PhotograPICKED: PCP takes part in CCP’s PASINAYA 2024 for the first time in 20 years

Members of the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) conducted a photography workshop as part of CCP’s PASINAYA 2024, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Sunken Parking), on Feb. 3. From left to right, presenters AC Dimatatac, Jun Sepe and Mark Saludes.

Story by Glecelyn Simba

A feat for Filipino photographers and the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) as photography was finally included in PASINAYA 2024, an annual multi-arts festival organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) held every February.

In the Philippines, photography has long been subjected to discourse and debates about whether it is an art form as it uses mechanical devices and chemical procedures to produce an output unlike predominantly hand-made arts such as paintings, literature, and sculptures, among others.

PCP takes part in this year’s PASINAYA for the first time since the festival was established in 2005. This event is considered to be the biggest multi-arts festival in the country.

With the theme “Sulong,” the CCP Open House Festival staged hundreds of shows, various workshops, screenings, and other activities happening simultaneously from Feb. 3–4, across three venues: Manila, the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Arts in Iloilo City, and in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. This marks the first time the festival has expanded to Visayas and Mindanao.

PASINAYA was conceived as a way to welcome the National Arts Month celebration. This festival aims to serve as an avenue to promote various forms of art and bring them closer to Filipinos.

The photography workshop was headed by PCP members: AC Dimatatac, a journalism professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines; Fernando “Jun” Sepe, deputy editor for multimedia at ABS-CBN News; and Mark Saludes, writer and editor at LiCAS.news.

They discussed the history of photography, the fundamentals of photography, and visual literacy, among others. The program also includes a question-and-answer portion to accommodate inquiries and concerns from the audience.

The workshop was attended by campus journalists, students, working photographers, and other workshop-goers at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Sunken Parking) on Feb. 3, the beginning of the two-day festival.

Started as a platform for CCP’s artistic programming preview, the festival has grown bigger and became widely popular for showcasing Filipino artistry and promoting art appreciation and art literacy.

From 37,888 audiences in 2023, this year’s PASINAYA logged a total of 45,347 participants, ranging from children, students, PWDs, teachers, artists, advocates, and foreigners, across all the festival components, including Palihan (workshops), Palabas (shows), and Palitan (business-to-business meetings), among others.

Participants in the event were given the privilege of a “see-all-you-can, workshop-all-you-can, network-all-you-can, and pay-what-you-can” experience. This is to ensure the public has access to and can fully engage with all the activities.

“The CCP will always find ways to provide spaces for our artists and cultural groups where they can showcase their talents and create new audiences who will participate in artmaking and appreciate the best that the Philippines has to offer,” said CCP artistic director Dennis N. Marasigan in a press release.

The inclusion of photography, which, just like any other art form, hopes to tell a story, in a prestigious festival dedicated to various art fields like PASINAYA marks a step forward for Filipino photographers and the profession.

Photos by Lito Ocampo and PCP members