About 80 Asian photographers are coming to the Philippines to shoot Cebu, Negros and Panay from Nov. 18-24, 2010 to showcase the beauty of the Visayas Region to the world as the country hosts Crossing Bridges 7 this year.
Crossing Bridges is an annual event where photographers representing Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines travel and photograph places that are not so popular as tourist destinations.
The previous Crossing Bridges took place in Yogyakarta and Central Java in Indonesia in 2004, Hong Kong and Macau in 2005, Vietnam in 2006, Malaysia in 2007, Cambodia in 2008 and West Sumatra in Indonesia in 2009.
The Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation Inc., as the event organizer, has invited the photographers to shoot the Visayas Region.
Photojournalist George Cabig, over-all committee chairman, yesterday said most of the participants are members of the media or press photographers.
He said the Department of Tourism and local officials of the areas they are visiting are enthusiastic to support Crossing Bridges.
Carlos Garcia, Photographic Society of Iloilo president, said the Police Regional Office VI will provide them security during their stay in Negros and Panay.
The advantage of holding the event in the Visayas Region is that the security aspect, and traffic is not a problem and it is easier to transport the participants because the islands are close to one another, Icky Salazar, Cebu coordinator, said.
Salazar said Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia has welcomed the project with open arms and will show the participants their historical treasures and scenic places through their project “suroy-suroy sa Cebu.”
Camera Club of Negros past president Billy Lopue said that after their three-day shoot in Cebu they will cross to San Carlos City where they will be met by the Pinta Flores dancers and will shoot the body painting group of San Carlos.
From San Carlos, they will cross to Bacolod through Don Salvador Benedicto to shoot the MassKara dancers, he said.
Lopue said they are planning to bring the group to the Ruins in Talisay and to shoot the old houses and a typical hacienda setting in Silay the next day before crossing to Iloilo.
Eduviges Huang, FPPF chairperson, said they are helping promote the country and also redeem whatever negative image it has. They have brought photo exhibits to China and this time they want to promote places in the Philippines that have not yet been seen, she said.
The Crossing Bridges Program for the Philippines is a go!
This program is about photography that “crosses bridges” wherein 80 photographers from Southeast Asian nations, will go to the Philippines.
The program will start in Cebu, then Bacolod and will end in Iloilo. The host for the Iloilo leg is the Photographic Society of Iloilo (PSI). This is a big job for the group, which follows immediately after PSI’s celebration of its 30th anniversary. The PSI is a member of the Federation of Philippine Photographers (FPPF), which will also join the program.
The Iloilo leg consists of two days of photography in Iloilo City and the municipalities of Miag-ao and San Joaquin. They are eyeing the two old Augustinian churches, as well as some ethnic and unique places in our province.
