Inmates join mask-making contest

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —Inmates from 18 district jails of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology will be competing in the mask-lantern competition for the MassKara Festival in October.

This contest, dubbed as the 1st BJMP Priso MassKara Making Contest, will showcase the best of the inmates' skill and ingenuity in producing giant masks that would double up as lanterns to be lighted up at the city's public plaza.

Festival director Eli F. J. Tajanlangit said the mask, which is one of the iconic symbols of the MassKara Festival, is meant to depict Bacolod people's dynamism and energy.

The 18 mask-entries, measuring 3x3 feet each, will be hung in the trees around the public plaza starting October 1, the first day of the MassKara Festival, and will be lighted up at nighttime, Tajanlangit said.

"This is going to be one of the new and major attractions in the Bacolod public plaza," Tajanlangit said.

He said that City Mayor Evelio Leonardia had special instructions to the Silver MassKara Festival Organization in 2004 to bring back the focus to the masks since around that time the festival was slowly veering away from the masks a symbol of the festival.

The mask-lantern project is organized by Chona Gosiaco in partnership with the BJMP.

BJMP provincial administrator Supt. Rizaldy Navarro, for his part, said their wardens, personnel, and inmates are very excited about the contest.

"This project will surely be a big opportunity to promote the image of BJMP and for our inmates to showcase their skills and creativity in producing beautiful masks using indigenous materials," Navarro earlier said during a meeting with the organizers and wardens at the BJMP office.

"This will also help in the social transformation of our inmates, since they will be able to use their idle time in productive endeavors, develop their creativity, and will hopefully improve their personality when they have finished serving their terms and go out of the facility," he added.

Prizes for the mask-making contests are: champion-P15,000; first runner-up-P10,000; second runner-up-P7,000, and 16 consolation prizes at P1,500 each. (FREEMAN)