Ortigas Art Festival Advocates ‘Art for All’

Ortigas Art Festival is held at GH Mall in San Juan City for the first time (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

For several years, the Ortigas Malls, under Ortigas Land, in collaboration with artist groups and cultural organizations, has been providing an avenue to get more and more people exposed to and experience the arts, promoting the works of artists, especially local and emerging ones, and deepening awareness on and appreciation for the arts through the Ortigas Art Festival, which has been regularly held at the Ortigas Center, a business district in Pasig City.

            This year, organizers, artists and art enthusiasts celebrate another iteration of the festival, which is held from July 10 to 24, 2025, at GH (Greenhills) Mall in San Juan City, with the theme “Art for All: A Celebration of Borderless Artistic Expression.” This is the first time that the festival is being held outside Estancia Mall, bringing with it a slew of events and activities including exhibits, talks, workshops, dance and musical performances, a fashion showcase and film screenings

“Over the past eight years, the Ortigas Art Festival has grown into something truly special—a platform where Filipino creativity thrives, and where art is brought closer to the everyday Filipino. And along the way, this humble idea blossomed into an award-winning festival, recognized for its mission to make art accessible, inclusive, and alive in public spaces,” said architect Renee Bacani, vice president of Ortigas Malls, in her speech during the opening on July 10. 

“But these achievements aren't just ours—they belong to all of you. To the artists who continue to push boundaries. To our cultural collaborators who believe in the power of community. And to every guest who walks into the exhibit with curiosity, wonder, and heart,” she added.

Bacani also enthused, “This year, we mark a new chapter as we welcome the festival to GH Mall in San Juan City—a vibrant space designed to uplift and connect. With exhibitions at the East Wing and South Wing Atrium, immersive workshops at the Tech Hub, and a rich calendar of performances, talks, and film screenings, we invite you to experience art in a way that's interactive, inspiring, and deeply personal.”

Festival consultant Helen Mirasol recalled the journey of the festival, saying, “We started back in 2018 utilizing a portion of the bridgeway in Estancia. Over the years, we got progressively larger, and we occupied a good portion of the East Wing of Estancia.”

“Besides being free to both exhibitors and the viewing public, this festival has also been innovative. Every year saw additions until we had become the multifaceted festival that we are today. We also moved from the traditional National Arts Month of February because many others were exhibiting at the same time. Because of our adaptability, I believe we were the only art exhibit to physically present their works during Covid while others resorted to online presentations,” she added.

 

Continuing through the Pandemic

Organizers are proud of the fact the festival was continuously being held despite the pandemic. 

“What is unique here is that we are celebrating the eighth Ortigas Art Festival, and we encounter a lot of challenges, especially during the pandemic. And to us, this is a milestone because we did not stop, we did not close during the pandemic. Ito lang ang isang art festival na tuloy-tuloy nagkaroon ng exhibit, physical exhibition. So, sa amin, tagumpay ito (This is the only art festival that continuously held exhibits—physical exhibitions. So for us, this is a victory),” artist Renato Habulan, another of the festival consultants, averred.

            In his speech during the opening, he recalled that dark period: “Noong 2020, ang Ortigas Art Festival was joined by more than 300 artists and more than 500 artworks. Kasama sa eksibit ang mga Filipino artists na nakabase sa ibang bansa gaya ng New York, Australia, Hong Kong at Singapore. May mga foreign artists din na sumama mula sa Indonesia, Australia, Serbia, Germany at Bangladesh. Natapos ang malaking festival na ito limang araw bago mag-lockdown (In 2020, the Ortigas Art Festival was joined by more than 300 artists and featured over 500 artworks. The exhibit included Filipino artists based in other countries such as New York, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Foreign artists also participated, coming from Indonesia, Australia, Serbia, Germany, and Bangladesh. This big festival concluded just five days before the lockdown).”

He also related, “Ang (the) fourth Ortigas Art Festival ay ginanap noong (was held from) February 24 to March 31, 2021. Again, we were fortunate to have a physical exhibit during the window of total lockdown. The festival expanded to include photography, film and the greater participation in sculpture. In 2022, the fifth Ortigas Art Festival was rescheduled for July to ensure the safety of our attendees, allowing a larger celebration that included the performing arts and fashion design.”

 

Advocacy to Help Young Artists

According to Habulan, the Ortigas Art Festival is not only a local event, but “has a national scope.”  

“Since the start, the festival expanded its participation to include artists from various regions of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, providing them with a platform and space to showcase their art in the metro. In 2023, we featured artists from Pangasinan, Bulacan and Laguna. In 2024, we showcased artists from Iloilo, Angono and Quezon,” he revealed. 

This feature was born out of the advocacy of helping emerging artists, especially local artists and those from the regions outside of Metro Manila, he said. 

“‘Yung aming call na ‘art for all’ or ‘art for everyone’ ay nagbubukas sa mga kabataang artist kahit baguhan sila. Walang espasyo na magbibigay sa 'yo kung bata kang artist. So, ito, Ortigas Art Festival, ay bukas sa mga kabataang artist mula sa Metro Manila, sa regions, IloIlo, Bacolod, Pangasinan. We've been exhibiting their works for eight years (Our call for ‘art for all’ or ‘art for everyone’ opens doors for young artists, even beginners. There are very few spaces that welcome you if you’re a young artist. So, the Ortigas Art Festival is open to young artists from Metro Manila and the regions like Iloilo, Bacolod, and Pangasinan. We've been exhibiting their works for eight years),” Habulan said.

He explained: “So, we go from…like the Agos Art Studio, we have the art caravan, we go out to different provinces and look for artists, you know, look for young artists, struggling artists that are very good. You know, wala silang…iyong walang kakayahan para ituloy nila iyung kanilang sining, walang espasyo para ipakita iyong kanilang sining, at walang kakayahan para i-develop ang art nila. So, itong ginagawa namin, mga artist initiative, tulad ng Agos Studio, ng Linangan (Art Residency), at ng iba pang mga artist-run initiative (You know, those who don’t have the means to pursue their art, who lack the space to showcase their work, and don’t have the resources to develop their craft. So, that is what we do, the artist initiatives like Agos Studio, Linangan [Art Residency], and other artist-run initiatives).”

The works of these emerging artists are given the platform to reach a wider audience, and the audience are also afforded easy access to these works and other forms of art at the Ortigas Art Festival. 

“You don't have to pay to come in and look at the art. You can just come in during lunch hour or whenever. And the artists, they don't have to pay to exhibit. So, sayang, if they exhibit and they don't sell anything, they're out. So, here, everything is free. We're trying to democratize art,” Mirasol said. 

 

A Platform for Different Experiences

            The visual arts exhibit remains to be at the heart of the festival. This year, three art exhibits showcase the works of artists presented by different galleries including Art Circle, Art Point, Jean & Jaz Gallerie, Nami Art, and Historia Art Gallery, as well as of artists from artists’ groups and initiatives, Angono Artists Collective, Linangan Art Residency, and Pasig Art Club. The exhibits also feature works by artists from the host city of San Juan, Melvin John B. Ante and Danielle Ortiz, together with Shine Vitto from Mindoro, and Raul Roco, Jr. 

A notable feature of the festival is the photography exhibits presented by Redlab Gallery and Born in Film.

The exhibit “Chromatic Realms” featured the works of Rommel Bundalian, Jijo de Guzman, Arlene Donaire, Joel H. Garcia, Bien Gutierrez, Ricky Ladia, Edwin Loyola, Cris Magsino, Win Magsino, Abi Miguel, Jay Tablante and Raymond Tanhueco. Additionally, this section also has a display of old cameras to celebrate a century of the device and the Photo Nation, a wall covered with thousands of photographs from photographers from around the country and the world. 

Young designer Chynna Mamawal also has an exhibit of her designs. 

At the Promenade Cinema, Filipino films Babae at Baril, John Denver Trending, and Thy Womb are screened in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

 The Learning Tree, Halili School of Ballet, and UPeepz also mount performances.

The Tech Hub on the fourth floor becomes a venue workshops, artists’ talks, forums, and pop-up ventures, including the Watercolor Pop-Up Art Fair by Philippine Guild of Watercolorists; art talk by Linangan’s Manny Garibay; and workshops by Pasig Art Club and Born in Film.

“We hope you walk through the galleries with a sense of wonder. We hope you take part in the activities, meet the artists, and maybe even uncover a creative spark of your own,” Bacani said. “Most of all, we hope your experience here is enriching, not just artistically, but emotionally. Because this isn't just about viewing art, it's about feeling connected, being inspired, and celebrating the creative spirit that lives in all of us.”

“Our mission has always been to bring art closer to people and people closer to art,” said Habulan. “‘Art for all’ is our guiding principle. We believe that by making art more accessible, we’re helping artists grow, helping communities connect, and creating meaningful cultural experiences for everyone.”

An exhibit of works by different artists from different galleries and organizations (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Thousands of photos make up the 'Photo Nation' wall at the exhibit 'Chromatic Realms' (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Celebrating the camera at the exhibit 'Chromatic Realms' (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Fashion designer  Chynna Mamawal with some of her works (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Pride Across the Metro

Colorful lights brighten the National Museum of Fine Arts (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

When June, the start of the wet season in the Philippines, arrived, so did the habagat or southwest monsoon bringing with somber skies and rains to Metro Manila, which is already drab in many parts. But the month brought splashes of rainbow colors as LGBTIQ+ Pride Month was also celebrated, and more institutions, agencies, companies, local governments, communities and organizations joined in this 2025 celebration, some of them bedecking buildings, other structures and everyday spaces with Pride flags and rainbow colored lights and decorations. These decorations—from light show on the façade of the iconic Cultural Center of the Philippines to glittery buntings in a barangay in Pasig City—were meant to be powerful visual statements of support for and solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community, reflecting a cultural shift and hopefully increasing acceptance and recognition of diversity and inclusion.  

            The biggest Pride decoration effort was the rainbow lighting on the façade and back of the fifty-storey, high-rise office building, Mega Tower, which is one of the tallest structures in Metro Manila. Located beside SM Megamall, along EDSA in Mandaluyong City, and notable for its curvilinear structural design, it lorded over the Ortigas Center-Crossing area.

            Beside the Mega Tower is SM Megamall, once the largest mall in the Philippines, which mounted the Pride Love installation by the entrance. Colorful and eye-catching, it served as an amusing backdrop for Instagrammable photos. 

            Other SM malls were lit with rainbow lights such as  SM City Taytay in Taytay, Rizal, on the outskirts of Metro Manila, and SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, “because everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and embraced,” they posted on their Facebook page.

“Mall of Asia is a safe, inclusive space where diversity is not just welcomed, but celebrated,” they emphasized.

SM Supermalls actually had lineup different Pride events at several of its malls.

            On the other hand, Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City installed a bow-shaped rainbow pathway at its garden and a large LED screen flashed the Pride flag as well as statements such as “What if the next generation never felt the need to come out?” and “You make this world a more beautiful place.”

Quezon City had the most visible of Pride trappings among local government units in Metro Manila. But more than these, it is also the most progressive in terms LGBTIQ+ inclusion and respect for the sector’s human rights, led by its mayor, Joy Belmonte. The past few years, the city has hosted and co-organized the country’s Pride March, Love Laban: Pride PH Festival, which became the biggest Pride event in Southeast Asia.

            During the 2025 Pride Month, the façade of Quezon City Hall’s high-rise building scintillated with rainbow-colored lights. 

            Just across the city hall, the Quezon Memorial Circle, which is dedicated to memorialize the second Philippine President, Manuel L. Quezon, has hosted Pride PH Festival from 2022 to 2024. Though not a venue for this year’s festival, it still sported Pride decorations—its pathways covered with floating, multi-colored umbrellas and the pylons of the Quezon Memorial Shrine bathed in lights of changing colors. They are the first historical landmark and national park in the country to engage in Pride events. 

Another historical site, Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila, participated in the celebration for the first time. Pride flags were displayed prominently at its gate. 

“We stand in celebration and solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, honoring love, identity, and the freedom to be yourself,” the Intramuros Administration, which manages the tourist attraction, wrote on its Facebook page.

            After the Supreme Court of the Philippines joined Pride celebration a couple of years ago, another high branch of national government displayed Pride colors. The Senate of the Philippines, led by its Gender and Development Focal Point, lit its building in Pasay City in rainbow colors.

“The institution reaffirms its recognition of the diverse sectors that make up our society, including the LGBTQIA+ community,” it said in its Facebook post.

Ironically, the SOGIESC Equality Bill, which aims to protect persons from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics, has not been passed after more than two decades.

Cultural agencies of the national government have also expressed support during Pride Month. Notably, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) beamed with rainbow-colored lights, saying it "is one with the LGBTQIA+ community" in its Facebook post on 16 June.

"For the rest of June, we are lighting up the façade of the National Museum of Fine Arts into a vibrant rainbow, and flying pride and progress flags across all our museums as part of our display of allyship and support!" they announced.

"We at the NMP remain steadfast in making our spaces safe, open, and inclusive," they emphasized.

For several years now, NMP has been displaying its support for and solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community, and holding special programs for Pride Month.

            Likewise, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) also lit its main building in rainbow colors, which also became a canvas for GOBO projections of patterns resembling human fingerprints, designed by its Production Design and Technical Services Division.

“The fingerprint motif is both intimate and powerful. It symbolizes identity, authenticity, and visibility, central themes in the ongoing conversation about gender equality and inclusion. With this installation, we aim not only to celebrate Pride Month, but to remind all Filipinos that diversity is strength, and that every person has the right to be seen, heard, and respected,” said CCP artistic director Dennis N. Marasigan, who also chairs the CCP Gender and Development Committee.

Even in smaller communities around the metro made effort to decorate for Pride. The small Barangay Sumilang Park, which sits along the Pasig River, in Pasig City became festive, festooned with rainbow ribbons and flaglets, its gate adorned with a rainbow arch. 

            While there is no new rainbow crosswalks like in previous years, the stairs of a pedestrian footbridge at the intersection of EDSA Extension and Roxas Boulevard were painted in rainbow colors.

            Also, the LED billboard, the biggest in the country, on GA Tower 1, regularly showed a Pride Progress flag over the busy traffic along EDSA in Mandaluyong City.

Members of the LGBTIQ+ community and allies welcomed these shows of support, appreciative for their exuberant and brave declarations, considering that about 10 years ago, none even dared to express support for the sector for fear of ridicule or rebuke. These displays indicate how perceptions have changed in recent years, and contribute to visibility and awareness as well as historical and cultural acknowledgment of the LGBTIQ+ community.

            However, these displays may also be just decorations, results of performative allyship and riding the bandwagon, tokenist gestures that do not really translate to real change for the LGBTIQ+ community. It also remains to be seen if these actions are consistent and accompanied with a more effective measures to address the challenges the sector faces. As these displays dramatically transform spaces, may they also transform hearts.

 

The CCP main building (Photo by Orly Daquipi)

The Mega Tower with rainbow lights, illuminating the Ortigas Center-Crossing area in Mandaluyong City (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

 The attractive Pride Love installation by the entrance of SM Megamall (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Even smaller communities joined the celebration such as the barangay of Sumilang in Pasig City (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Multi-colored stairs of the EDSA Extension-Roxas Boulevard pedestrian footbridge (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Pride flags at Fort Santiago in Intramuros (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Quezon City Hall's Pride lighting (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Flowering into Drag: Iconic Gay Film and Musical to Get a Sequel

Jamila Rivera takes ont= the role of Maxie Oliveros, who transforms into a drag queen (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

After twenty years, the beloved gay film, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), is getting a sequel but it is going to be a stage musical.

Presented by J+ Productions and line-produced by PETA Plus of the Philippine Education Theater Association (PETA), Dalaga na si Maxie Oliveros: A Drag Musical Extravaganza will be staged from June 13 to 22, 2025,  at the Illumination Studio in Makati City, in time for the celebration of LGBTIQ+ Pride Month. 

Directed by Auraeus Solito (Kanakan Balintagos) and written by Michiko Yamamoto, the original 2005 film is about the  coming-of-age story of twelve-year-old boy from a family of petty thieves who love him, who falls in love with an idealistic, handsome police officer. When it premiered at the first Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, the movie broke grounds for presenting a very truthful and poignant LGBTQ+ story during a time when there are very few LGBTQ+ representations and narratives, and immediately became a landmark film, beloved by the LGBTQ+ community as well as the general public.  

In 2013, a stage version, Maxie the Musicale, was created by Bit by Bit Company with book and lyrics by Nicolas B. Pichay, and direction and choreography by Dexter M. Santos, and it also became a hit. 

“Bihira naman talaga ang mga material to begin with, specifically talking about the experience of an LGBTQ and a representative of the community. Parang importante siya na material kasi to represent also the development of the community, the drag culture. Itong production na ito, it can contribute to that narrative na ‘yon, ‘yung sa canon na ‘yon,” said Melvin Lee, a PETA actor who is directing for the first time for Dalaga na….

The reference point of Dalaga na si Maxie Oliveros is Maxie the Musicale, especially in terms of the character’s timeline. Dalaga na… follows Maxie as a 1seventeen-year-old transgender girl, who would turn eighteen within the span of the play, which is set in 2018, during the height of the infamous and bloody “war on drugs” of the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte. Maxie suffers from the trauma of witnessing her father being killed by a police officer, and finds her way into drag. 

Lee revealed that Maxie has been joining beauty contest but is set on leaving the beauty contest world because of a bad experience. A drag queen would bring her to a drag bar and introduce her to the drag community.

“In her journey in the drag community she will find a new kind of family and a support system,” Lee said.

Dalaga na… is also an exploration into and, for some, an introduction to what drag is about. 

“Parang sa akin…lagyan natin ng kaluluwa at persona at pagsilipin natin ng tunay na buhay ng mga drag queens. Hindi lang sila all about lip-sync and bigness and all that. There is a reason for that. It's their way of asserting their role in the community, and Maxie is just a representation, it's a ploy actually, to look into the drag culture,” Lee explained.  

“Ako personally as a director na parang when you look at drag now, you don't just look at the facade of it and the fabulosity of it but also, there's a dimension already,” he added.

“I want the audience to see the human side of drag performers. Let us go beyond the facade, the fabulosity, but there is a person behind it, and there is in every performance that they do is actually their expression and their statement to whatever context that they are in,” the director emphasized.

            Drag, a queer creative expression that was once considered  “underground,” has become popular and seeped into mainstream culture in recent years. It has also found its way to theatrical productions, the latest of which is the ongoing Delia D.: A Musical Featuring the Songs of Jonathan Manalo at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City. For Lee, it is also an element to “update” the queer landscape in the Maxie Oliveros story.

            He shared that he met the people behind the public relations and events company, J+Productions, in February 2025 and they were planning to restage Maxie the Musical for their fifteenth anniversary on June 23. 

“Sabi ko, alam mo, luma na ‘yun kasi 2013 ‘yung context doon. Nag-iba na ang context ng LGBTQ. Sabi ko, gawin na lang natin take-off point si Maxie, Ang Pagdadalaga, tapos ngayon, gawin nating dalaga na siya, tapos dahil hitik na hitik din naman ang drag culture nowadays, why not situate her na pumasok siya sa mundo ng drag. Kaya nabuo ‘yung Dalaga na si Maximo Oliveros,” Lee related.

“So, I conceptualized it and proposed it to J+Productions and then I collaborated with the new writers from PETA, Julia Icawat Enriquez and Mikaundre Gozum Santos,” he said.

            The creative team also includes JJ Pimpinio, who handles the musical direction and arrangement, and wrote three original songs for the play; Meann Espinosa as assistant director; J-mee Katanyag as script consultant; Gio Gahol as choreographer; Charles See as set designer; Tata Tuviera as costume designer; Jana Jimenez as video projection designer; David Esguerra as lighting designer; Loren Rivera as technical director; Happy Constantino and Arvy Dimaculangan as sound designers; and Ghie Bernardo as sound engineer.

            The production employs real drag queens—Zymba Ding, Corazon, Mrs. Tan, and Winter Sheason Nicole—acting alongside actors playing drag queens, Jem Manicad, Gerhard Krystoppher, and Gabriel Villaruel. The rest of the cast is composed Ado Villanueva, Air Paz, Gerald Magallanes, Honey Bravo, Jay Cortez, Marit Samson, Misha Fabian, and Robert Macaraeg.

            Taking the role of Maxie is a relative theater newbie—Jamila Rivera, a queer college student from Naga City. 

            Dalaga na si Maxie Oliveros is the first original production of J+ Productions, which usually mounts shows and events for their clients. 

“This whole project is a true passion project for our team. It's our way of creating a safe, welcoming space for the LGBTQIA community and shining a spotlight on the incredible impact of the drag community, which has always been bold, brave, and beautifully unapologetic. A community whose impact continues to shape culture and spark conversations that truly matter,” said Precious Cruz-Bautista, J+ Productions chief operating officer and marketing director.

            Aside from being their way of celebrating their anniversary, the musical is made more special as their offering in the celebration of LGBTIQ+ Pride Month. 

“Pride Month is always a special time, but for us, it's more than just a celebration. It's a powerful tribute to courage, love, and authenticity. And it's a hopeful reminder of the future we believe in. A future where everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, is seen, valued, and free to live with dignity and equal rights,” Cruz-Bautista said.

            She added: “Pride began as a protest. Today, it's a celebration and a call to action, and we are so proud to be part of that movement.”

            Not just capitalizing on the occasion, J+ Productions also finds a way of contributing to the LGBTIQ+ cause and giving back to the community.

“We're incredibly proud to be partnering with PANTAY, a powerful youth-led movement championing equality and human rights,” Cruz-Bautista shared. “As our beneficiary, a portion of our proceeds will support their vital work in pushing for gender transformative legislation and creating safe, inclusive spaces for all. Together, we're helping build a future grounded in respect, dignity, and justice for every SOGIESC identity.”

 

Dalaga na si Maxie Oliveros: A Drag Musical Extravaganza will run on June 13 at 8 p.m.; June 14 and 15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; June 17 to 20 at 8 p.m.; and June 21 and 22 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are now available for purchase through https://ticket2me.net/dalaga-na-si-Maxie at P2,500 each. For further information, follow https://web.facebook.com/dalaganasimaxie, https://www.instagram.com/dalaganasimaxie/.

The original film, 'Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros' (2005), has become a beloved classic (Photo from Cinemalaya Foundation)

Corazon, known for her stint in 'Drag race Philippines,' with Jamila Rivera as Maxie Oliveros (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Drag queen Mrs. Tan in a major drag number in the play (Photo by Roel Hoang) Manipon)

The cast of 'Dalaga na si Maxie' includes real drag queens--ba Ding, Corazon, Mrs. Tan, and Winter Sheason Nicole (Photo from PETA)

Province of Salt Selects its Sweet Queens

Limgas na Pangasinan 2025 winners: (from left) first runner-up Alannis Sophia Melarne F. Hodge of Sual; Limgas na Pangasinan Grand Angelica Joy B. Flores of Santa Barbara; Limgas na Pangasinan World Felicity C. Mamplata of Lingayen; Limgas na Pangasinan Mutya Clare Arwen V. Cacal of Calasiao; and second runner-up Liannah Jermayne L. Mangosong of Asingan.

As the 2025 Pista’y Dayat, the annual provincial festival of Pangasinan, neared its culmination, the province in northwestern Luzon crowned its beauty queens during the Limgas na Pangasinan Pageant and Coronation Night 2025 held on 25 April at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in the capital town, Lingayen. 

The Electrical Engineering student from Lingayen, Felicity C. Mamplata, was crowned Limgas na Pangasinan World 2025. She will be representing the province at the Miss World Philippines pageant in 2026. 

Mamplata is a veteran at beauty pageants, joining them since the age of five. Her latest title was Limgas na Baley ed Lingayen 2025 before becoming the province’s queen. She is currently on her third year at the University of Luzon, where she is president of the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. chapter in her university. Her advocacy is energy conservation through education.

During the final question-and-answer portion, the top five  were asked the common question, “In an era where digital innovation is rapidly transforming societies, how can we leverage technology to preserve and promote the Pangasinense language and its rich cultural traditions?”

Mamplata’s winning answer was “Social media is a powerful tool when we can deliver message to other people. Through social media, we can promote our tourism heritage sites, resilience community; and through leadership in agriculture, we can excel in our fields. This is where beauty becomes identity.”

During the coronation night, she won two special awards—Miss Friendship and Best in Swimsuit.

On the other hand, Angelica Joy B. Flores, Accountancy student at Universidad de Dagupan and Mutya ng Santa Barbara 2024, bagged the Limgas na Pangasinan Grand 2025 title and the chance to compete at the Miss Grand Philippines pageant. She also won the Best in Advocacy Video special award.

An only child in the family, she was elected as a Sangguniang Kabataan kagawad in her barangay and has volunteered at the Santa Barbara Community Pantry during the pandemic lockdowns in 2021.

            The Limgas na Pangasinan Mutya 2025 title went Clare Arwen Cacal, pharmacy student and Calasiao’s representative, who will compete at the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant. She won the Miss Photogenic special award. Cacal loves running marathons and advocates for better healthcare access and raising awareness in health.

Meanwhile, Alannis Sophia Melarne F. Hodge of Sual finished as first runner-up, and Liannah Jermayne L. Mangosong of Asingan as second runner-up. 

            Other special award winners were Rosemarie O. Erang from Urdaneta (Darling of the Press); Freda V. Rosario from Labrador (Miss Talent); Grace Jinneah C. Lumague from Pozzorubio (Best Artist’s Video); Leinahtan L. Samiento from San Carlos City (Best in Evening Gown); and Ma. Julianne Vernice F. Nandin from Rosales (Best in Creative Costume).

            Designers were also recognized that evening. Michael Miguel was awarded Best in Evening Gown Design for the gown of Limgas na Bayambang, while Simeon Cayetano won the Best Creative Costume Design for his  costume for Limgas na Santa Barbara. 

            This year’s Limgas na Pangasinan drew 21 contestants, who competed at five segments during the pre-pageant activities— up close and personal interview, creative costume, talent, artist’s video, and Beauty and Brain Segment. During the coronation night, they underwent the swimsuit, advocacy video, question-and-answer and evening gown competitions. With scores reset, the top five competed at the final common question.

            A beauty pageant encompassing the whole province, the Limgas na Pangasinan began in 1973 as Limgas na Dayat (Maiden of Sea). It has been held annually except in 1986, a transition period after the EDSA People’s Power Revolution, and 2020, 2021 and 2022, when lockdowns were imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. When it returned in 2023, it was revamped under the leadership of Maan Tuazon-Guico, wife of Pangasinan governor Ramon “Mon-Mon” V. Guico III.

            She included a beauty camp, with assistance from Aces and Queens, to provide training and coaching to the candidates, who also receive financial support from the provincial government. The provincial government also collaborated with the Miss World Philippines Organization, leading for two Limgas winners to compete at the Miss World Philippines and Miss Grand Philippines pageants.

“I am incredibly proud not just of the glitz and glamour but because it gives us a chance to celebrate the ganda at galing (beauty and talent) of every Pangasinense. Our Limgas candidates...21 queens, 21 dreams...represent our future. Strong, beautiful and vibrant," Guico said during the pre-pageant night.

"It is my fervent wish that Pangasinan will continue to produce more beauty queens of international stature in the future," she added.

Limgas na Pangasinan 2025 winners and other contestants (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The Limgas na Pangasinan 2025 candidates in their  evening gowns (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The final announcement of winners (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

A Grand Feast of Filipino Books

Although it is only three years old, the Philippine Book Festival (PBF) has emerged to be the biggest all-Filipino book fair, drawing more than 40,000 attendees in four days, according to its organizer, the National Book  Development Board (NBDB), a national government agency dedicated to book publishing.

This year, PBF was held from March 13 to 16 at the Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City, a smaller venue compared to last year’s World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City, but accessible to more people being inside a popular mall, SM Megamall. It was able to attract the largest crowd in a single day—17,857 people on March 15—in the fair’s short history. 

            But more importantly, PBF was able to invigorate the love for reading among Filipinos, making books and the printed word hip again, with an effort to spotlight different literary genres and printed forms, ninety-four exhibitors, more than 110 book signing sessions, and more than a hundred events, all in one venue made vibrant with eye-catching designs and a festive atmosphere.  

While last year’s festival was intent on addressing concerns about the dismal reading habits of the Filipinos, as  revealed by a survey commissioned by NBDB, this year’s mood was more celebratory, as NBDB anticipates the participation of the Philippines as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, which will take place from October 15 to 19 at Messe Frankfurt in Germany.

            Also, the design theme of PBF 2025 was inspired by the modern-day, touristic festivals around the Philippines—Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City, Iloilo; Tuna Festival of General Santos City in southern Mindanao; Panagbenga: The Baguio Flower Festival in northern Luzon; and the Pahiyas Festival of Lucban, Quezon. The whole venue was decorated with colorful banderitas or buntings, evoking the traditional patronal town fiestas, fitting for a celebration of Filipino authors and Philippine-published books.

Additionally, NBDB tapped renowned children’s book illustrators Juno Abreu, Pepot Atienza, Danielle Florendo, and Paul Eric Roca to create images and designs for the four sections of PBF, which they call “realms”—Booktopia (trade books), Kid Lit (children's literature), Aral Aklat (educational books), and Komiks (comics and graphic novels).

The center of the festival was the Pakyawan Plaza, where people could meet and gather, read, and marvel at the centerpiece installation—a large hut, inspired by the traditional bahay kubo, complete with baskets of real farm produce. Constructed of bamboo and nipa fronds, the hut was embellished in the practice of pagpapahiyas during the Feast of San Isidro Labrador of Lucban, a community and church tradition that is incorporated also into the local government-organized Pahiyas Festival, featuring the kiping and Abreu’s artworks. 

            PBF 2025 also focused on education, welcoming more than 650 public school and teachers and Department of Education workers and scopers, who were given opportunities to choose books that would be used in classrooms and libraries. 

“Our third year is all about the opportunity to be more intentional with our programming by getting to the heart of the matter and asking the very basic question: What do our teachers and our students need?" said NBDB executive director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, who founded the festival in 2023.

To make the scoping process more efficient, NBDB placed several “book counselors” to provide guidance.

“With the help of NBDB’s book counselors, the scoping process of our partners from DepEd was more seamless and insightful than ever before,” explained Aquino-Tugade. “They were able to select books that will truly enrich the learning experience of students across the country.”

The festival was able to facilitate ₱3 billion worth of books procured for distribution to public schools and libraries nationwide, 

            Aside from textbook publishers, the festival was able to give space to both established and small, independent publishers. There were also dedicated booths for popular screenwriter Ricky Lee, National Artist for film and broadcast arts, and comics creator Kevin Raymundo, popularly known as Tarantadong Kalbo.

            PBF 2025 was brimming with different activities both at its main stage, in many of the booths and specialized sections including performances, live mural painting, talks and fora, workshops, book launches, etc.  

            Notable was one of the first activities in the centenary celebration of the creation of Lola Basyang, a beloved character created by writer and playwright Severino Reyes.  Lola Basyang is a grandmother who tells stories, who made her debut in Reyes’ “Ang Plautin ni Periking” in the Filipino-language magazine Liwayway in 1925. 

The activities included a panel discussion, “The Timeless Legacy of Lola Basyang,” led by children’s book author, and Lola Basyang scholar Christine Bellen-Ang, along with a descendant of Reyes, Ani R. Reyes; a poetry performance by another descendant, Leandro Reyes; and a screening of Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang, an animated film produced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Other Filipino fictional characters came alive in the cosplay contest, Filipiniana Cosplay Fiesta, in the last day of PBF. The duo depicting the komiks superhero Darna and villain Valentina, created by Mars Ravelo, won the top prize. 

            Among the book launches, one of the largest was the Vibal Group’s, which unveiled thirteen  new titles, as well as five new imprints. 

            On the other hand, the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) mounted a pocket exhibit, showcasing its collection of rare books— facsimile copies of José Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and Doctrina Christiana en lengua española y tagala (Christian Doctrine in Spanish and Tagalog Languages), considered as the first book published  in the Philippines, printed in Manila in 1593. Additionally, NLP also displayed old souvenir programs of town fiestas and a collection of photos of fiestas, in keeping with the festival theme, as well as old komiks such as Kenkoy, Darna and Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.

            The exhibit underscored the immortal power of books in an affair that is helping bolster the future of books, bridging the past and the future and making PBF a more meaningful experience. 

Bright and colorful LED walls welcomed vistors to the wornderful world of books (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

PBF's centerpiece is a large hut embellished according to the practice of pagpapahiyas  (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

A chandelier-like decoration made with kiping (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The hut featured the work of artist Juno Abreu (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The festive atmosphere (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

A mini exhibit by the National Library of the Philippines (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Cultural agencies such as the National Museum of the Philippines also participated (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

A dedicated booth for National Artist Ricke Lee (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Authors and illustrators of a children's book on the life of celebrated Tboli textile weaver Lang Dulay (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)