The Cultural Center of the Philippines has lambasted the University of the Philippines graduate student who submitted a prize-winning entry at a photo contest by the Chilean embassy that wasn’t his. CCP president Raul Sunico says “Mr. Solis wove a fictional account of the circumstances around the photograph by claiming he met the subject. He not only violated the rights of Gregory John Smith, the owner of the photograph, but he also took advantage of the plight of typhoon victims whom he claimed as subject.”
The statement was posted on the Facebook page of Chris Millado, CCP vice president and artistic director. “His action becomes even more shameless when he personally received his prizes from Ambassador Roberto Mayorga during the celebration of the National Day of Chile, an important diplomatic affair attended by no less than members of the diplomatic corps, cabinet secretaries, and representatives of the project partners,” Sunico continued.
“This becomes especially glaring after learning that he committed the same copyright infringement at least five times before. Moreover, his transgression tainted a noble program spearheaded by Ambassador Mayorga, which is Calidad Humana, as it aims to highlight Filipino virtues and strength of human character,” he added. The CCP reminded the artistic community to continue protecting each other’s intellectual property rights and to be vigilant as well. MM
