ANGELES City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. asked malls in the city to provide a venue to feature the work of various local artists on a monthly basis.

Lazatin made the request through letters addressed to SM City Clark Mall Manager Jerwin Jalandoni and Marquee Mall General Manager Peachy Atendido.

Lazatin said the City Government is initiating partnerships with local establishments to provide an area to help struggling Angeleño artists exhibit their works, so they can recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences to various sectors of the Angeleño community, affecting not only the health and business sector but also our local artists,” Lazatin said in his letters.

He asked that an exhibit be held on a monthly basis at the malls, showcasing the works of different Angeleño artists each month.

Just recently, Executive Assistant IV coordinated with the management of the malls for an ocular inspection that is set to be conducted by Angeles City Tourism Officer-in-Charge Anneleen Antonio-Sugui and staff.

Antonio-Sugui also attended a meeting with SM City Clark Marketing Manager Rhidian Guevarra and Assistant Mall Manager Marianne Grace Gavino, as well as Marquee Mall Associate Manager-Marketing Suzette Manalo for the initiative.

It can be recalled that Lazatin, with Chief Adviser IC Calaguas and Antonio-Sugui, met with Norman Tiotuico, an Angeleño painter, to discuss a plan to install a mural at the back of the Museo Ning Angeles and at the Santungan Cultural Hub Project under the Abacan Bridge to uplift the cultural scene in the city and to develop cultural awareness among Angeleños through art.

It was Tiotuico who suggested and sought the help of Lazatin for a venue for local artists’ works.

“Later on, we will ask the hotel owners to adopt artists' works as well,” Lazatin said.