National Artist Napoleon Abueva Receives Award at DPC-PLDT Visual Arts Competition

The late National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon V. Abueva was honored with a special tribute by Directories Philippines Corporation (DPC) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) during the awarding ceremony of the DPC-PLDT Visual Arts Competition 32 (VAC 32) held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines recently. DPC and PLDT presented a special plaque of appreciation for the late national artist to Dr. Sergia Abueva, the National Artist’s widow and his daughter, Amihan Abueva. Dean Abueva, who passed away on February 16, 2018, helped establish the foundation for the VAC, along with deans of other Fine Arts schools in the Philippines. As part of the tribute, replicas of the original trophy designed by Dean Abueva in 1990 were given to the schools of the top three winners of VAC 32. Above, DPC Chief Operating Officer Arturo Diago (left), founding VAC Project Director Fred Amat, and long-time VAC Coordinator of PLDT Robert Sarte present the award to Dr. Sergia Abueva and Amihan Abueva. Fittingly, too, the unique ceramic trophies for each of the VAC 32 major prize winners had been designed by Lanelle Abueva-Fernando, niece of the late National Artist.

Cavite student wins annual DPC-PLDT Visual Arts Contest

An oil painting called “Jeeploma”, depicting a jeepney driver’s pride as a hard-working father, bagged the grand prize of the 32nd Visual Arts Competition (VAC 32) of Directories Philippines Corporation and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.

The work by Paul Taladtad from Adventist University of the Philippines of Silang, Cavite bested entries submitted by fine arts students this year to the annual tilt. The much-awaited art competition among the country’s schools of fine arts captured the interest of the judges with its interpretation of this year’s competition theme, “Pinoy Pride.”

Jayvee Valencia of Bulacan State University won second prize for his entry, “Ngiti”, while Kenneth Leo Pamlas from Tarlac State University won third prize for “Bayanihan Sa Bayan ni Juan”, an acrylic painting showing a known Filipino custom bayanihan. Aside from the VAC 32 trophy and cash prize, the Fine Arts schools of the top three winners also received cash donations and replicas of the VAC trophy that was designed by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva in 1990.

Louis Rafael Espinosa from the University of Santo Tomas won the VAC 32 People’s Choice Award with his entry “Kulturang Dalisay.” The winning entries will grace the covers of the 2018-19 White and Yellow Pages PLDT directories.

“Jeeploma”—a play on the words, “jeep” and “diploma”—highlights a jeepney coin box with graduation pictures of the driver’s three children and coarsely textured coins and peso bills, along with the driver’s work-worn hands, to convey the sense that every centavo had been hard-earned and well-spent.

  

Talatad, the grand prize winner, said he got the idea from personal experience, while enrolled in the University of the Philippines in 2009-2012. “Minsan, habang nakasakay ako sa jeep sa UP IKOT, napansin ko pagkatapos kong magbayad na inilagay nungdriver yung barya sa coin box na may graduation pictures ng mga anak niya. Na-touchpo ako noon, dahil jeepney driver din po ang papa ko,” Taladtad said. “Naalala ko, mayroon din pong nag-post online, siguro five years ago, ng picture na kuha din sa jeep na yon. Nag-comment ako noon: ‘ang gandang gawing tula o painting.’”

The photograph Taladtad refers to was originally posted by Justin Linatoc in November 2012, and the winning artist acknowledges that it had been one of his sources of inspiration.

More than 70 art works from fine arts students from all over the Philippines with different interpretations of the theme were submitted for the competition. Thirty entries were singled out as finalists and were exhibited at the Little Theater Lobby at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from March 13 to 20, 2018. Entries were judged according to visual composition, originality, adherence to theme and suitability as cover. 

The awarding ceremonies were held Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at the CCP Main Lobby.

The panel of judges was composed of Chris Millado, Vice President and Artistic Director at the Cultural Center of the Philippines; Don Djerassi L. Dalmacio, Awardee of 2009 Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists; Ruben Fortunato M. de Jesus, award-winning illustrator of children’s books, and founding member of the Illustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK); Marabini S. Williamson, seasoned advertising and publishing expert, formerly of McCann-Erickson Phils; and Wesley Valenzuela, 1995-1996 DPC-PLDT VAC Grand Prize Winner. 

VAC 32 is an annual arts competition organized by DPC and PLDT for student artists in the Philippines. The competition has explored various art forms using different media over the past three decades.

For more information, please visit VAC 32’s website, www.visualarts.ph, and its official Facebook page, VISUALARTSPH. Queries can also be emailed tovisualartsph@gmail.com

*This is Press Release

Top Entries in 32nd DPC-PLDT visual arts contest on exhibit at CCP Little Theater Lobby till March 20

Thirty diverse visual interpretations of the theme, “Pinoy Pride”, in oil and acrylic are on exhibit from March 13 to 20, 2018 at the Little Theater Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The exhibit pieces are the works of fine arts students, aged 18 to 24, from all over the Philippines. The 30 paintings constitute the finalists, chosen among more than 70 entries to the 32nd edition of the DPC-PLDT Visual Arts Competition (VAC 32), sponsored by Directories Philippines Corporation and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. The annual nationwide competition showcases and immortalizes the winning artworks on covers of telephone directories distributed in Metro Manila and other key urban centers and regions across the land, as well as on multiple online and mobile platforms.

“It is heartening to see a broad national representation of the entries this year,” noted Ricardo D. Bautista, DPC president. “We had submissions from Mindanao, the Visayas, northern and southern Luzon, in addition to the usually prolific output from the fine arts schools in Metro Manila. Interpretations of this year's theme are just as diverse. Some student artists dwelt on our natural endowments; others on our customs, crafts, traditions, and unique aspects of our culture; still others on our admirable traits and on unheralded countrymen, like soldiers and overseas workers, who make great sacrifices for our country.”

The 29”x29” paintings rendered in a variety of styles—realist, impressionist, graphic, and abstract, among others—were the nation’s young artists’ response to the VAC 32 invitation to “bring to light the things inherent in our national identity, culture and diversity that are sources of immense pride unique to Filipinos”.

DPC-PLDT officially launched the contest in November 2017 and will announce the winners of VAC32 on March 20, 2018 at the Main Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City at 1:30 p.m.

The student who painted the first-place winning entry will receive P100,000 in cash and the VAC32 Grand Prize Trophy; in addition, his/her school will receive a P40,000 donation for it’s fine arts program. Second and Third Prize winners will receive P75,000 and P60,000 in cash, respectively, plus trophies and corresponding donations to their respective schools. Besides the trophies and cash prizes, the Grand Prize winner will have his/her work featured on the cover of the 2018-19 Metro Manila telephone directories of DPC (Yellow Pages) and PLDT (White Pages).

The VAC annual competition is a much-awaited event in the art world, particularly for young artists, as it gives recognition to the abundance of creative and artistic talent available in the country’s fine arts schools.

For more information, please visit VAC 32’s website, www.visualarts.ph, and its official Facebook page, VISUALARTSPH. Queries can also be emailed to visualartsph@gmail.com

DPC and PLDT launch 31st Visual Arts Competition Over P700,000 in cash prizes at stake

The much-awaited painting competition for young artists is back!

The 31st edition of the DPC-PLDT Visual Arts Competition (VAC 31) takes off on November 8, 2016 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Manuel Conde. The launch, followed by a VAC 31 roadshow in north and south Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, celebrates the rich creative talent of fine arts students across the country. 

Organized by Directories Philippines Corporation (DPC) and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the competition is open to student artists, aged 18-24, who are currently enrolled in accredited Philippine tertiary schools with a fine arts program. 

This year, VAC 31 challenges fine arts students to interpret the theme “Habang May Buhay, May Pag-asa” in oil or acrylic.  Essentially, their task is to create paintings that depict how Filipinos value life and how Pinoys remain cheerful and hopeful despite the adversities they face everyday. 

Each participating fine arts school or department selects a maximum of five official entries to the competition. Direct student entries will not be accepted. Official entries must be delivered to the DPC Main Office, 2322 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City between February 20 and March 3, 2017 from 10 am to 5 pm.

The top three winners will have their works featured on the covers of 2017-18 telephone directories of DPC (Yellow Pages) and PLDT (White Pages) in key cities in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. 

The first place winning student will receive P100,000 in cash and the VAC 31 grand prize trophy, aside from securing a P40,000 donation to his/her school’s fine arts program. Cash prizes of P75,000 and P60,000, plus trophies, await the second and third placers, with corresponding donations to their respective schools. In addition, each of the top 30 finalists will receive P10,000.

Entries will be judged on the basis of visual composition (25%), originality (25%), adherence to the theme (25%), overall impact (15%), and suitability as cover (10%).  The finalist that garners the most points, based on the judges’ score sheets and the online votes, will be declared the VAC 31 grand prize winner. The entry with the most number of online votes cast on www.visualarts.ph will be declared winner of the People’s Choice Award, which carries a cash prize of P15,000.

In VAC 30, Alfredo Martirez of Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Architecture and Find Arts (PUP-CAFA) won the grand prize with his entry “History of Democracy,” interpreting the theme, “Rekindling People Power.” The second prize was won by John Merick Eupalao of Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) in Silang, Cavite, and the third prize went to Artemio Bongawan, Jr. of the University of Mindanao.

A PUP-CAFA student, Arnica Acantilado, also won the grand prize in VAC 22  (2008-2009). Previous editions of the painting competition have been dominated by the Far Eastern University’s Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts with nine grand prize winners and the University of the East College of Fine Arts with three. Alongside PUP with two grand prize trophies so far are: Philippine Women’s University, Technological University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and University of the Philippines – Diliman. AUP, Bulacan State University, St. Scholastica’s College, and University of Northern Philippines have each won the grand prize once so far. 

For more information, please visit VAC 31’s website, www.visualarts.ph, and its official Facebook page, VISUALARTSPH. Queries can also be emailed to visualartsph@gmail.com.  

About Directories Philippines Corporation

Directories Philippines Corporation (DPC) was incorporated on June 20, 1989 to assume the business of the Philippine Branch of GTE Directories of the United States. Since then, DPC has emerged as the dominant market leader in the directories advertising industry in Metro Manila and the other major urban centers across the country. It is also the official seller of Yellow Pages  advertisements, a tried and tested vehicle for enterprises to reach ready buyers, in the Philippines. 

Near the turn of the century, DPC took the Yellow Pages (YP) online and has since entered the mobile realm as well. Beyond being a multi-platform local search engine and a seller of ad space, the company has evolved into a marketing solutions company with a whole suite of value-added services—from call center assistance to mobile apps—to help advertisers, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), reach and serve more customers.

Today, DPC publishes more than two million phone books which are distributed in Top 1000 corporations, SMEs, hotels, hospitals, schools, government offices, residential villages and condominiums. Around 8.4 million ready buyers, including corporate purchasing departments, nationwide—2.7 million of them in Metro Manila—look up the print Yellow Pages at least once a month for reliable suppliers of products and services.

In 2016, DPC introduced the Digital eBook, an electronically searchable version of the Metro Manila print YP, to extend the reach and utility of this precious resource among ready buyers.

The online YP, www.yellow-pages.ph, gets 1.5 million page views from more than 500,000 ready buyers every month. Optimized for mobile devices, it can be accessed via smartphones and tablets. The Yellow Pages PH App can be downloaded via the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes.

About Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company

PLDT is the leading telecommunications and digital services provider in the Philippines. Through its principal business groups – fixed line, wireless and others – PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks.

PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:TEL) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PHI). PLDT has one of the largest market capitalizations among Philippine­listed companies.

When PLDT was incorporated and given the franchise to establish and operate telephone services in the country on November 28, 1928, a typhoon had just ravaged Eastern Visayas, Bicol Peninsula, and Samar. The ability to communicate amongst loved ones and across the country became crucial. Sadly, phone networks then were like disconnected intercom systems and you could only call people within your own small city. Filipinos were disconnected from neighboring towns, disconnected from friends in the other island and, needless to say, disconnected from the rest of the world. It was under this scenario that the law was signed giving birth to PLDT. 

What the new law hoped to achieve was to interconnect these "intercom" systems into a seamless nationwide network that would facilitate communication and delivery of services to the people, as well as spur economic development in the countryside.

In 1968, PLDT became a Filipino-controlled corporation when Ramon Cojuangco and his group of Filipino industrialists and businessmen bought the controlling stake of GTE of New York. This paved the way for massive investments and technological innovations in areas like satellite communications, direct distance dialing, cellular telephony and fiber optics. 

In November 1998, Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd. acquired a 17.5-percent controlling stake in PLDT. The following year, PLDT forged a strategic partnership with NTT Communications Corp (NTTCom), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. of Japan, the world's leading telecommunications company in terms of revenues. Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the country's largest mobile phone operator, was also acquired by PLDT.

Today, PLDT leads the wireless race, dominates the landline domain, operates the premier satellite company, and has raced to the No. 1 position in the Internet business. Amid all the technological changes, PLDT has remained committed to serving the nation and providing communications solutions to Filipinos.