Camalig before transferring to Legazpi City and later on to Manila to complete his studies at the University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University, respectively. His work laid the foundation for many of Albay’s successful tourism programs.

Maria “Nini” Ong- Ravanilla has received numerous citations from local and national award-giving bodies for her work boosting Albay tourism. She is the current Regional Director of the Department of Tourism.

Scholar, educator, cultural worker, performing artist, actress and playwright Ramona Ines R. Bustamante-Raneses is most recognized for her work as the proponent-founder of the Bicol University Institute of Communication and Culture Studies, now the College of Arts and Letters. Awarded under the Culture category, she continues to act and direct numerous plays and was most recently involved in Alvin Yapan’s Cinemalaya film “Debosyon.”

 

Felipe Napa, Jr. received an award for Decorative Arts. His establishment of Natural Carpet Industries (NCI) has boosted Albay's abaca industry and created more jobs in the province.

Born in Camalig, Napa started out in 1995 with a small handicraft business that manufactured abaca rugs, furniture and fixtures. The company now exports to other parts of Asia as well as to Canada, Australia, the US, the Middle East and Europe.

Receiving recognition for his work in Broadcast Arts, Antonio B. Arispe's strong presence emulated the natural forces he observed when he was a senior forecaster at PAGASA and as head of PAGASA Legazpi. In his keynote speech, Sarte Salceda called Arispe "the most popular weatherman in the province."

Awarded for Music, Ramil C. Chavenia is the current chairman of the Department of Humanities at Bicol University's College of Arts and Letters. A songwriter-arranger, educator, cultural worker and researcher, Chavenia's musical insight has been behind countless productions for decades.

Also awarded for music is Inocencio B. Bermudo, another educator at Bicol University, where he teaches music, humanities and Spanish. Bermudo is most known for his work as the choir director of the Bicol University New Generation Cultural (BUNGCUL) Singers, which has gained national recognition.

Special awards for achievement were given to Cadet First Class Jheorge M. Llona, valedictorian of the Philippine Military Academy's graduating class; Cadet Jayson Rey Florin, who graduated in the top 10 of the Philippine National Police Academy's 2014 class; and two beauty queens, Daraga native and Bb. Pilipinas Supranational Yvethe Marie A. Santiago and Taguig's Mary Anne Bianca Guidotti, Bb. Pilipinas International, whose mother is from Albay. — BM, GMA News