During the week-long celebration of the 115th Anniversary of the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR), the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME) organized a photo contest called MakiMasid. The goal of the event was to showcase the photography skills of the visitors of MMFR as they captured its natural beauty and unique features. The competition was open to all Filipino citizens, both amateur and professional photographers, except for the MCME employees. The contest had three (3) main categories: the Flora Diversity of MMFR ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP), the Fauna Diversity of MMFR AHP, and the Unique Landscape Features of MMFR AHP. Entries were also posted on the center’s Facebook page to see which was the People’s Choice among them.
This year’s MakiMasid had a total of 37 entries: 13 for the Fauna category, 12 for the Flora category, and 12 for the Landscape category. After the deliberations, there was a tie for the Fauna category, which was won by both Mr. JC Ilagan for his entry titled “Together Still” and by Mr. Christian Ray Buendia for his entry titled “Recoil.” The Flora category was won by Mr. JC Ilagan for his entry titled “Whisper in the Canopy” and by Ms. Charlene M. Hernandez for her entry titled “Glamorous Trees.” The Landscape category was won by Mr. Ron Danielle Daracan for his entry titled “Gateways of Makiling.” Based on the tallied scores from the Facebook post of the MakiMasid, the People’s Choice was the entry of Mr. Jomarey Decena Fernandez titled “Mount Makiling: A Heart and Lungs of Philippine Biodiversity.” All of the entries can still be browsed on MCME’s Facebook page for the enjoyment of everybody and serve as motivation for anyone who wants to join and express their skills in capturing the beauty of nature through the lens for next year’s competition. (Article by For. Carl Carada, photos by RTCabral and CDCarada)