Newport City Honors Its Aviation Legacy Through ASCEND

Newport City honors its aviation roots and living community heritage through ASCEND: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, an art competition and exhibit happening from July 1 to August 31, 2026. The initiative invites students and members of the community to interpret the evolution of Villamor Air Base from an aviation landmark into the vibrant urban destination now known as Newport City.

Once known as one of the country’s important aviation and military landmarks, the Villamor area holds stories shaped by flight, service, movement, and generations of community life. Through ASCEND, these stories are brought into focus through original artworks that connect the area’s past with its present, allowing history to be remembered not only through archives and landmarks, but also through the creative imagination of the people who continue to be part of its story.

The art competition serves as a platform for visual storytelling, encouraging participants to explore themes of heritage, aviation, transformation, identity, and community progress. Through handmade works, the exhibit will trace how Villamor Air Base has grown from a place closely tied to aviation history into Newport City, a modern community where culture, lifestyle, business, and everyday experiences continue to flourish.

ASCEND features three main competition categories. The Basic Education Category, under the Best Historical Artwork award, is open to officially enrolled students of Villamor Air Base Elementary School and Pasay City South High School. This category encourages young artists to portray the history, heritage, and identity of Villamor Air Base through original visual works.

The Tertiary Education Category, under the Best Aviation-Inspired Artwork award, is open to officially enrolled students of the National Aviation Academy of the Philippines. Participants may join individually or as a group with a maximum of three members, with entries expected to creatively highlight aviation, aircraft, and the legacy of Villamor as an airbase.

The Community Category, under Cultural and Community Representation, is open to Barangay 183 residents ages 26 and above. This category places emphasis on lived experiences, traditions, memory, and the people who have witnessed the area’s transformation through the years.

All submitted artworks must be original, handmade, and created using traditional art media such as acrylic, watercolor, oil pastel, colored pencil, poster paint, or mixed media. Entries must be presented on 2 ft. x 2 ft. canvases as the official display format. Digital art and AI-generated artworks are strictly prohibited, underscoring the competition’s focus on personal expression, craftsmanship, and authentic storytelling.

Entries will be evaluated based on Creativity and Originality at 40 percent, Historical Accuracy at 30 percent, Relevance to the Theme at 20 percent, and Community Voting at 10 percent. Through these criteria, ASCEND recognizes works that are not only visually compelling, but also meaningful, historically grounded, and connected to the larger story of Newport City.

Submission of entries will run from July 1 to 25. Student participants may submit their artworks directly to their respective Student Activities Office, while Barangay 183 participants may submit their entries to the Barangay Hall for screening. The Art Exhibit will run from August 3 to 31, with Community Voting from August 17 to 31, leading up to the Awarding Ceremony on August 31.

Through ASCEND, Newport City continues to celebrate the stories that shaped its identity while opening space for the next generation, residents, and creative communities to reflect on where it began, how far it has come, and how its heritage continues to rise with the present.

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