As a tourists’ attraction in La Trinidad, Benguet, the Stobosa hillside mural artwork will undergo repainting for a fresh design and splash of colors seven years after the launch of the project.
Municipal Tourism Officer Valred Olsim said the project was supposed to be repainted prior to the pandemic.
With the reopening of tourism, Olsim said the municipal government has recently coordinated with the residents of Sitios Stonehill, Botiwtiw, and Sadjap, from which Stobosa was coined, for the project. The residents gave their consent for the repainting project.
“There are those whom we made a compromise regarding the design and colors to be used in their homes but majority agreed with the project,” Olsim said.
Chanum Foundation president Jordan Mang-osan said they were tapped anew to lead the repainting through the designs created with Tam-awan artists, which will feature symbols of La Trinidad and the province of Benguet.
Chanum Foundation manages the Tam-awan artists and its village located in Pinsao Proper, Baguio City. The Tam-awan artists were also the ones originally tapped to lead the Stobosa painting in 2016.
Mang-osan, who is known for his solar artworks, is from Bayabas, La Trinidad. He said he is more than happy to work with the local government unit, residents and volunteers for the project.
Former Department of Tourism-Cordillera Director Venus Tan also graced the ceremony, thanking the municipality for sustaining the project, which she helped start through her region-wide RevBloom tourism program in 2016.
Tan said the Stobosa artwork is initiated to be more than just a beautification project but more on empowering the community to care for its environment and to provide livelihood opportunities to the residents.
The artwork was patterned after the colorful favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil which was also an effort by its government to beautify its city, with the intention of improving the state of its residents from the inside out.
“I still feel I need to support the advocacies I started as a regional director. You can count on me for support to help link the community with other people for assistance,” Tan said.
Davies Vice President Albert Gan Lee recognized the impact the painting and repainting of Stobosa gave to the residents in the area.
Lee said the paint company is happy to partner with the LGU and other stakeholders for the project where they will provide 2,000 paints including primer.
Olsim said they will start by cleaning the work area and hire foremen and painters aside from the volunteers to do the work by April.
He said Davies will also provide paints for the repainting of the welcome arch in Km. 3 as well as other mural projects in the town.
Mayor Romeo Salda said they will also continue to lobby the Department of Public Works and Highways for the expansion of the view deck and for a parking space at the site. – Ofelia C. Empian
