THE INFANT Jesus sleeping in a warm brown basket, the Virgin Mary in aquamarine and fuchsia, Joseph in light green and gold, the three kings in red, green, and yellow garb, and a towering angel with a backdrop of twinkling lights and a bright parol. This grand winner of the Belenistas de Ortigas is visible from 20 meters away, made from bilaos, a banig, and other native materials.
For its second year, this outdoor belen-making contest had eight buildings feverishly working on their nativity scenes, hoping to imaginatively interpret the theme “Him whose birth the angels sing, come adore on bended knee.”
The project was initiated by the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) in partnership with the Ortigas Center Association, Inc. (OCAI) and Barangay San Antonio (BSA), Pasig City.
On Dec. 12, the top three belens were recognized in a ceremony at the UA&P. The first prize (70,000) went to the OAC Realty Bldg., the second prize (50,000) was won by Ortigas & Company, LP Bldg., and the third prize (30,000) was awarded to the Philippine Stock Exchange Centre.
Judges Fr. Roberto A. Latorre (university chaplain of the University of Asia and the Pacific), architect Restituto T. Sistoso, Jr. (Barangay councilor of Barangay San Antonio, Pasig City and co-chairperson of the Infrastructure Committee), and Noel T. Rivera (executive director of the Pasig City Museum) chose the winners based on their creativity, craftsmanship, visual impact and their relevance to the theme.
THE BELENISTAS
Although not competing, the UA&P set up its own belen at the university’s Sancta Maria Stella Orientis chapel, a sight that the entire school anticipates every year.
The current belen shows the Virgin Mary lying down with the infant Jesus at her side. “It seems like the birth had just happened,” said Maria Mercedes Robles, UA&P’s managing director for corporate communications. Two angels descending from heaven each hold a jug of water and a piece of cloth. “They are ready for the baby’s first bath,” Ms. Robles said. “It [the scene] is so human. Nakakatuwa (It makes one smile).”
The school’s president, Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, supports this tradition because he is a “belenista,” or a devotee of the belen. He was introduced to this devotion when he traveled to Spain. To this day, he still makes belens, and he led the committee that worked on the belen at the Stella Orientis.
“The university’s love for belens, as shown in Stella Orientis, overflowed and infected barangay San Antonio,” Ms. Robles said.
She said the humble nativity scene reinforces good values, and this is another reason why it is so well-loved. “The act of worship is done in a kneeling position,” she explained. “This is not a stance of a proud person.” Thus she said that the belen’s scene, a savior being born in a manger, will remind everyone that the true spirit of Christmas lies in genuine moments of humility and grace.
The belens will stay up until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, which marks the end of Christmas season, on Jan. 13.
The other competing belens are located at the Emerald Bldg., Jolibee Plaza, Parc Chateau Condominium, Ropali Plaza, and San Miguel Properties Centre. There are also two giant Christmas trees at the intersection of Julia Vargas and ADB Avenues.