My quest for lantern making history continues as the giant lantern festival competition gets nearer. For those who would like to watch the Ligligan Parul, the competition will be held on December 20 at the Robinsons Starmills, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
Last week I talked about the nuances in coming up with a chronology of events pertaining to the evolution of the giant lantern festival. This week I will attempt to chronicle the lantern makers in the City of San Fernando. Even more colorful than the giant lanterns are the personalities of the lantern makers themselves. One of the privileges from organizing the annual festival is getting to know the lantern makers, that particular and peculiar group of creative geniuses who are the brains of the giant lanterns.
Among the lantern makers to watch for in the city is the rising star of Barangay San Nicolas, Edwin “Jong” David Jr. Jong takes over the task of creating the lantern piece for the barangay from his dad, veteran lantern maker Edwin David (aka Potpot). Jong is in his early 20s, his brother Edmar even younger, but they have been into lantern making for more than half their lives as the craft is in their blood. The lantern that Jong designed for the festival last year would have bagged first place were it not for the demerits incurred for not wearing the proper safety gears. So much for being young, talented but a bit reckless, San Nicolas still brought home a third place finish.
This year looks promising for our young and vibrant lantern makers. Omar Quiwa, a fifth generation lantern maker and a son of the legendary Erning Quiwa, will design and execute the lantern for barangay San Pedro. Keeping it all in the family, tatang Erning will also be making the lantern entry of barangay Sto. Nino. In the David – Quiwa family alone are more than seven giant lantern festival championships through the years.
Tatang Erning’s brother-in-law, kuya Toto (aka Alberto Bondoc) is also starting a lantern dynasty of his own as he passes the tradition to his brood Leslie, Byron, and Budong. The Bondocs of Santa Lucia will be crafting the lanterns for barangays San Juan and Santa Lucia and I fervently hope that they will be winning this year because Kuya Toto has been complaining for the longest time about the meager number of their light bulbs (3500 bulbs compared to the 5000 average in other barangays).
Kuya Toto’s first cousin, Kuya Arnel “NeyNey” Flores, is the defending champion of the Giant Lantern Festival for Barangay Telabastagan. Kuya Neyney has also made topnotch lanterns for Malpitic and Santo Rosario in the previous years. Despite his achievements and success as a commercial lantern maker, kuya Neyney remains to be a picture of humility and simplicity. His son Mark Nino at his young age is starting to design lanterns on his own.
Controversial lantern maker kuya Roland Quiambao makes a comeback in his birthplace, Barangay Del Pilar which happens to be the winningest barangay in history. In previous years, kong Roland created lantern masterpieces for barangay San Felipe but the barangay decided not to join this year.
While I am happy that Del Pilar reclaims his rightful son, I also feel a little sad because kuya Efren “Bong” Tiodin will not be making an entry this year. Kuya Bong Tiodin is also an award winning lantern maker from Del Pilar and is credited for innovating the use of bicycle brake copper cables in the making of the rotors since last year. Previously our lantern makers had been stacking hair pins to be attached to the steel cylinders that determine the interplay of lights.
This year will prove to be another exciting one because our lantern makers will surely try to surpass their ingenious ideas from last year. Sometimes, more than being a showdown of barangays, the Ligligan Parul is a battlefield of egos of the lantern makers who make lantern history among themselves.