Category Archives: COUNTRIES

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light (Cainta, Rizal)

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Church of Our Lady of the Light

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

NHI plaque

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

Church transept

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The four-storey bell tower

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

Parola ng Panampalataya

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

Old church bells

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Bell inscribed with “Ano D 1835 – N.TRA SENORA D LALVZ” (Year 1835 – Nuestra Senora de la Luz”)

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old bell inscribed with “S. ANDRES APOSTOL – SIENDO CURA EL PRESVITERO D. AGUSTIN MENDOSA – SE PVNDIO ESTA ESQVILA MAYO 15 D 1847” (“St. Andrew the Apostle – When Don Agustin Mendosa was parish priest – who built this small bell on May 15, 1847”

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Statue of the Crucifixion

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Church interior

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors.

There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Main altar

When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

Side altar

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Choir loft

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, Rizal. View Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Pasig City, Metro Manila)

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Immaculate Conception Cathedral

The mother church  and the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Pasig, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also called the Pasig Cathedral, is one of the oldest structures in the city. This church was first built by Augustinian missionaries in 1575.  Initially consecrated to the Visitation of Our Lady (consecrated on July 2, 1573), on April 25, 1587, the parish was changed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the Augustinian priests during that time.

The Neo-Classical and Colonial Baroque facade

The present structure, started before 1639, was said to have been finished during the brief British occupation of Manila from 1722 to 1747 (when it was converted into horses’ stables and served as the British military headquarters) and its belfry used as a watchtower against the Spanish defenders.  In 1764, it underwent repairs.

Historical Plaque

The stone convent was built by Fr. Felix Trillo.  In 1879, the church was restored by Fr. Simon Barroso who also replaced the roof with galvanized iron. From 1910 to 1979, the parish was administered by the CICM Fathers, after which the Filipino clergy took over the pastoral leadership of the parish.

The four-storey bell tower

In 2000, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral was declared one of the Jubilee churches in the Archdiocese of Manila (the parish was a part of this archdiocese until August 21, 2003 when the district was elevated as a separate and independent diocese on October 2001, with the elevation of the parish into the status of a cathedral).

Porta Sancta

On December 7, 2008, the Solemn Canonical Coronation of its patron as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Pasig  was led by Edward Joseph Adams (the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines), the Bishop of Pasig, and the entire faithful in the diocese.

The cathedral interior

In February 2021, as part of the Celebration of the 500th year anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, the cathedral was named as a Jubilee Church in the Diocese of Pasig along with the Diocesan Shrine of St. Martha and Parish of St. Roch in Pateros and the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne in Taguig City.

The choir loft

The main altar and retablo

On March 25, 2022, after a 7 year-long restoration and renovation of the cathedral (including the addition of ceiling paintings), the cathedral was inaugurated and blest by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara.

Ceiling painting

Its plain Neo-Classical and Colonial Baroque façade has triglyphs that separate the first level from the second and third level; semicircular arched doors and windows, and small rose windows and the Augustinian symbol of the stylized heart on the second level.

Left side altar

Right side altar

Its triangular pediment, with its centrally located statued niche and supported by slender Doric columns, is topped by a Renaissance-influenced min-balustrade lacing the raking cornice.  The massive five-level bell tower is located on the church’s left.

Old church bells

Candle gallery

Immaculate Conception Cathedral: Justice Hubson St., Plaza Rizal, Brgy. Malinao, Pasig City 1600, Metro Manila.   Tel: (632) 8641-1784 and (632) 8864-6197.  Fax: (632) 641-3460. E-mail: iccpasigdop@gmail.com.

Church of San Felipe Neri (Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila)

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Church of San Felipe Neri

In 1870, seven years after San Felipe de Neri (now Mandaluyong) was separated from Sta. Ana de Sapa, Fr. Gavino Ruiz, incumbent parish priest was authorized to purchase the 1-hectare church site and, on March 25, 1870, the cornerstone of the church was blessed.

The church’s Neo-Gothic facade

The church’s Neo-Gothic facade

In 1883, Rev. Fr. Gregono Azarga, OFM, who took over the parish, obtained a permit to spend 39,100 pesos for the construction of the church. A manuscript, dated June 22, 1894, handwritten by Captain Municipal Pascual Francisco, already reported the existence of this church and its convent.

Buttresses at the right side of the church

Fr. (later bishop) Manuel C. Sobrevinas (parish priest from 1975 – 1979), Fr. (later bishop) Gabriel V. Reyes (parish priest from 1979 – 1981) and Fr. (later bishop)  Francisco C. San Diego (parish priest from 1981 – 1983) made repairs at the church.

Centennial anniversary plaque

150th anniversary plaque

Msgr. Salvador Jose (parish priest from 1983 – 2000) constructed the new convent at the right side of the church and the auxiliary chapels on the left.

The church’s interior

AUTHOR’s NOTES:

The church’s single level, Neo-Gothic façade has a semicircular arch main entrance flanked by statued niches and twin bell towers with pyramidal roofs.  Its triangular pediment has a centrally located statued niche.

Choir loft

Church of San Felipe Neri: cor. of Boni Ave. and Rt. Rev. C. Aglipay St., Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8531-2931 and 8531- 4827. 

How to Get There: Mandaluyong City is located 7 kms. from Manila and 8 kms. from Pasig City.

Casa Manila (Intramuros, Manila)

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Our 9 – 11 AM Intramuros Mini Walk, hosted by Renacimiento Manila, was capped by our tour of the 3-storey, grand and imposing Casa Manila, a museum depicting colonial lifestyle during Spanish colonization of the Philippines, located across historic San Agustin Church and bounded by Calle Real, General Luna, Cabildo and Urdaneta streets.

Check out “”San Agustin Church” and “Casa Manila (2008)”

Museum entrance

I have visited this museum before but only got to see its façade of balconies, overhanging wooden gallery and its beautiful inner courtyard paved with piedra china with a decorative fountain that forms its centerpiece.  This would be our first time to explore its exhibits which chronicle the social history of Manila during the Spanish Colonial era.

Tour group at the sala (living Area)

Decorated and furnished in authentic period style, it is typical of the homes of affluent Filipino families, offering a fascinating glimpse of a bygone era. Built in 1981, this museum is a faithful, beautifully-done reproduction of a typical, lavishly appointed, ca. 1850s Spanish bahay na bato (stone-and-wood) residence of Binondo merchant Don Severino Mendoza.

Antesala (Antechamber)

Oratorio (oratory)

This house once stood along Calle de Jaboneros in San Nicolas, Binondo, one of the grand houses (the other two are the ca. 1650 Los Hidalgos and ca. 1890 Cuyugan Mansion) in Barrio San Luis (one of the four original villages of Intramuros ).

Dining Area

The museum, designed by Arch. J. Ramon L. Faustmann, is arranged over three floors.  Though the house is just a reproduction, its exhibits aren’t.  Its interiors, designed by Martin I. Tinio, Jr., displays finely-crafted, antique Philippine, Chinese and European furniture and furnishings; antique 17th to the early 20th century jewelry, and other items from the Intramuros Administration’s collection, offering an intriguing glimpse of 19th-century domestic life in Manila. 

Master Bedroom

Bedroom

At the entrance is a zaguan (from the Arabic word meaning “corridor”) where the carruajes (carriages) and karitelas entered and deposited passengers by the stairs and were parked.

Grand Stairway

The flight of stairs leads to the middle floor which contains the two adjoining bedrooms (where immediate family member took siestas or naps as the rooms were relatively cooler in the afternoon) and the office-library.

Opisina (office)

Business is usually conducted at entre suelo or mezzanine (also where the bachelor of the house usually stays).

Entre suelo (mezzanine)

Furnishings include a caja de hiero (safe) and a baul (family treasure chest) that safely housed gold and silver coins and other valuables.

Caja de hiero (safe)

Baul (treasure chest)

We also saw a special, period-style double latrine designed for use by two people at the same time. One interesting feature of this period of architecture is the lack of hinges on any of the doors as was done during that era.

Toiley

The principal living area, occupying the topmost floor, was reached via a grand staircase. Here we admired antique furniture from China and Europe, as well as items made by local artisans that show the luxury of the era.

Grandfather Clock

Don’t miss the impressive grandfather clock, as well as artworks, Persian rugs, Chinese ceramics, silverware, crystal chandeliers, a 4-poster ebony bed, religious images, antique grand piano (made in Boston in the 1850s), an old organ and harp, high marble top tables, pedestals holding  European sculptures and other fine decorative objects which a wealthy family would have enjoyed accumulating.

Grand Piano and Harp

Our tour ended at the kitchen where we imagined hard-working domestic staff carrying the heavy pots and pans back and forth in the intense heat from the charcoal oven as the family waited in anticipation of a delicious feast around the 18-seater dining room table, cooled by the punkah, a ceiling fan operated manually for the comfort of themselves and their guests.

Cocina (Kitchen)

In the kitchen, we also noticed a nevera (ice box), a bangerra (dish rack) and a rainwater cistern which provided running water to the household.  After we have thoroughly explored the kitchen, we exited the museum via an external staircase to the courtyard.

Banguerra

Nevera (ice box) and Berkefeld water filter

Casa Manila: Plaza San Luis Complex, Gen. Luna cor. Real St., Intramuros, Manila 1002.  Tel: (632) 527-4084. Open Saturdays to Sundays, 9 AM to 5 PM.  Admission: Php50 for children, students with valid ID and faculty members; and PhP75 for adults.

Libingan ng mga Bayani (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

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Libingan ng mga Bayani

The 103-hectare Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB, translated as “Heroes Cemetery”), the final resting place of more than 49,000 deceased  Filipino soldiers, statesmen, heroes, and martyrs, is a national cemetery within Fort Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley).

Formerly the Republic Memorial Cemetery, it was first established in May 1947 as a tribute and final resting place for the 33,520 to 58,780 Filipino soldiers who died during the Philippine Campaign (1941–42) and the Allied Liberation of the Philippines (1944–45) in World War II. The cemetery is the Filipino counterpart to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, which houses the remains of United States personnel who died during the same war.

Presidents of the Republic of the Philippines (Section A)

On June 16, 1948, Republic Act 289 (also known as An Act Providing for the Construction of a National Pantheon for Presidents of the Philippines, National Heroes, and Patriots of the Country) was signed into law by Philippine President Elpidio Quirino.

Veterans of World War II, Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor (Section IX)

On October 27, 1954, President Ramon Magsaysay renamed the Republic Memorial Cemetery as the Libingan ng mga Bayani. On May 28, 1967, Presidential Proclamation No. 208 was issued by President Ferdinand Marcos who ordered the reservation of 142 hectares of land within Fort Bonifacio Military Reserve in consideration for the Libingan ng mga Bayani to serve, not only as a cemetery for Philippine military personnel, but also as a national shrine for fallen heroes.  Marcos  also ordered it placed under the administration of the Military Shrines Services of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, an agency under the Department of National Defense.

Chief of Staff, AFP (Section C)

On April 9, 1986, President Corazon Aquino and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Fidel V. Ramos  issued Armed Forces Regulations G 161-373. This military-issued regulation, also known as “The allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB,” established the interment policy that would become the basis for the burial of personalities at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Bulwagan ng mga Bayani

On October 26, 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos  issued Executive Order No. 131 making National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines eligible for interment at the cemetery.

Heroes Memorial Gate

In 2007, due to overcrowding at the Fort Bonifacio site, the cemetery’s administration started exploring sites for Libingan ng mga Bayani annexes in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The ₱24-million, five-hectare extension at Camp Hernandez in Dingle, Iloilo was the only one completed so far.

On January 4, 2019, Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana approved a five-year development program for the cemetery (projected to cost about ₱3.3 billion) whose goal is to rehabilitate and transform the LNMB into a world-class national cemetery at par with the nearby Manila American Cemetery. The first phase of the program, to be implemented by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, includes the construction of a dignified cemetery area, a historical theme park, and a memorial shrine.

Grave of President Ferdinand E. Marcos

On November 18, 2016, amid much controversy resulting in a handful of protests in various parts of the Philippines, former president Ferdinand Marcos was buried in a private ceremony with military honors after the Supreme Court of the Philippines dismissed petitions against his burial on 8 November 2016.

Grave of President Elpidio Quirino

Today, the cemetery is administered and maintained by the Grave Service Unit (GSU), a unit of the Philippine Army Support Command of the AFP. Their mission is:

  • to provide burial and niche services to deceased military personnel and other personalities interred at the cemetery
  • to maintain the cemetery and the military grave site at Manila North Cemetery
  • provide mortuary and memorial services to authorized personnel 

Grave of President Diosdado Macapagal

According to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Regulation G 161-373 and based on the The Allocation of Cemetery Plots at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the following persons are entitled to interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani:

  • Medal of Valor awardees
  • Presidents or Commanders-in-Chief, AFP
  • The secretaries of National Defense
  • AFP Chiefs of Staff
  • Generals/Flag Officers of the AFP
  • Active and retired military personnel of the AFP (including active draftees and trainees who died in line of duty, and active reservists and CAFGU Active Auxiliary who died in combat-related activities)
  • Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals
  • Senators and Senate President
  • Former AFP members who laterally entered/joined the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)
  • Veterans of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the First and Second World Wars, as well as recognized guerrillas
  • Government dignitaries, statesmen and other deceased persons whose interment has been approved by the commander-in-chief, Congress or the Secretary of National Defense
  • Former Presidents and widows of former Presidents and Chiefs of Staff
  • National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines

Grave of President Diosdado Macapagal

However, the same regulation also says that the prohibition of interment applies to “personnel who were dishonorably separated/ reverted/ discharged from the service and personnel who were convicted by final judgment of an offense involving moral turpitude” from interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Grave of President Carlos P. Garcia

When we visited, the first structure we saw upon entering the grounds of the cemetery complex was the Heroes Memorial Gate.  This large concrete tripod, with a stairway leading to an upper view deck, has a metal sculpture at the center.

Grave of Vice-President Salvador H. Laurel

Near the Heroes Memorial Gate and erected on opposite sides of the main entrance road are two 12-ft. high black stone walls.  They bear the words that General Douglas MacArthur uttered during a journey to the Philippines in 1961: “I do not know the dignity of his birth, but I do know the glory of his death.”

Grave of Carlos P. Romulo

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the main structure at the center of the cemetery, is where wreath laying ceremonies are held when Philippine government officials and foreign dignitaries visit the cemetery. The tomb is inscribed with the words: “Here lies a Filipino soldier whose name is known only to God.” Three marble pillars, behind the tomb, represent the three main island groups in the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Around the cemetery are a number of pylons commemorating the gallantry of Filipino soldiers who died in various wars in world history. The Korean Memorial Pylon honors the 112 Filipino officers and men who were members of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) who perished during the Korean War.

Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Pylon

The Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Pylon is dedicated to the members of the Philippine contingent and Philippine civic action groups (PHILCON-V and PHILCAG-V) who were sent to Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1971

Philippine World War II Guerillas Pylon

The Philippine World War II Guerrillas Pylon, erected by the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, serves as “a testimony to the indomitable spirit and bravery of the Filipino guerrillas of World War II who refused to be cowed into submission and carried on the fight for freedom against an enemy with vastly superior arms and under almost insurmountable odds.”

Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Pylon

The Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial was erected in 1977 in memory of those who served during World War II.

Marawi Heroes Memorial

The Marawi Heroes Memorial (Marawi Pylon) honors the 165 soldiers who died during the Marawi Siege, a five-month long battle between government forces and Islamic State-inspired terrorists.

Grave of Alejo S. Santos

There are 46 allocated grave sites for presidents.  The presidents buried here are Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956), the 6th President; Carlos P. Garcia (1896–1971), the 8th President; Diosdado Macapagal (1910–1997), the 9th President; and Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989), the 10th President.

Grave of Arturo M. Tolentino

There are also 94 plots allotted for secretaries of national defense, government dignitaries, and statesmen.   They include:

Grave of Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro

Secretaries of National Defense buried here include Fortunato Abat (1925–2018), Rafael Ileto (1920–2003), Alejo Santos (1911–1984) and Ernesto S. Mata (1915–2012).

Grace of Rafael Ileto

One hundred thirty-three slots are allotted for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chiefs of staff.  Buried here are:

Grave of Artemio Ricarte

Some 1,375 slots are allotted for National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines.  Buried here are

Grave of Fortunato U. Abat

There are 118 slots allotted for Medal of Valor awardees.  They include:

Grave of Haydee Yorac

183 slots for other generals and flag officers, 5,334 slots for World War II veterans and the remaining grave sites are designated for retired AFP personnel and veterans.  Other notable persons buried here include:

Grave of Maximo V. Soliven

Libingan ng mga Bayani: Bayani Rd., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1630, Metro Manila, Coordinates 14.520°N 121.044°E.

PEFTOK Korean War Memorial Hall (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

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PEFTOK Korean War Memorial Hall

The PEFTOK Korean War Memorial Hall (PKWMH), built through the joint efforts of the Philippines and South Korea, through their respective defense ministries and veterans affairs offices among other agencies, serves to give a long overdue recognition and appreciation to the soldiers who helped defend and rebuild South Korea.

PEFTOK Korean War Memorial Museum

Inaugurated last March 29, 2012, it also gives recognition to President Elpidio Quirino, under whose term the country sent men to help the United Nations during the Korean War. A bust of the president stands just beside the entrance of the museum.

Bust of Pres. Elpidio Quirino

The Philippines was unique among United Nations (UN) combatants in that it was the only one with an active communist insurgency and the only one whose soldiers had immediate combat experience.

Some 7,420 officers and men (the sixth largest UN contingent) of the Philippine Army served in South Korea under the flag of the elite “Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea” (PEFTOK), the third UNC ground combat unit to enter the Korean War.

Floor panel showing the history of the 19th BCT

A significant number of PEFTOK soldiers had also fought against the Japanese during World War II. On September 19, 1950, the 10th BCT, the first of five Battalion Combat Teams from the Philippine Army, landed in Busan.

The five battalion combat teams acquitted themselves creditably in combat. Despite having to adapt to the Korean winter, the Philippine contingent fought bravely and took part in decisive battles such as in Battle of Yultong and the Battle of Hill Eerie.

On April 23, 1951, the massively outnumbered 10th BCT, with only 900 men, withstood the night attack of an entire Chinese army of 40, 000 men during the Battle of Yultong in North Korea. Considering the strength of the Chinese, all UN forces retreated, except the Filipinos who engaged the Chinese in a bitter close quarter fighting. UN Command ordered the Filipino forces to disengage but the order was ignored and, instead, they engaged the enemy up to the last man. On September 5, 1951, the 20th BCT relieved the 10th BCT which returned to the Philippines covered in glory as “The Fighting Tenth.”

The 20th BCT again seized Hill Eerie, a strategic observation post that proves invaluable to PEFTOK in the coming battles against the CPV.  On 21 June 1952, the 19th BCT, which replaced the 20th BCT, emerged victorious after a fierce four-day battle to defend Hill 191 and Hill Eerie. Heavy losses were inflicted on the Chinese at the gory “Battle for Combat Outpost No. 8″and the triumphant Filipinos plant the National Flag on the summit of Hill 191 to proclaim their victory over the Chinese.

On March 26, 1953, the 14th BCT takes over the PEFTOK colors in Korea. It was then followed by the 2nd BCT, the last PEFTOK contingent, who arrived in Korea on April 19, 1954 and returned in the Philippines on June 1955.

Not one PEFTOK battalion was overrun or made incapable of combat as a result of enemy action despite many hard-fought battles. PEFTOK fought successfully against its main enemy in scores of actions in hills, cities and towns along the 38th parallel.  They also helped rebuild South Korea after fighting ended in the Korean War.

Some 500 Filipinos were killed, wounded or captured in the Korean War. The 112 dead include Capt. Conrado D. Yap (posthumously awarded the Philippine Medal of Valor, the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross  and the First Class Taegeuk Cordon of the Order of Military Merit on the 65th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement) and Lt. Jose Artiaga, Jr. (posthumously awarded the Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star).

The museum details how the war went for 3 years (from 1953 to 1955), ending in a truce, but no permanent peace treaty that was signed. Inside is a sizable array of artifacts and memorabilia of those who fought in the Korean War, which included a future Philippine president, Fidel V. Ramos as well as two former Philippine ambassadors to South Korea (Col. Nicanor Jimenez and Gen. Ernesto Gidaya).

A bazooka and two mortars

Korean War-era weapons on display include machine guns (M1917A1 .30 caliber water-cooled machine gun), mortars, the semiautomatic M1 Carbine, rifles (Mosin-Nagant Sniper Rifle, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, etc.), submachine guns (M3 submachine gun Caliber .45, M1A1 Thompson submachine gun Caliber .45, PPS43 Pistolet-Polemyot Sudaeva, PPSh41 Pistolet-Polemyot Shpahina, etc.), bazookas (Green bazooka portable rocket launcher), bayonets, etc..

A Browning automatic rifle (above)

Just outside, beside the memorial building, is a 105 mm. M101 A1 howitzer.  Nearby is the PEFTOK Memorial Wall and the PEFTOK historical marker installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2015.

105 mm. M101 A1 Howitzer

Also on display are uniforms, dog tags, belts, water canteens, mess kit and helmets; medals, campaign ribbons and citations; newspaper clippings; old photos and sketch portraits of the commanding officers of the 2nd, 10th, 14th, 19th and 20th BCTs.

PEFTOK Historical Marker installed by the NHCP in 2015

Media colleague Arthur Dominic “Art” J. Villasanta, whose late father, Juan “Johnny” Villasanta, was a war correspondent (he wrote news stories for his newspaper, The Evening News) during the Korean War, provided the pictures and wrote the narrative of the history of the Philippines‘ role in the Korean War which were printed on all the large floor panels and part of the wall panels laid out at the museum.

PEFTOK Memorial Wall

Visual aids narrate the historical timeline of the Korean War, the performance of each BCT during the war and the roster of men in each BCT.

The author (left) with son Jandy and museum curator Mark R. Condeno

PEFTOK Korean War Memorial Hall: Bayani Rd., Libingan ng mga Bayani Annex, 1630 Taguig City, Metro Manila. Tel: 8844-1855. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 8 AM to 5 PM.  Curator: Mark R. Condeno. Coordinates: 14.5248637,121.0454924.

Carve, Mold, and Assemble: Modern Sculptures in the Philippines (National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila)

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Carve, Mold, and Assemble: Modern Sculptures in the Philippines

Carve, Mold, and Assemble (Lilok, Hulma at Tipon): Modern Sculptures in the Philippines, a permanent exhibit at the fourth floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts,  is dedicated to Philippine Modern Sculptures.

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Gallery entrance

Featured here are notable works of Abdulmari Asia Imao (1936-2014), National Artist for Sculpture in 2006; Arturo R. Luz (1926-2021), National Artist for Visual Arts in 1997; and Jerry Elizalde Navarro (1924-1999), National Artist for Visual Arts in 1999.

Sarimanok (Abdulmari Imao, 1996)

Imao wanted to improve, revitalize and popularize the sarimanok (an ornate chicken-like figure or a decorative bird notable in Maranao Art and considered to be as old as their epics) style and he produced a number of artworks of the indigenous motif from the Southern Philippines in various media.

Fishes (Abdulmari Imao, 1976, bronze)

His 1996 brass sculpture, entitled Sarimanok, a  2 m. high sculpture work of art, was given, through the Magbassa Kita Foundation, Inc., as a gift to the Filipino people by the family of the Late National Artist on July 23, 2015.

Sarimanok (Addulmari Imao, 1969, bronze)

Also in this exhibition gallery are his three bronze sculptures, two sculptures entitled as Fishes, dated 1976, and another Sarimanok (1969).

Study of Figura in Red (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

Study of Homage to Antoni Tapies in White (Arturo Luz, 2012, steeland acrylic paint)

The works of Arturo R. Luz on display at the gallery are his experiment with sculptural abstraction using metal, concrete and wood which began in 1969.

Study of Homage to Eusebio Sempere (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

Study of Homage to Fernando Zobel in Red (Arturo Luz, 201, steel and acrylic paint)

Study of Homage to Gerardo Rueda in Red (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

As with his paintings, he continued the Neo-Realist themes and the linear simplicity and geometric form in his geometric sculptural work.

Study of Modula for the National Museum (Arturo Luz, 2012, stainless steel)

Study of Tribal in Rust (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

The sculpture of Jerry Elizalde Navarro, an avid experimenter and versatile craftsman, are actually assemblages constructed out of found objects and discarded machine parts.

Desparecido (Jerry Elizalde Navarro)

Man and Woman (Jerry Elizalde Navarro)

His linear sculptures use rods, pipes and mixed media using plexiglass sheets. His wife, Virginia Ty-Navarro (1924-1996), is also an artist whose bronze and brass sculpture Taurus (1975) is also on display in the gallery.

Idiot Box (Jerry Elizalde Navarro, 1964, wood)

Taurus (Virginia Ty Navarro, 1975, bronze and brass)

Works of other renowned artists are also on display here.  Lamberto R. Hechanova (1939-2014), reputed  as an incubator of Modernist sculpture in the 1960s, introduced the combined use of aluminum with wood and plexiglass in his massive and innovative sculptures and assemblages.

Space Aura (Lamberto Hechanova, 1963, oil paint and various metal)

Allegory in Aluminum (1968, aluminum and glass), by Lamberto Hechanova, landed first place at the First Exhibition of Philippine Sculptors in 1968

Cestae III (Lamberto Hechanova, 1969, oil paint and various metals)

Renato Rocha (1937-2001) used acacia, molave and narra in sculpting abstracted figures of animals, family, women and other free forms as they were stylishly economical, glowing with mellow warm patinas and strong and lasting in character.

Air Flight (Renato Rocha, 1973, wood)

Two Figures (Renato Rocha, ca. 1964, wood)

Federico D. Estrada (1915 – 1999), a lesser known contemporary of Vicente Manansala, was the first Filipino to work at the atelier of Pietro Amberti.

Affection (Federico Estrada, 1963, narra wood)

World Brotherhood (Federico Estrada, ca. 1960, wood)

Holy Family (Federico Estrada, 1963, narra wood) bears three faces – the Mother, Father and Son.

Pietri taught him the secrets of synthetic marble, floating strips, spray dotting, molding and general sculpturing from 1932-1940. 

Ramon Orlina glass sculptures. L-R: Lumba-Lumba (1988, carved green glass), Community of Joy (2020, carved peach amber glass), Gothic (1988, carved green glass) and Elegance in Simplicity (2020, carved green glass)

Ramon Orlina (b. 1944), who transfigured glass into art, was the first to carve figures out of blocks of glass using the cold method, cutting, grinding, and polishing his work with improvised tools and instruments,  a feat at that time yet unreplicated even in highly industrialized countries.

Paglalakbay (Rey Paz Contreras, 1990, molave wood)

Rey Paz Contreras (1950 – 2021) worked with urban refuse and environmental materials as artistic media.  He was inspired by the indigenous Filipino culture and created visual forms of contemporary images that explore a distinct Filipino aesthetics.

Supine (Ting Ping Lay, ca. 1995, bronze)

Early Spring (Ting Ping Lay, ca. 1990, plaster of paris)

Filipino-Chinese sculptor Ting Ping Lay’s (1927 – 2021) simple, minimalist, and semi-abstract works features figures that are quietly and gently contorted, placed in poses that are restrained, dignified, and mature. His two sculptures (Early Spring and Supine) were donated by his son Lionel Ting on December 18, 2020.

Eshu (1997, cold-cast marble and volcanic cinder), a floor piece by Agnes Arellano, was created for the Sixth Biennial of Havana and was exhibited there. Eshu, the “Lord of the Crossroads,” the mediator between men and the gods, is shown with two pairs of feet and three hands. He holds a cigar, a trident and a wine bottle.

Agnes Arellano (b. 1949) works primarily in plaster, making life-size figure sculptures. Her work explores women’s issues relative to the portrayal of women in traditional Asian sculpture by reinterpreting local myths.

Mother and Child Fusion MSeries’19 (Jose Datuin, 2019)

Gemini (Jose Datuin,undated, wood and brass)

Jose F. Datuin (b. 1956) is known for his ability to use lightly visualized symbolism with stainless steel as his material. He is also known for circular abstractions which demonstrate unity, both in material and form.

Balut Vendor (Idefonso Marcelo, 1982, adobe)

Father and Child (Idelfonso Marcelo, 1982, adobe)

Ildefonso Marcelo (b. 1941) is known for using blocks of stone in creating figures that connote strength and permanence.

Doxology (Julie Lluch, terracotta and acrylic) consists of two life-size works representing the two selves of the same woman. One is sprawled on the ground, cold and lifeless, while the other is alive.

Julie Lluch (b. 1946), a self-taught sculptor, became seriously involved in art in 1976. Working in terracotta, stone, ceramic and bronze, she is known for her life-size portraits and groups that present satirical commentaries on the relationship between the sexes.

Portrait of Celia Molano (Julie Lluch, 1996)

Eduardo Castrillo (1942 – 2016), considered to be the most avant-garde sculptor in the Philippines, he created, with the help of a group of assistants, sculptures by hammering, cutting and welding metal, especially brass, bronze and steel.

Success (Eduardo Castrillo, 1980, bronze)

The Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal (Eduardo Castrillo, 1991, bronze)

He also incorporated other materials (wood, plastic, plexiglass, ivory, neon lights, etc.) into his works and his oeuvre included free-standing abstract pieces, functional art pieces, art jewelry, body sculptures and liturgical art.

Jade Carrier (Solomon Saprid, 1989, metal and jadeite)

Solomon Saprid (1917 – 2003) was best known for his Brutalist School bronze sculptures. He welded scraps of metal together and the intricately sculpted brass details produced a characteristic jagged effect.

Poseidon (Solomon Saprid, 1981, black metal)

Duddley Diaz (b. 1947) created a powerful body of work that defies categorization, with sculptures that challenge notions of identity, sexuality, culture, and history.

Pagsilang (Duddley Diaz, 2006, wood and acrylic)

Departing from the impersonal and rationalist aesthetic of academic art, his work daringly combines the values of classical Renaissance sculpture with atavistic sources of inspiration in the figures of ancient mythology and Christian liturgical art.

Bloom (Rosario Bitanga Peralta, 2005, stainless steel and resin)

Rosario “Charito” Bitanga Peralta (b. 1934) is the Philippines’ first and foremost woman abstract artist.​ Her creative sculpture, consisting of metal and terracotta pieces, was predominantly inspired by the 1950s Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.

Mother and Child (Francisco Cruz, 1967, adobe)

Excessive Machine (Ruben de Vera, ca. 1969, wood)

Bust of Edgar Allan Poe (Ricaredo Demetillo, 1969, adobe)

Other artists featured include Francisco Cruz, Rosalio Alcala, Jr., Ricaredo Demetillo (1920 – 1998), T. Rivera, Roberto Balajadia (b. 1945) and Ruben De Vera (b. 1942).

Weight and Balance (T. Rivera, undated, adobe)

Modernization of Manila (Rosalio Alcala Jr., undated, adobe, cement, concrete and metal)

Homage to Botong (Roberto Balajadia, 1989, adobe)

Carve, Mold, and Assemble: Modern Sculptures in the Philippines: Gallery XXIX, Philippine Modern Sculpture Hall, 4/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Old Senate Session Hall (National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila)

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Old Senate Session Hall

The historic Old Senate Session Hall, considered the core of the then Legislative Building (now the National Museum of Fine Arts), was home to members of the Philippine Senate from 1926 to 1996.  It had been a silent witness to history as senators, from various eras, debated and charted the future of the Philippines, from the country’s growing clamor for full independence from the United States in the 1930s to its rejection of a new US bases treaty in 1992. Directly below the Senate Session Hall is another hall once used by members of Congress. It has since been converted to a gallery displaying Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium.”

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Ceiling and entablature with garlands and relief sculptures

The old Senate Session Hall was designed by American architect Ralph Harrington Doane (part of the team of architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham and a consultant to the Bureau of Public Works, a precursor of the Department of Public Works and Highways) as a high-ceiling reading room. Heavily damaged during the American liberation of Manila in 1945, the Legislative Building was in near ruins but, for some reason, the Session Hall remained intact, with only its intricately carved hardwood ceiling blown off.

Plaque installed by National Historical Institute

When the newly independent postwar government worked on rebuilding the structure, it was able to restore much of the Session Hall to its original state.

Bust of Manuel L. Quezon

Here, then Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and his allies in the opposition delivered privilege speeches during the run-up to martial law in 1972.  When martial law was declared, it was closed and later turned into one of the National Museum’s galleries during the remainder of the Marcos years. During the Marcos era, the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City housed the parliament.

When democracy was restored after the People Power Revolution in 1986, the Senate and Congress returned to their old homes in the Legislative Building. In 1996, after the Senate moved to its new home at the GSIS Building in Pasay City, the old Session Hall was closed again.

In April 2010, work on the Session Hall’s (Php20 million) two-year restoration started, with funding coming from 2011 National Museum endowment fund (Php6 million) of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), and Php14 million from the museum’s 2012 budget. They also tapped the expertise of the museum’s four heritage architects led by Evelyn Esguerra.

During the in-house restoration project, the National Museum’s Jeremy Barns (director) and Ana Labrador (assistant director) pored over old pictures in their attempt to produce a newly restored Session Hall that’s as close as possible to the original. Its prewar look became the peg of the restoration work. Barns and Labrador chose the 1930s, because it was during this period that the country’s independence movement started to intensify.

Relief Sculptures by Isabelo Tampinco

However, in the absence of detailed pictures of the original, they left the venue’s less ornate postwar ceiling intact. Workers searched in vain for murals (painted by architect Juan M. Arellano), between the overhead concrete fretwork, that might be hidden underneath layers of old paint. In the end, the pair decided to simply give both the ceiling and spaces between the statues a fresh coat of the standard, rich color paint for nearly all public buildings during the Philippine Commonwealth period paint (which Barns described as a “Bureau of Public Works cream”).

Relief sculptures by Isabelo Tampinco

The already structurally unsound wooden parquet flooring on the first level, not part of the Session Hall’s original design, was also removed.  In keeping with the Session Hall’s original look, they decided to go for vibrant red floors (sealed with epoxy) and baseboards. A series of damaged concrete balustrades that bore the weight of a wooden floor that bisected the 15 m. high Session Hall was replaced with faithful reproductions crafted by House of Precast.  The team also replaced the venue’s lighting system and had a more modern, energy-efficient air-con system installed.

Filipino Struggles Through History by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco

Windows that were permanently locked from the outside (because of a concrete barrier) were replaced and opened up. Workers also had to fashion, upon Barns’ instructions, a French-type window that leads to an outdoor veranda. On October 29, 2012, during a celebration of the museum’s 111th anniversary, the refurbished hall was opened.

Filipino Struggles Through History by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco

Currently a venue for events that are of national importance, the Old Senate Session Hall features modern and contemporary Philippine art from the 20th to the 21st centuries. All the ornamentation and decoration in this Hall were done by leading Filipino prewar sculptor Isabelo Tampinco who created these figures with the help of his sons, Angel and Vidal, who inherited their father’s artistry and skills.

Filipino Struggles Through History by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco

These exceptional, restored masterpieces make up an entablature of garlands and Filipinized, classical relief sculptures of great lawmakers, moralists, philosophers and various historical figures in history, from Biblical times to the 20th century, such as Apolinario Mabini, Pope Leo XIII, Woodrow Wilson, Moses, Hammurabi, Ramses the Great, and Charlemagne.

Filipino Struggles Through History by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco

This hall also features seven of the ten panels of “Filipino Struggles Through History” (also known as “History of Manila”), the monumental series of paintings by National Artist Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco (1912-1969) commissioned in 1968 for the Manila City Hall by Mayor  Antonio J. Villegas.  The last three panels, depicting Mayor Antonio J. Villegas‘ vision for the city of Manila, are exhibited at Gallery XIII, within the same museum’s Vicente and Carmen Fabella Hall.

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Commemorative plaque of the “Filipino Struggles Through History,” by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco, being declared as a National Cultural Treasure

The artwork was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by then National Museum director Gabriel S. Casal on April 8, 1996. They collectively measure 2.7 m. (8.9 ft.) high and 79.4 m. (260 ft.) wide.

National Museum of Fine Arts: Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Gallery XXII (National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila)

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Gallery XXII (International Rice Research Institute Hall)

Gallery XXII, a permanent exhibit at the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), features two large-scale paintings by National Artist Vicente S. Manansala (1910-1981) from the collection of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

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Gallery entrance

These paintings were commissioned by the institute to depict Filipino life, labor, and leisure, and were completed in 1962. Initially, they were put on display on the walls of the dining hall and cafeteria of the IRRI headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.

The two Manansala murals

Through a partnership between IRRI and the National Museum of the Philippines, and to protect and preserve the masterpieces, the paintings were transferred to the IRRI Hall, an art exhibition of the  National Museum of the Philippines in the historic Legislative Building. The two large paintings were elevated from Important Cultural Properties, to National Cultural Treasures (the first Manansalas to gain such status), on May 14, 2015.  That same day, an official heritage marker announcing the recognition was installed by the National Museum of the Philippines and the IRRI Hall opened for public viewing.

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The figures are rendered in trademark Manansala, with overlapping transparent polygonal cells that play up the two-dimensionality of the painting.

They are some of the most important examples of his work exploring his technique on transparent cubism in which, instead of breaking down the picture plane, Manansala devised figurative angular forms that uses, as reference, layered colors of stained glass windows, as well as the translucence of capiz shell windows and piña fabrics.

Watercolor studies

 

The two Manansala murals are a lighthearted narration of Filipino rural life. One is a joyful, pastel-colored medley of labor.  Flanking the two sides are scenes of fishing and rice-planting while, at the center, as focal point, is a woman bathing a child.

Kalabaw (Vicente S. Manasala, 1979, watercolor on paper)

The second painting, a spectacle of small-town festivities, depicts a game of sipa, the national sport, on the left while, on the right, are two men competing in a carabao race. The stretch of canvas is lined with a crowd of people watching two roosters in a midair cockfight.

Study of a Family Praying Before a Meal (Vicente S. Manansala, 1960, watercolor on paper)

Also on display are studies in watercolor for this series, which Manansala made for the IRRI commission, where his technique is perceptible.

Study for IRRI (1) (Vicente S. Manansala, ca. 1962, watercolor on paper)

Study for IRRI (2) (Vicente S. Manansala, ca. 1962, watercolor on paper)

Also featured in this gallery is “Philippine Folklore,” a large-scale, 1,536 cm. (50 ft.) long narra wood relief by renowned sculptor Jose P. Alcantara (1911-2005), Manansala’s childhood friend, from the Philam Life Collection which previously adorned the wall of the then newly constructed, 780-seat Philam Life Theater at United Nations Ave. in Ermita, Manila.

Jose Alcantara’s “Philippine Folklore” narra wood relief

It was made with the aid of his 4 sons and wood carvers from Paete.  It is composed of many wood panels, with gaps built together.

Women pounding rice while a guitarist serenades them

This is the second installation of his monumental work at the NMFA. Another, across the 1953 four-panel painting “The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines” by National Artist Carlos V. “Botong” Francisco (1912-1969) loaned from the Philippine General Hospital in 2012, was installed last March 14, 2019 at Gallery XVI.

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Women harvesting the rice crop

It shows a continuous scene where Christians and Muslims are doing their own festivities while staying connected to each other. Four of the smaller, decorative narra wood reliefs, of rural life and folklore, are installed in Gallery XXIV.

A farmer plowing the field with a carabao

Both the IRRI murals and these Philam Life reliefs bear the themes of rice cultivation and the culture that surrounds it, including rituals, festivals and belief systems.

A northern Cordillera harvest festival

Gallery XXII: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Hall, 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Visitors shall be limited to 100 per museum per session. Visitors are required to pre-book online at https://reservation.nationalmuseum.gov at least a day before the visit. Confirmation of booking will be sent through email. Group reservations are limited to five (5) persons only.  Walk-in visitors will NOT be accommodated.

Spoliarium Hall (National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila)

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Spoliarium Hall

When you enter the National Museum of Fine Arts, from Padre Burgos Ave., the first exhibit, at Level Two, you’ll see is the Spoliarium Hall.  Guarding its entrance is the reinforced concrete, 2.9 x 1.2 m. winged statue Diwata (a gift from the heirs of Hermogenes Reyes and Teodora Tantoco Reyes), sculpted by National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino sometime in the 1950s.

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Diwata (Guillermo Tolentino)

The Spoliarium Hall was formerly the House of Representatives Session Hall, site of the 1934 Constitutional Convention.  It is home to Filipino painter Juan Luna’s Spoliarium.  The largest painting in the Philippines, it measures 4.22 m. high and 7.675 m. wide.

Working on canvas and upon the instigation of Francisco de Paula Redoreda, it took Juan Luna eight months to paint this enormous and massive multi-figure mural which was rendered in frenzied fin de siecle brushstrokes. In 1884, this renowned painting was awarded, by the elitist Salon des Beaux Arts,  the first gold medal (grande prix), out of three, at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

Spoliarium (1884, oil on canvas) of Juan Luna

It depicts a despoiling scene in a Roman circus where dead gladiators, being mourned by relatives, are stripped of weapons and garments. Jose Rizal identified it as an allusion to the exploitation of the country by Spain.  This art achievement underscored the ability of Filipinos to compete with Europeans at their backcourt.  It was also a subtle affirmation of the Filipino’s capability to run affairs back home.

The author

In April 1884, together with other works of the Spanish Academy, the Spoliarium was on exhibit in Rome. In 1885, after being exhibited in Rome, Madrid and Paris, the painting was sold to the provincial government of Barcelona (Diputación Provincial de Barcelona) for 20,000 pesetas.

Detail

In 1887, it was transferred to the Museo del Arte Moderno in Barcelona where it was in storage until, in 1937, the museum was burned and looted during the Spanish Civil War. Under orders of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, the damaged painting was sent to Madrid for restoration, where it stayed for 18 years. In the 1950s, calls for the painting’s transfer to Manila by Filipinos and sympathetic Spaniards, led to Gen. Franco’s orders to finish the painting’s restoration and eventual donation to the Philippines.

Dying gladiators being dragged away

After the restoration work was completed in late 1957, the painting was broken up into three pieces because of its size, with each piece going into its own shipping crate. In January 1958, the painting was turned over to Ambassador Manuel Nieto, Sr. as a gift from the government of Spain.

Mourning relatives of gladiators

The painting was mounted on a wooden frame at the then Department of Foreign Affairs building (as of June 2020, currently the Department of Justice building) along Padre Faura Street.  Carlos da Silva, as head of the Juan Luna Centennial Commission, chose artist Antonio Dumlao to perform relining and cleaning of the painting. Carlos da Silva did the mounting, framing and architectural work. In December 1962, the newly restored Spoliarium was then unveiled in the Hall of Flags of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Jandy

In 1982, the painting was cleaned by Suzanno “Jun” Gonzalez and, in 2005, another restoration was made by Art Restoration and Conservations Specialists Inc., headed by painter June Poticar Dalisay.

Across it is the equally violent The Assassination of Governor Bustamante and His Son (El asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante), the most extensive work by another Filipino 19th century master painter, Félix Resureccion-Hidalgo (February 21, 1855-March 13, 1913), Luna’s contemporary and friend, who won the silver medal for his Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas Al Populacho at the same Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid.  Circa 1853, it is also known under the more controversial title La Iglesia contra el estado (The Church against the State).

The 412 cm. (13.5 ft.) high and 338 cm. (11 ft.) wide oil on canvas painting, commissioned by Don Antonio Ma. Regidor (who never took hold of it), a Filipino nationalist, shows 18th century halberds (the 19th century halberds may have become more elaborate compared to those featured in this historical painting of the event that took place in 1719) being used by the Alaberderos (a special unit of bodyguards) belatedly coming to the rescue of the fallen Governor-General Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante.

The Assassination of Gov.Bustamante(Felix Resureccion-Hida (4)

In 1905, this painting was first exhibited at the St. Louis Exposition in the United States of America where it won a gold medal. The painting remained in Barcelona until 1914 when the painting was brought back to the Philippines by one of Regidor’s relatives. In 1965, the painting came into the possession of Mr. Manuel Lazatin Garcia and, in 1971, it was transferred to the residence of architect Leandro Locsin for safekeeping.  In 1974, in time for the celebration of Museum Week, the painting was unveiled at the National Museum.

Both paintings were declared as National Cultural Treasures.   Perpendicular to these two iconic paintings is the Arthur Walsh Fergusson Monument and the Battle of Mactan by Elmer Borlongan.  The former, the grandest and only monument in the Philippines dedicated in honor of an American bureaucrat, was completed in Madrid and Barcelona in 1912 by the eminent Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure (1862-1947) and was formally inaugurated in Manila on November 15, 1913.

Known for his Neo-Classic public monuments in Madrid and elsewhere, Benlliure, and his brother Jose, were classmates (from 1881 to 1884) of Filipino artists Juan Luna, Félix Resurreccion-Hidalgo and Miguel Zaragoza at the Spanish Academy in Rome.

Arthur Walsh Fergusson Monument

Fergusson, a Spanish-speaking colonial bureaucrat, served as secretary of the First Philippine Commission and later as secretary to a succession of governors-general from 1901 until he died from cardiac arrest in 1908. This bronze monument, on a Carrara marble plinth monument, was originally located in a small plaza (then known as Plaza Fergusson) fronting Ermita Church.

The monument was  replaced by a bronze representation of the Virgin of Ermita, by the late Eduardo Castrillo, and the name of the plaza was changed to Plaza del Nuestra Señora de Guia (later renamed Plaza Guerrero to honor the Filipino poet Fernando Ma. Guerrero). The Fergusson Monument was given to the US Embassy who loaned it to the National Museum of the Philippines for preservation and access to the public.

The large-scale (2.4 x 4.8 m.) Battle of Mactan” was painted by contemporary visual artist Elmer “Emong” Borlongan (who used predominantly red and blue pigments for this artwork) in 2021 to mark the 500th Anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world and arrival in the Philippines.

The Battle of Mactan (Elmer Borlongan, 2021, acrylic on canvas)

Also on display are two halberds, the only examples of their kind known to exist in the country.  Officially used in the service of the Governor and Captain General between 1874 and 1898, they were taken as souvenirs by American troops and brought to the US, eventually entering the collection of Parkin Archaeological State Park (Arkansas) who, in 2016, donated them  to the National Museum of the Philippines. 

One of the two halberds of the Guard of the Captain General (1)

Spoliarium Hall: 2/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.