DAVAO CITY – A photo exhibit depicting the political journey of former President Rodrigo Duterte Organized by Davao-based photojournalists has been on-going at the Abreeza Ayala Mall here.
The exhibit dubbed ‘Digong: A photographic journey of the 16th President of the Philippines,’ was initiated by the Abreeza Ayala Malls. It aims to promote awareness of Duterte’s political journey from vice mayor to president to the people.
The photo exhibit started on August 1 and will end on August 31.
“We want to bring in events like this that the community can relate to; people can relate to. For the Davaoeños, PRRD was such an instrumental key figure in politics, starting in Davao to the national level,” Accendo Commercial Corporation general manager Janice Parreño said.
“Actually, when we saw the photographs submitted to us, we wanted a variety of photographs of our former president to reflect on the work he has done for our country and how he interacts with the people,” said Abreeza Ayala Mall marketing manager Ruby Ochoa.
Parreño said they want to honor the former president and remind the Davaoeños of all the things he has done for the people of this country.
She added that this was also to bridge the gap between the political leaders and the general people.
“Former President Duterte was a great leader. Davaoeños could relate to him. He was not very far up there on the pedestal. He really made it a point to reach out to people in various classes. He was somebody that people in all walks of life could relate to,” Parreño said.
The exhibit features 23 photographs from the archives of photojournalists Bing Gonzales of the Mindanao Times, Keith Bacongco of the Manila Bulletin, Arjoy Ceniza of the Manila Times, Lean Daval Jr. of the Edge Davao, Ace Morandante of the President’s Office, and the late Rene Lumawag.
“We can really see that people flock in, look at the photos, and admire not just the technical aspects of the photography but the stories in the photos shared by our photojournalist in Davao,” Ochoa said.
Gonzales, a photojournalist for about three decades, said that they are thankful for this opportunity to showcase Duterte ‘in his element and unguarded moments’ through images that demonstrate his commitment to his compatriots, particularly the Davaoeños.
First Congressional District Representative Paolo Duterte, through his son Rodrigo ‘Rigo’ Duterte II, meanwhile, commended the Davao-based photojournalists by giving them a Plaque of Appreciation for their great contribution to the success of the photo exhibit.
The plaque was personally received by the photojournalists and the representatives of the Abreeza Ayala Malls on Tuesday afternoon, August 16, at the venue of the exhibit.
Rep. Duterte thanked all of them for organizing such a wonderful event for his father.