13 January 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh proudly announces that Mr. Herbert Bagolbagol won First Prize in the Smart Phone Photography Category during the awarding ceremony for the “Colors of Saudi Arabia Forum 2014” held on 14 December 2014 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC) at King Abdullah Road in Riyadh.

Mr. Bagolbagol is the only Filipino who won in the competition along with other Saudi and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expatriates who participated in the competition. His entry entitled, “Clay Tower Old Village of Rawdat Sudair”, was taken last June 2014 during one of his trips in Najd, located at the central part of Saudi Arabia.  The Embassy wishes to express its heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Bagolbagol for his achievement.

The Colors of Saudi Arabia Forum is a yearly activity organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, SCTA President. It is touted as the largest event in Saudi Arabia for photography and short films in the fields of tourism, culture and heritage.

Aside from the winning entry of Mr. Bagolbagol, there are also other photographs taken by Filipino photographers which were on exhibit at the Diplomatic Pavilion inside the Forum.

The Forum, which ran until 20 December 2014, was a hit among Filipino nationals in the Kingdom. They appreciated the beauty of Saudi Arabia as seen through the lens of Saudi, GCC and Filipino photographers and caught a glimpse of the winning photo of Mr. Bagolbagol.  END