Honorable Mention
FEAST OF BLACK NAZARENE IN MANILA
DESCRIPTION
Every January, numerous pilgrims participate in the Feast of Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines. The Black Nazarene is a life-size statue of a dark-skinned Jesus Christ carrying a cross. Throughout the grand procession, devotees are walking barefoot as a sign of humility and they are striving to touch the image of Black Nazarene with the belief of receiving a blessing or miracle. They associate their hardship and struggles in life to the wounds and sufferings experienced by Jesus Christ. Involvement in the procession can be considered risky because of possible injuries or even casualty brought upon by exhaustion, heat and stampede of congested crowd. For over four centuries, the Feast of Black Nazarene is one of the most meaningful religious celebrations in the Philippines with a hectic but festive environment which participated by devotees reaching up to 12 million. AUTHOR
Mr. Jophel Botero Ybiosa is a world-class Filipino artist with 360 local and international awards and a 9-time NCCA Ani ng Dangal Awardee for Visual Arts. He’s the Founder the Team Juan Makasining and works as a Master Photographer/Platinum Artist of Princess Cruise Lines and a Host of The Global Photo Show (Global TV Network). He´s an Outstanding Alumnus for Arts and Culture-Culiat High School, a Notable Alumni Awardee for Visual Arts of PUP – College of Communication, a member of Federation of Philippine Photographers’ Foundation (FPPF), and a member of Society of International Travel and Tourism Photographers (United Kingdom). Some of his historic achievements are the following: First Filipino to win a Gold Award in New York Photo Fair, First Filipino to win a Gold Award in Budapest International Foto Awards, First Filipino to win Events Photographer of the Year and included in the Best of Show Exhibition of Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA), First Filipino to win 1st Prize in the Photographic Angle International Photography Competition, One of the first Filipino Gold Medalists in the World Art Camp Olympiad, First Filipino to win a Grand Prize in ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition and Two-time Best Photograph in Global Festival Photography Competition (Indonesia). 