BACOLOD CITY – Cebu-based artist and licensed mechanical engineer Jayson Droña won the grand prize at the Dinagsa Festival 2025 Visayas-Wide Painting Competition in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.

DRONA (FB)

Droña’s entry “Mga Kamay ng Pag-asa” painted in oil on a 26 x 32-inch canvas bested 299 other entries from the Visayas. He won P200,000 cash and a trophy. 

His winning artwork incorporated images representing Cebu’s Santo Niño and rosary, Bacolod’s Masskara Festival, Bohol’s coconut shell cup, Cadiz’s dried fish, Iloilo’s hablon fabric, Capiz’s shell, Ormoc’s pineapple, Southern Samar’s fish trap, and Northern Samar’s tuba or coconut wine. 

Droña, from Danao City, Cebu, explained that the hands in his painting symbolize every individual’s role in building a better tomorrow. “It’s a call to action, reminding us that even in times of hardship, hope thrives when we come together,” he said. 

He said that the hands that hold the culture and heritage showcase steadfast faith, bountiful harvests, colorful traditions, creativity, and diligence, elements that bring light and hope to the people’s lives.

More than just a work of art, his art piece highlights the collective strength and shared aspirations of the Visayan communities. 

Other winners were Hondrey Debalucos (Cebu), second who received P100,000; Paul Jhon Cabanalan (Iloilo), third and took home P50,000; Matthew Henry Jusayan (Sagay), fourth place, P40,000; and Marvin Lomosad (Siquijor), fifth place, P30,000. 

Judges were Cid Reyes, Ron Lopez David, Dopy Doplon, Otto Neri, Alladin Antiqueño, Emmanuel Garibay, and Isabel Diaz. 

Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. hailed contestants in the Visayas-wide painting contest and the first in Cadiz and in Negros Island. 

"Not easy to gather them in one sitting. Impossible to think, perhaps. But we did it. We succeed. Really, there is magic in an art,” said Escalante who stressed that art unites people.

The contest, an instutution in Cadiz for five years now, had the theme “Pagsibol sa Kabihasnang Pamumuhay” (Visayan Life). 

Escalante institutionalized a painting contest in the city shortly before the pandemic.

This year’s competition drew entries from across the Visayas for the first time, each exhibiting regional culture, tradition, and perseverance. 

"It cannot be denied that art's life. It makes every human being special. That's why Cadiz opens its doors to other artists in the Visayas to showcase their true grit in painting," the mayor said. "We need to know more about Visayan life through art," he added.