Carlos Modesto Villaluz Francisco, popularly known as Botong, was a muralist from Angono,

Rizal.
Born: November 4, 1912, Angono, Philippines
Died: March 31, 1969, Angono, Philippines
Education: University of the Philippines
Resting place: Heroes' Cemetery
Artwork: BayanihansaBukid, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, More
Parents: Felipe Francisco, Maria Villaluz

And to live we must go back to a bigger audience. For this it must have the power
to communicate and not repel. That is why I love to paint big murals for like a
composer, I can create a symphony from a history of our country or our own way of
life."Letter of Botong to his daughter, Carmen, March 5, 1968.

Francisco was a most distinguished practitioner of mural painting for many decades and best
known for his historical pieces. He was one of the first Filipinomodernists along with
GaloOcampo and Victorio C. Edades who broke away from Fernando Amorsolo'sromanticism of
Philippine scenes. According to restorer Helmuth Josef Zotter, Francisco's art "is a prime
example of linear painting where lines and contours appear like cutouts."

His great works include Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal,
Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, BayanihansaBukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of
Limahong, Serenade, and Muslim Betrothal. Some of his murals have suffered damage over the
years. The "Pageant of Commerce" emerged from several years of restoration in 2000. [3] His
murals in the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital were restored for the 3rd time in 2007.

He was also responsible for the discovery of the now famous Angono Petroglyphs in 1965. He
was also involved in Costume Design in Philippinecinema.
Amado V. Hernandez
Writer
Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as Amado V. Hernandez, was a Filipino writer and
labor leader who was known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines and was later
imprisoned for his involvement in the communist movement. Wikipedia
Born: September 13, 1903, Hagonoy, Bulacan, Philippines
Died: March 24, 1970, Manila, Philippines
Spouse: Atang de la Rama (m. 19321970)
Books: LuhangBuwaya, MgaIbongMandaragit
Awards: National Artist of the Philippines, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for One-act Play in
Filipino
Movies: Demons

Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as Amado V. Hernandez (September 13, 1903
March 24, 1970), was a Filipino writer and labor leader who was known for his criticism of
social injustices in the Philippines and was later imprisoned for his involvement in the
communist movement. He was the central figure in a landmark legal case that took 13 years to
settle.

He was born in Hagonoy, Bulacan but grew up in Tondo, Manila, where he studied at the Manila
High School and at the American Correspondence School.

While still a teenager, he began writing in Tagalog for the newspaper Watawat (Flag). He would
later write a column for the Tagalog publication Pagkakaisa (Unity) and become editor of
Mabuhay (Long Live).
His writings gained the attention of Tagalog literati and some of his stories and poems were
included in anthologies, such as ClodualdodelMundo'sParolangGinto and Alejandro
Abadilla'sTalaangBughaw.

In 1922, at the age of 19, Hernandez became a member of the literary society Aklatang Bayan
which included noted Tagalog writers Lope K. Santos and Jose Corazon de Jesus.

In 1932, he married the Filipino actress Atang de la Rama. Both of them would later be
recognized as National Artists: Hernandez for Literature, de la Rama for Theater, Dance and
Music.

Hernandez joined the resistance movement when the Japanese invaded in the Philippines in
1941. He was an intelligence operative of the guerilla outfit of Marking and Anderson, whose
operations covered Bulacan and the Sierra Madre mountains, throughout the Second World War.

While he was a guerilla, Hernandez came in contact with guerillas of the Hukbong Bayan Laban
saHapon (Hukbalahap) which was founded by Luis Taruc and other communist ideologues
continued by the Philippine Commonwealth troops entered in Bulacan. It is believed that this
was when Hernandez developed sympathies, if not belief, with the communist movement

Labor leader

After the war, PresidentSergio Osmea appointed him councilor of Manila during the
reconstruction of the war-devastated city. He also became president of the defunct Philippine
Newspaper Guild in coordination with its editor in chief, NarjeeyLarasa.

But his most significant activities after the war involved organizing labor unions across the
country through the labor federation Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO). Influenced by the
philosophy of Marx he advocated revolution as a means of change. On May 5, 1947, he led the
biggest labor strike to hit Manila at that time. The following year, he became president of the
CLO and led another massive labor demonstration on May 1, 1948.

In 1950, the Philippine military started a crackdown against the communist movement, which
was had sparked open rebellion in some areas on Luzon island, and the CLO headquarters was
raided on January 20, 1951. Hernandez was arrested on January 26 on the suspicion that he was
among the leaders of the rebellion.

Imprisonment

But the authorities could not find evidence to charge him. For six months, he was transferred
from one military camp to another and it took nearly a year before he was indicted on a charge of
rebellion with murder, arson and robbery - a complex crime unheard of in Philippine legal
history.

The case stirred the interest of civil rights activists in the Philippines and Hernandez was assisted
at various times by legal luminaries like SenatorClaro M. Recto, former President Jos P.
Laureland Claudio Teehankee, who would later become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
the Philippines. But he remained in prison while his appeal was pending.

It was while he was imprisoned that he wrote his most notable works. He wrote
IsangDipangLangit (A Stretch of Heaven), which later won a Republic Cultural Heritage Award,
and Bayang Malaya (Free Nation), which later won a Balagtas Award. Also written in prison was
his masterpiece LuhangBuwaya (Tears of the Crocodile). Portions of his novel
MgaIbongMandaragit (Birds of Prey) was also written while he was at the New Bilibid Prison.
He also edited the prison's newspaper Muntinglupa Courier.

After five years of imprisonment, the Supreme Court allowed Hernandez to post bail on June 20,
1956. He then resumed his journalistic career and wrote a column for the Tagalog tabloid Taliba.
He would later be conferred awards in prestigious literary contests, like the Commonwealth
Literary Contest (twice), Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (four times) and journalism
awards given by the National Press Club of the Philippines (four times).

On May 30, 1964, the Supreme Court acquitted Hernandez in a decision that would be a
landmark in Philippine jurisprudence. The case People of the Philippines vs. Amado V.
Hernandez is now a standard case study in Philippine law schools.

Hernandez continued to write and teach after his acquittal. He was teaching at the University of
the Philippines when he died on March 24, 1970. The University of the Philippines
posthumously conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Humanities honoriscausa. The Ateneo
de Manila University awarded him its first TanglawngLahi award. He was posthumously
honored as National Artist for Literature in 1973. Together with poet Jos Garca Villa,
Hernndez was the first to receive the title in literature.

Novels
His socio-political novels were based on his experiences as a guerrilla, as a labor
leader and as a political detainee.
MgaIbongMandaragit (Birds of Prey),1969
Luha Ng Buwaya (Crocodile's Tears), 1972
Plays
His plays are mostly based on his experiences in prison.
Muntinglupa, 1957
HagdansaBahaghari (Stairway to the Rainbow), 1958
AngMgaKagalang-galang (The Venerables), 1959
MagkabilangMukhangIsangBagol (Two Sides of A Coin), 1960
Essays
Si Atang at angDulaan (Atang and the Theater)
Si Jose Corazon de Jesus at angAtingPanulaan (Jose Corazon de Jesus and Our
Poetry)
 It is beyond doubt that Professor Tolentino is the first
and last master in the representation of the human form in the Philippines.--- Napoleon
V. Abueva

Guillermo EstrellaTolentino was a Filipino sculptor and professor of the University of the
Philippines. He was designated as a National Artist of the Philippines for Sculpture in 1973,
three years before his death. Wikipedia
Born: July 24, 1890, Malolos, Philippines
Died: July 12, 1976, Quezon City, Philippines
Alma mater: University of the Philippines
Notable works: Bonifacio Monument, Oblation

Tolentino was born on July 24, 1890 in Malolos, Bulacan. He was the fourth child in his family
and had seven siblings. Before being interested in sculptures, he learned how to play the guitar, a
skill which he inherited from his father. The young Tolentino showed an early talent in sculpting,
having been able to mold figures of horses and dogs out of clay.

Tolentino started studying in Malolos Intermediate School and continued his high school years in
the same city. After studying in Malolos, Tolentino went to Manila and attended classes in the
School of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines.

In 1911, Tolentino made an illustration of prominent Filipinos posing for a studio portrait.
Among those included were national heroes, revolutionaries, and politicians. The illustration was
lithographed and published in a weekly magazine called Liwayway under the name "Grupo de
Filipinos Ilustres" and became popular among homes in the 20th century. Tolentino, a student at
the university when he made the illustration, didn't earn any money from it but didn't seem to
mind about it.

Tolentino graduated in 1915 with a degree in Fine Arts.

Detail of Tolentino's statues of Bonifacio and the Katipuneros

Tolentino, upon returning from Europe in 1925, was appointed as a professor at the University of
the Philippines' School of Fine Arts and opened his studio in Manila on January 24.

Along with thirteen artists, Tolentino joined a contest in 1930 to design the Bonifacio
Monument. Instead of basing the statues on printed materials, he interviewed people who
participated in the Philippine Revolution. Bonifacio's figure was based on the bone structure of
EspiridionaBonifacio, the Supremo's surviving sister. Down to seven entries, the committee had
its winners by July 29. Tolentino's entry won first place and was given a cash prize of 3,000
pesos.

In 1935, Rafael Palma, president of the University of the Philippines, commissioned Tolentino to
sculpt the Oblation, a statue based on the second stanza of Jose Rizal's Mi ultimo adios.
Tolentino used concrete to create the statue but it was painted to look like bronze. The statue's
model was AnastacioCaedo, his assistant, whose physique was combined with the proportion of
VirgilioRaymundo, his brother-in-law.

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association requested Tolentino on October 25, 1935
to construct an arch commemorating the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
but it was never built, because of the war.

In the absence of Fernando Amorsolo, Tolentino was appointed acting director of the School of
Fine Arts and eventually became its director two years later, on August 4, 1953.

Besides monuments, Tolentino made smaller sculptures, which are now located in the National
Museum of the Philippines and busts of heroes at the Malacaang Palace. He also designed the
medals of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

In 1955, Tolentino retired from service in the University of the Philippines and returned to
private practice. He received various awards and distinctions in his later years, most notably his
declaration as National Artist by Ferdinand Marcos on May 15, 1973.
Tolentino died at 8:00 in the evening on July 12, 1976 at his house in Retiro Street, Quezon City.
He was interred at the LibinganngmgaBayani, which was part of his privileges as a national
artist.
 Tolentinos Art gallery in the National

Arty Gall
Article by: Lilymay R. Manalo-Castor, M.A History U.P Dilian
May 2011-- Guillermo EstrellaTolentino was born in Malolos, Bulacan on 24 July 1890. He was
the fourth of eight children. His father was a tailor, whose only artistic trait is the love of playing
the guitar. Guillermo or Memong, as his family called him, inherited this artistic skill. Moreover,
Memong became one of the three best guitar players in the Philippines during his time.

Before his formal schooling, he used to mold horses and dogs in clay, out of the materials from
the banks of the fishponds in town. He studied at the Malolos Intermediate School. From fifth
to sixth grade, his teacher was Mrs. H.A. Bordner who also gave him his first instructions in
drawing.

Pasig City Museum

Shortly, he went to Malolos high school for two years. Then hearing from his cousin that there is
an art school in Manila, he transferred to the Manila high school in Intramuros. In the
afternoons, he attended classes at the School of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines. He
took drawing classes under Vicente Rivera. Later on, he decided to take lessons in sculpture
too, under Vicente Francisco. Soon, he was more interested in scuplture than in painting.

Pasig City Museum

In 1911, while he was still in high school, he made a group of drawing of Rizal, Burgos, Antonio
and Juan Luna, Regidor and others. His Tata Pepe, with whom he was living, succeeded in
interesting Severino Reyes to have the drawing lithographed. It was then published in
Liwayway, whose editor was Reyes, under the title Grupo de Filipinos Ilustros. Although
Tolentino never made a centavo out of the drawing, he was pleased to see his work in peoples
homes everywhere.

Pasig City Museum

While studying at the School of Fine Arts, he supported himself by doing works for various
marmolerias in Manila. In 1914, he did his first important work for architect Juan Arellano. The
figure is that of a woman praying against a cross for the tomb of the Palma family in
CementeriodelNorte. The same year, he executed the relief figures designed by Arellano on the
facade of Casino Espaol on Taft Avenue.

In 1915, he graduated in Painting and Sculpture in the School of Fine Arts, with prizes in all
subjects taken. However, he decided to stay for another year. During this time, he rendered the
monument of San Miguel de Mayumo representing the Pact of Biak naBato. Juan Arellano
designed it.

Tolentino spent the year 1918 principally in Laguna. There, he worked with the contractor
Tomas Zamora making monuments of Rizal, a mausoleum, and others. His friends, especially
Precioso Palma, urged him to open up a shop of his own. They even offered him money to
enable him to do so. He would not accept. When asked why, he quitely answered, Because I
was not yet a scupltor (Paras-Perez, 1972).

Soon, he decided to go to America. In 1919, he arrived in Washington, D.C. He worked as a

waiter in a cafe in Rock Creek Park. Inspired by President Woodrow Wilsons work for peace,
he created a small statue symbolizing peace hoping someday he may be able to present it to
the President. He confided this to the manager who later spoke of the matter to the private
secretary of Mrs. Wilson, who used to frequent the cafe. Shortly, Tolentino secured an audience
with President Wilson at the White House, marking the turning point in the beginning of his
carrer.

With $300 savings, he went to New York to further his studies. Some months after he arrived in
New York, he received a letter from Bernard Baruch, an American millionaire. Baruch said that
he saw the Peace statue made by Tolentino and he was willing to grant him scholarship.
Thereupon, he enrolled at the Ecole de Beaux Arts for advanced courses in scuplture. While
studying, he worked as messenger and assistant to American scupltorGutzon Borglum, earning
$11 a week. In 1921, he finished his course at the Ecole de Beaux Arts with monetary, medal,
and diploma awards. That same year, he left for Europe.
Tolentino stayed in London for a week, visiting museums and art galleries. He went on to Paris
and stayed there for anothe week. Then, he moved to Rome where he spent the next three and
a half years. There he entered the ReggeInstitutoSuperiore di Belle Arti di Roma.

After a year, the money he had been able to save in New York ran out. He wrote to Jaime de
Veyra, Resident Commissioner in Washington, to say that he was having difficulty finding a job
in Rome. De Veyra wrote to his friends in the Philippines; some of the Manila newspapers took
the matter up, and about Php 800 was raised for Tolentino. Giovanni Lammoglia, head of the
Italian colony in Manila, also pensioned him for one year.

In Rome, he created the Saluto Romano and won the second prize in a sculptural competition
for his study of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In 15 October 1923, he graduated from
the ReggeInstitutoSuperiore di Belle Arti di Roma with highest honor
LicenziatodelCorsoSuperioreLibrero di Scultura. He also held a one-man exhibition in Rome
after he graduated.

In 1925, he sailed for home. He took a homebound boat belonging to the CampanaTabacalera
de Filipinas travelling from Barcelona. The vessel offered him second class passage for free.
He opened his studio in Manila on January 24. In 1926, University of the Philippines President
Rafael Palma appointed him instructor in sculpture at the U.P. School of Fine Arts.

On 9 August 1930, a jury, created to select the best design honoring the Supremo of the
Katipunan, met. The designs were entered under pseudonyms. The winning entry was under
the pseudonym of Batang Elias Tolentino was Batang Elias. He won the design for the
Bonifacio Monument and was granted a commission for its installation. He completed the
figures for the monument in 1932. Then, he sent the figures to Italy for bronze casting. In 1933,
he completed the Bonifacio Monument.

Tolentino worked on the Oblation at about the same time he did the Bonifacio Monument. He
made the Oblation an amalgam of the solid physique of AnastacioCaedo, his sculptor/assistant,
and the height and proportion of VirgilioRaymundo, Caedos brother-in-law.

UP President Rafael Palma commissioned the monument. In 1935, the Oblation was unveiled
on its original site in the Padre Faura Quadrangle at U.P. Manila. It was later transferred to U.P.
Diliman in 1949. Today, the Oblation becomes the symbol of academic freedom in U.P.

On 25 October 1935, the U.P. Alumni Association announced its plan to construct an arch to
commemorate the inaguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. They requested
Tolentino to prepare the design and the maquette.

It did not take long for Tolentino to produce a maquette. President Quezon and the National
Assembly approved the design. The cost of the monument was set at about Php 500,000.
Funds were short but on 15 November 1938, Mrs. Aurora Quezon laid the first trowel-full of
cement on the monuments foundation. The Commonwealth Triumphal Arch was supposed to
be placed at the intersection of Padre Burgos and Taft Avenue in front of the Legislative
Building. Unfortunately, the war got in the way and the triumphal arch was never built.
On 23 July 1951 during the absence of Fernando Amorsolo, Tolentino was appointed Acting
Director of the School of Fine Arts. On 4 August 1953, he was appointed Director.

After twenty-nine years of service to the University, Tolentino returned to private practice in
1955. Following his retirement, the U.P. Board of Regents named him Professor Emeritus. In
the same year, the Philippine Institute of Architects declared him Scupltor of the Year.

Moreover, he received various awards and citations in the field of sculpture. In 1959, he
received the UNESCO Cultural Award in Sculpture. In 1963, he obtained the ArawngMaynila
Award in Sculpture. In 1970, he was also conferred the Presidents Medal of Merit for
contributions to nation building through his outstanding work in arts particularly in sculpture.

Tolentino also received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1967 for his contribution in
preserving, developing, and enriching the Filipino culture. In 1972, he was given the
DiwangLahi Award, the highest honor in the week long LinggongKalinangan celebration in
Manila. Futhermore, the First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos awarded him a plaque in 4
March 1973 for his meritorious services rendered in the advancement of art in the Philippines.

Likewise on 12 June 1973, Tolentino received the National Artist Award pursuant to
Proclamation No. 1144 dated 14 May 1973, in recognition of his rare excellence and significant
contribution in sculpture.

On 12 July 1976, twelve days before his 86th birthday, Guillermo E. Tolentino died at 8:00pm at
the age of eighty-five in his house at 2102 Retiro Street.