Every year, they have a certain theme, and for 2013 they chose "Tesoro" or "Treasure" of Zamboanga. They wanted it to be minimalist but with a taste of Zamboanga's culture and identity. I came up with a lot of cover proposals and luckily I came up with something they really liked. From there, I also created the dividers. They have to be cohesive but also unique. Here's the final cover design with my signature in it (by request).

About the Cover:

"The play on geometric lines blur the distinction between mountain range and ocean waves --the land and the sea, the coastal and the interior, the past and the present, the bold and the fading, the inspiration and the caution. Here is Zamboanga, a land of contrast."

Thank you Marion Guerrero for trusting me with this project and for writing the cover description so beautifully and perfectly. The colors were inspired by Vinta but more aged and nature-toned to give that earthy nostalgic feel. The geometric shapes are influenced by my love of the mountain ranges because of my recent affinity with running at Zamboanga's high terrains. If you can spot them, you can see a lake/river which is the natural water reservoir in Pasonanca Natural Park, one of Philippine's remaining natural virgin forests.

Here are the dividers which serves as section covers for the different contents. Click for gallery view!



The first divider is the on the first leaf before the Introduction page. It's inspired by basic brush strokes, lines and dots or splatters which are the foundation of artworks. The rest of the pages also have these painterly look. The second divider is for "Poetry". I was inspired by the night sky over the mountain ranges of Zamboanga filled with stars and indigo clouds. The sky is one of the great inspirations of poets and artists because of its great expanse and ever-changing textures, colors and metaphors.



For Traditional art divider, I chose a flowing texture with the beautiful cascading falls of Merloquet peeking through the painterly wash. Its curtain-like grandeur attracted the eyes of international media, truly one of Zamboanga's natural treasures. The falls symbolize an artists flow of creativity, his process of pouring out his heart and soul in an art piece. For Digital art divider, I still chose water as the symbol. The geometric lines which is also seen in the cover now represents the waves of the sea. Marejada means 'wave's in Chabacano, by the way. The colorful sails are called Vinta of the Badjaos which is seen in the annual race called Regatta in RT Lim Boulevard. It's a symbol of Zamboanga and her diverse culture.



Photography has now it's own section since its a very accessible medium and shows us the reality which other forms of art lack. The circular brush strokes represents the lens or the eye of a camera which captures light. I superimposed a reflection of the inside a well situated at the center of Fort Pilar. It has the beautiful texture of old age bricks which symbolize our Spanish heritage. It is also a symbol of hope because it's also a wishing well where people toss coins for a wish. As Zamboangueños, we always hope for a better Zamboanga and peaceful Mindanao. Photography can be medium to show us the realities around us.

And lastly, for Prose or Short Fiction divider, I used the natural beauty of Zamboanga. It features the Tree House and butterflies of Pasonanca Park. If you can see it, there is cocoon of a butterfly which symbolizes metamorphosis or transformation. Writers tell stories so that its readers will have a change of purge of emotions or catharsis. Sometimes stories can also change a nation like the literary prowess of Jose Rizal. The tree symbolize growth, it branches up to the sky like our dreams and aspirations but what we don't see are the roots growing downwards, holding on to the ground. Like trees we should not let go our roots, our origins, our identity, which is Zamboanga.

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Thanks again to Beacon Magazine for this opportunity and congratulations for this awesome body of work! Looking forward for this year's Marejada!

Joed, who already have an experience in travelling outside the country and who was very much enthusiastic about our trip was the one who researched and arranged our tour. We had 8 months to plan our itinerary and budget our expenses and, thankfully, our group were very efficient in doing so. Obstacles and last-minute problems were inevitable but still we pushed through our plans until the day finally came.

We met at the Zambo Airport at 11:30AM and we were on our superhero tees which i gave them on my birthday. We arrived at Manila at 3PM and decided to go to SM Mall of Asia to have our tummies filled. We had Cinnabon together with my brother, Aljo, who is studying in Manila. Then, we had our sumptuous early dinner at Sizzling Pepper Steak.

Finally, we arrived at the backpackers area. Time to rest for our first day adventure at Saigon!

Check out the next day's adventure in the next post here.