LUNA-BASED WRITER SNAGS NATIONAL ESSAY CHAMPIONSHIP; OFFERS WIN FOR LA UNION’S MARING REHABILITATION
By: Joy Ann L. Gurtiza, GPC-LUPTO | Photos By: GPC-LUPTO | Date: October 1, 2021
Camille R. Bumatay, a resident of Luna, La Union and a staff of the Provincial Information Office, bested more than 200 other contestants from other cities and provinces in the Philippines to claim the top prize during the Parangal at Pamana: The 3rd Freedom of Information (FOI) Multi-Arts Festival 2021.
With the subject focused on the importance of access to information, Bumatay’s essay entitled “FOI: Painting a Legacy of Truth, Trust and Transparency” was also picked as the Reader’s Choice Award as she received 2 plaques, gift certificates and FOI merchandise.
“With all the needed tools at hand by virtue of the FOI, there is no reason for us not to complete our masterpiece of transparency and settle for merely changing things. We need to get involved in demanding accountability of the government,” Bumatay emphasized in her piece.
As a member of the Provincial Government of La Union’s Governor Press Corps and an advocate of FOI herself, Bumatay believes that public access to information is really important as technological advancements continue to grow and information is dispersed rapidly. “We all need information that we can trust, particularly in this time of pandemic and calamity, and to help look after our mental and physical health,” Bumatay emphasized in an interview.
Through this national recognition, she hopes that her win will somehow inspire her hometown Luna in the continuing rehabilitation and recovery efforts from the onslaught of typhoon Maring. “The only thing that keeps us going is hope, so don’t lose it. Life can be challenging, especially these times. Let’s keep working and moving forward for the love of La Union,” Bumatay said.
The FOI Multi-Arts Festival is a month-long annual event hosted by FOI - Project Management Office under the Presidential Communications Operations Office showcasing the creativity of Filipino artists and hobbyists in depicting the value of access to information in democracy, and manifesting the government’s transparency legacy through visual, literary, and performing arts. PGLU is one with FOI – PMO in reinforcing the implementation of access to information laws as well as promoting FOI as a basic human right.
