“I like the rapport of the police and the military in this area, and I like how everyone is connected in their effort to come up with beautiful belens. I would like to cite how much effort the police and military exert through the years in order to participate in this tradition,” Duterte said in his speech during the Awards Night for the 9th Belenismo sa Tarlac.
The belen at the main entrance of the camp was made by the military based there. It features a colorful peacock- looking tail spread out in protection of the statues of the Holy Family. It was among the major winners in the Belenismo annual competition.
As part of the annual competition, participants used indigenous and recyclable materials in making belen.
The President also joined singer guests Chad Borja, Eugene Villaluz and Ding Mercado in singing “Ikaw”, a song he was said to be fond of.
Belenismo was a project Aquino often attended during his six-year presidency. It is now on its ninth year, with 17 towns and one city in Tarlac participating with nativity displays in their localities, earning for the province the reputation as Belen Capital of the Philippines.
Duterte handed the awards to the winning participants in five categories, namely, community, church, monumental, grand municipal (local government units), and grand non-municipal (government agencies and business establishments).
The President lauded the Tarlac Heritage Foundation for sustaining the project which, he noted, showcased the talents and creativity of Tarlac folk.
Tarlac Heritage Foundation co-founder Isa Suntay said the nativity project which her foundation initiated in 2007 has become “globally famous.”
