Daily Tribune
Allen and Jennifer Tan with children Sabrina Noelle and Noah.
Arts council of Cebu Foundation president Vivina Chiu with awardees Nicolas Romo Pacaña and Jose Kimsoy Caras Yap Jr.
CEBUANO painter Romulo Noel Galicano with Elvira Luym.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama assists awardee Monsignor Rodolfo Escalona Villanueva.
KENNETH Chen Cobonpue.
Cebuano artists Celso Pepito and Jun Impas.
JJ and Lotlot Neri.
The culmination of the very first commemoration of the Cebu City Arts Month saw the conferment of the prestigious Sugbuhanong Bahandi Award to several distinguished individuals.
Through the efforts of the City's Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, the citation recognizes and celebrates the talents of personalities in the fields of music, dance, theater, performing and visual arts, allied arts, as well as media arts.
The six outstanding Cebuanos who were honored were as follows:
Resil Buagas Mojares, educator and scholar, essayist and fictionist, cultural and literary historian, was the very first Cebuano National Artist for Literature. A Carlos Palanca Memorial Awardee and a multi-awardee of the Philippine National Book Awards, he has authored over 20 historical and political books.
Nicolas Romo Pacaña has garnered international acclaim in classic ballet. He was the premier danseur of the Honolulu City Ballet, and soloist, then principal dancer of the Boston Ballet, with tours the world over.
Jose Kimsoy Caras Yap Jr., who pursued further studies at the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts in New York, tirelessly mentored up-and-coming Cebuanos. Renowned artists cite him as an inspiration.
Romulo Noel Galicano is an internationally acclaimed Cebuano painter known for his vibrant and expressive works that often depict scenes of rural life, landscapes and everyday Filipino experiences.
Rodolfo Escalona Villanueva, beyond being a man of God and a man of faith known as Reverend Monsignor Rudy, is a renaissance man of music and the written word. He is the composer of liturgical music like the Cancionero, Salterio Cebuano and Festive series which remain in use in the entire archdiocese of Cebu.
Kenneth Chen Cobonpue is a recipient of the very first Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Award for Design. His furniture has made it to Hollywood blockbusters. He founded the Industrial Design Program of the University of the Philippines–Cebu and became the chairman of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's Industrial Design program.
