WHILE it takes a village to build a giant lantern, it needs a giant lantern maker to lead it. Once more, ten giant lanterns representing ten villages will take center stage in the annual Ligligan Parul, the Giant Lantern Festival, of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
Behind the success of each participating village is a giant lantern maker, an artistic genius and a electrical maverick rolled into one, who crafts a 20-foot kaleidoscopic wonder composed of thousands of light bulbs attached to a complex yet “primitive” system of rotors, which control the interplay of lights with music. In their own way, these lantern makers are superstars.
Efren Tiodin, at 57 years old, is the oldest participating giant lantern maker in this year’s competition. A protégé of the late legendary lantern maker Mario Datu, he has been making giant lanterns for 33 years. In 2007, he introduced the use of copper rods from bicycle brake cables as an alternative to hair pins in the rotor system. He makes a comeback this year for his home village of Del Pilar after a two-year hiatus from the competition.
Teddy Aguilar is the 44-year-old trike driver who also happens to be the back-to-back festival champion in 2014 and 2015. A former apprentice of lantern maker Arnel Flores, he made his debut as a giant lantern maker two years ago. This year, he takes the lead in making the entry for Dolores village, the defending champion. With bated breath, everyone awaits the outcome of this year’s competition.
Mark Flores, the son of lantern maker Arnel Flores, first fielded a giant lantern entry when he was 18 years old. This engineering student is now 21 years old and has more than 5 years of lantern making experience. He is making the giant lantern of San Juan village this year.
Edmar David, a 32-year-old electrician, belongs to a family of lantern makers and learned his craft from his father, Edwin David Sr. With his 12 years of lantern making background, he will be leading his family and home village of San Nicolas as they vie for the championship in this year’s festival.
Arvin Quiwa, now 42 years old, had an early start in lantern making and has been in the craft for 30 years. He is a fifth generation lantern maker, the son of Ernesto David Quiwa who descended from giant lantern pioneer Francisco Estanislao. He recently led a Filipino delegation which crafted and mounted a giant lantern for exhibit at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore this year. For the second year in a row, he will be sharing his expertise with Sindalan village which bagged third place last year.
Karl Ernest Quiwa is a sixth generation lantern maker, the son of giant lantern maker Eric Quiwa who is a direct descendant of Francisco Estanislao. At 22, he is among the youngest competing lantern makers and will take charge of the entry of Santa Lucia village, the Quiwa family’s home village.
Omar Quiwa, at 38 years old, has more than 20 years of lantern making experience, having learned the ropes from his father, lantern maker Ernesto Quiwa who finally passed on to him the making of Santo Nino’s village entry this year.
Arnel Flores, once a protégé of the late lantern maker Alberto “Toto” Bondoc, has fielded several championships for Telabastagan village in the past 10 years. He is now 46 years old and has more than 30 years of lantern making experience. He will be leading Telabastagan in this year’s competition.
Florante “Dante” Parilla, a 45-year-old lantern maker, will be leading his home village of San Jose in the competition this year, teaming up with a group of homegrown lantern makers from one of the oldest participating villages in the festival’s history. He has been making giant lanterns for the past nine years.
Completing the roster of giant lantern makers this year is fifth generation lantern maker and 44-year-old scion of the famed Estanislao-David-Quiwa clan, Eric Quiwa. Eric has more than thirty years of lantern making prowess and will lead the village of Calulut for their entry this year, having placed fourth in the 2015 competition.
Good luck to all the participants in this year’s Giant Lantern Festival 2016!