Sunday, November 04, 2007 Betis photographer bags 2 entries to national tilt By Ian Ocampo Flora
GUAGUA -- A photographer here has once again made history after two of his entries in a prestigious national photography contest made it to the finals.
Two entries of Ruston Banal of San Juan Betis here are among the finalists in the Philippine Airlines Photo Contest. The competition, which aims to capture the best of Philippine culture and tradition, was participated in by at least 3,000 photography enthusiasts from all over the country.
Banal is one of the 12 finalists in the Enthusiast and Professional Category through his entries "Sasampang Damulag" (Climbing water buffalos) and "Kuraldal: Baptism and Recollection," both of which present rural customs and traditions. The entry "Kuraldal" shows his barrio's tradition of the San Juan Basa fiesta celebration, characterized by a folk carrying a cross while dancing on the street and people throwing water to one another.
"I never actually believed that my entry will end up among the finalists since there are a lot of entries and almost anybody can join. I would be happy if I could be a finalist in just one category but, fortunately, I was able to get two categories," Banal told Sun.Star Pampanga.
Banal, a first timer in Photography contest is a graduate of Fine Arts from the University of The Philippines (UP)-Diliman. He practiced and honed his talents in photography while teaching media education. He went into full practice of his craft soon after. Banal became one of the graphic artists for Pinoy Big Brother and set photographer for the Rounin series of ABS-CBN.
Currently, Banal is a freelance photographer. "I am hoping that I could win in the PAL contest. That then would be my legacy to my town as an artist," Banal added.
The PAL Photo Contest started accepting entries last June and the grand awarding of winners for the various categories would be on November 10.
