La Trinidad, Benguet—The painting of the houses into a single mural at Stone Hill in Sitio Botiwtiw near Halsema Highway exhibits the “bayanihan” spirit among its residents.

“More than the mural, more than the beautification, you will see the community has bonded together to spruce up their areas,” said Venus Tan, Department of Tourism (DOT)-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) regional director.

The painting project, which was initiated by DOT-CAR, was inspired by the favelas in Brazil. It is part of the local community’s advocacy for the sustainable development of tourism destinations in CAR.

For this project, which is called “Colors of Stobosa” (short for the sitios Stonehill, Botiwtiw, and Sadjap), the community has been working with the artists from the Tam-awan Village: Jordan Mangosan, Clinton Aniversario, Ged Alangui, and Jenny Lorenzo, the Chanum Foundation, and paint company Davies Paints since February.

Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan commended DOT for the painting and beautification project and called on the residents of La Trinidad to appreciate the activity.

Governor Fongwan said the residents should look at the project as a way to boost tourism in the province of Benguet, which is a booming industry that would help the people, particularly in their livelihood.

The project’s completion is expected this August.