As the talk progressed I shared about our humble beginnings as family of artists in Iloilo and that our province is so beautiful and interesting. Mr Guterman mentioned that I traveled more than 7,000 miles to setup the show and I replied that I live in a country consisted of more than 7,000 islands depending on the tide. I mentioned a bit of history about Iloilo starting with a painting of BARTER OF PANAY which I won second prize at the Marikudo Country Club competition in the late 70s in Iloilo City, Philippines and where Eddie Ilarde, Minister Duavit and Artist Jose Blanco were the judges.
In the middle of the talk I mentioned about Gawad Kalinga and how these constructive efforts to somehow bring peace in Mindannao benefitted a Muslim slum area where Christians and Muslims alike all worked side-by-side to build homes for the poor. At the back of my mind I had the threat of global terrorism victimizing not only Americans but also Filipinos especially because Mindanao was declared by Bush as the next battle front.
I did hope that in my small way I was able to contribute in international understanding and in making people realise the hardships of foreign workers forced to work abroad just to make sure their families survive back home.
In the middle of the talk I mentioned about Gawad Kalinga and how these constructive efforts to somehow bring peace in Mindannao benefitted a Muslim slum area where Christians and Muslims alike all worked side-by-side to build homes for the poor. At the back of my mind I had the threat of global terrorism victimizing not only Americans but also Filipinos especially because Mindanao was declared by Bush as the next battle front.
I did hope that in my small way I was able to contribute in international understanding and in making people realise the hardships of foreign workers forced to work abroad just to make sure their families survive back home.
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