Sharing a drink has always had a special place in the lives of Filipinos. It’s made even better when it’s brewed and distilled right here on Philippine soil and uses locally sourced ingredients — exactly the way locally made premium rum label Don Papa concocts their sugar cane rum. Whether their rum is used in offering a toast in joyous celebrations or having it play a part in traditional ceremonies, Negros Occidental’s Don Papa continues to find creative ways to show off its Filipino heritage.
This October, they unveil the Don Papa Art Canister Series which is a result of a competition among local artists that wanted to tell stories of the Philippines — its struggles, folklore, tradition and untold history.
(The winning designs showcased in Don Papa Rum canisters at the 2nd Don Papa Art Competition 2016 launch)
At first place is Riel Hilario with his artwork entitled “The Spiritual Landscape of Papa Isio.†Papa Isio is in fact Dionisio Magbuelas, the leader of the shamanistic babaylanes (priests, philosophers, and healers) who led a revolt in Negros in the 1890s.
First runner up is Barry Cervantes’ no less striking “Don Papa and the Babaylan†which is a tribute to Negros Occidental’s myths, babaylanes and stories of its historic wartime struggles against the Spaniards. Cervantes took his cue from the stories surrounding active volcano Mount Kanlaon — a sacred place known to be charged with pulsing spiritual energy —where the sugar cane for Don Papa rum is grown, as well as from stories he heard as a child growing up in Valladolid, Negros.
And then there is Anjo Bolarda’s “Untitled†as second runner up which is an ode to the uncompromising craftsmanship and hard work poured into each bottle of world-class quality Don Papa rum. Also adorning Bolarda’s canister artwork are depictions of Negros’ endangered wildlife species in an effort to further localize the brand. “In the illustration you can find, peeking out from behind the stalks of the sugarcane, just some of the animals endangered and endemic to Negros Occidental,†he says.
Making this collaboration more impressive is how these canisters and artworks will be made available in France, Germany and the Netherlands by December, bringing the Philippines closer to the rest of the world.
The call for artists for the second Don Papa Art Competition has now begun and is now open to both upcoming and professional artists.
The top ten finalists will be featured in a special Don Papa exhibit at the 2017 Art Fair Philippines. The grand winner will not only have his artwork featured in the Don Papa Art Canister Series for 2017, but will also receive an Artist Residency Sojourn in Florence, Italy.
For more inquiries on the second Don Papa Art Competition, please visit the Don Papa Rum Facebook page at www.facebook.com/donpaparum or contact Mr. Dannie Alvarez at join@bleedingheartrum.com or through (0915) 688 8269.
(Steve Mills, Erica Larkins, Monica Llamas-Garcia, Cristhel Molina and Andrew Garcia)
(Riel Hilario’s “The Spiritual Landscape of Papa Isio”)
(Barry Cervantes’ “Don Papa and The Babaylan”)
(Anjo Bolarda’s “Untitledâ€)
