19 June 2014 - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)-Philippines, together with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, launched today the Philippine Exhibit on ASEAN Youth Competition on Arts and Human Rights.

During the exhibit’s launching, Mr. Kristoffer Manuel Kang was declared the grand winner of the national-level competition for his artwork entitled, A Celebration. Mr. Kang’s winning entry will be submitted to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to compete at the regional-level competition. The three runners up are – in alphabetical order – Mr. John Vince N. Labanon, Ms. Charleen L. Pastrana, and Mr. Vance Galvin T. Tangcueco for their entries, entitled Race Against Race, Pass the Message, and Soar High, Human Rights!, respectively.

Composing the panel of judges are three professional art critics--- Ambassador Jose Maria Cariño, Head of the DFA Cultural Diplomacy Unit and Chair Alternate of the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines; Professor Mervy Pueblo, visual artist and Master of Fine Arts and Design Coordinator of the Philippine Women’s University; and Mr. Cid Reyes, artist-critic and Chief Operating Officer of WELL Brand Communications, Inc. They reviewed and deliberated on the Philippine entries based on creativity in the visual messaging of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration as well as aesthetics and technique.    

The exhibit, which will run until June 30 at the DFA Lobby, showcases artworks submitted by Filipino artists aged 18-25 based on the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. The exhibit also aims to foster greater awareness of human rights in ASEAN and the importance of human rights promotion and protection in creating an enabling environment for ASEAN peoples’ participation in the building of ASEAN Community 2015 and beyond. END