By Rhony Laigo (Editor - Balita Media)
A group of more than 30 leading Filipino-American photographers based in Southern California will kick-off a four-day photo exhibit of images of Fil-Am World War II veterans, their families, and supporters starting July 8 at the main gallery of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles to launch a nationwide tour.
Frontliners Media Group will mount 16″x20″ photographs of aging Filipino veterans, some of whom are on the brink of death, who fought alongside American soldiers in the bloodiest world war against the invading Japanese Imperialist Army in the Pacific. The photos will depict their daily activities, struggles, and moments of unforgettable events while awaiting passage of a law that will grant them more pension money and other benefits.
In cooperation with the Filipino American Services Group, Inc. (FASGI), a non-profit neighborhood-based health and human care provider that has been helping veterans since 1981, the photo exhibit was conceptualized by the newly-established Frontliners Media Group in honor and to help promote the successful passage of SB.1315 in the U.S. House of Congress.
Photographs in the exhibit are in black & white, a format that tends to highlight the years that the veterans have lived through and, with the effects of lighting, put more drama in the composition of the picture.
According to the statement from the group, the July 8-11 exhibit is the start of the planned traveling photo exhibit to various photo galleries in Southern California and Nevada. It said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is scheduled to visit the exhibit at the Los Angeles City College on July 19 and who, according to the Frontliners Media Group, is expected to extend his support to the Filipino veterans.
Frontliners Media Group is composed of media photographers, videographers, and writers most of whom work for media outfits.