After being called out for the alleged staging of a mass gathering at the Art District in Bacolod City, the organizer of arts festival VIVA ExCon 2020 issued an explanation and apologized for the supposed incident that took place on the night of Nov. 6.
In a statement released on Monday, Nov. 9, the group said that as part of the preparation for VIVA ExCon set to open on Nov. 8 via Zoom and to kick off the virtual conference VCon 1, an exhibition was organized for the sole purpose of simulating a live opening for video recording.
The press material from the supposed apologetic organizers entitled, “Statement Re Orange Project Video Recording for VIVA Excon 16 Nov. 8 Virtual Opening”, was unsigned.
The one-page statement also does not contain any contact details but furnished the city’s EOC-TF and the BPLO copies of their explanation.
They explained that “(t)here was no event, no invitation was sent and no announcement was made.”
“It was unfortunate that the set attracted the usual Art District crowd and management was not able to control their enthusiasm.
However, the organizers did stop the activity after sufficient takes so as to disperse the crowd.
Subsequently, Art District remained closed on the following days,” the group added.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government reacted to the incident.
In a Nov. 7 memorandum sent to DILG-Western Visayas OIC-Regional Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero, DILG-Bacolod City Director Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag asked “for immediate action the conduct of mass gathering at the Art District” in Barangay Mandalagan.
“From the video circulating in the social media with hashtag #vivaexcon2020, attendees were seen partying without face masks, no social distancing, and consuming alcohol in public,” Madayag said.
She also said that the Business Permits and Licensing Office is set conduct an inspection and the Philippine National Police has been directed to intensify the conduct of “Oplan Sita”.
“The barangay has been directed to strictly monitor these areas and implement national and local laws and issuances in combating the COVID-19 pandemic,” Madayag added.
Since Bacolod is still under general community quarantine, the staging of large gatherings and drinking alcohol in public are prohibited.
VIVA Excon organizers further apologized for the incident.
“With all humility, the art family extends our apology to the community for the concern raised regarding the Nov. 6 occurrence. We would like to reassure the community that as a matter of habit, Art District conforms to the mandated health protocol and consistently assists those within its reach through the Art Heals fundraising initiative to deliver aid throughout the course of the quarantine,” they added.
“We care about our community and we feel it is our responsibility to try to keep the spirits of the artists alive during this unprecedented struggle. This is the very reason why VIVA ExCon is going virtual for the first time in its 30 years of existence. It now looks towards the future in ways that can best contribute to the development of the communities it serves,” they further said.
VIVA ExCon or the Visayan Islands Visual Arts Exhibit Conference, the country’s largest and longest running arts festival, was established by Negrense artists, including visual artist Charlie Co, in 1990.
