Artists commemorate Cory through masterpieces

Julian Paguiligan was barely three years old when President Corazon Aquino, with multitudes of supporters rallying behind her, succeeded in toppling a dictator’s regime in 1986 through the historic People Power Revolution. Julian, as he admitted himself, grew up learning all of Mrs. Aquino’s deeds from history books. Yet when he was asked to portray the late democracy icon and her legacy on canvass for a nationwide poster-making contest late last year, Julian, 27, knew precisely what details to include and what emotions to evoke. The purely-Filipino-inspired image in Julian's painting shows a smiling Mrs. Aquino, with her arms outstretched, ripping open a traditional rattan bird cage and setting free not a dove, the usual symbol of peace and freedom, but a Philippine maya. So captivating was the image conjured on Julian's canvass that it eventually went on to win first prize last February, besting almost 70 entries and landing on the cover of a telephone directory for Metro Manila. "Hindi ko siya talaga ganoon kakilala, pero nung nakita ko iyong pagmamahal ng tao sa kanya nung nilibing siya last year, doon ko siya nakilala talaga (I am not that familiar about her. But when I see the outpouring of love when she died, that's when I realized how great she was)," Julian tells GMANews.TV. Superhero Julian says from that moment, his respect for Mrs. Aquino was elevated to new heights. "I now consider her my superhero," adds the fourth year Fine Arts student from the Bulacan State University. Julian says making Mrs. Aquino’s portrait "was my way of giving her my 'thank you.'" On the eve of Mrs. Aquino’s first death anniversary, he somehow got a feel of how it would have been like to rub elbows with her when the budding painter met with her son, President Benigno Aquino III, to present the telephone directory bearing his artwork. President Aquino and Julian were at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila for an early commemoration of Mrs. Aquino’s death anniversary, which was highlighted by the unfurling of a 250-by-200-foot photo mosaic of the democracy icon. "Curious ka rin talaga na one year na pala pero the meaning of her death is different na din now... Nakaka-touch. She is the inspiration, the guide and the moral authority," Aquino says of her mother. The enormous mosaic, conceptualized in November and executed by photojournalist Revoli Cortez, is attempting to become the biggest in the world. Revoli says he is expecting to get a confirmation from the Guinness World Records by next month whether he clinched the feat. When the group of volunteer students finally unveiled the masterpiece, pulling the folded tarpaulin and simultaneously stretching it across the sprawling grounds of the grandstand, the crowd — including President Aquino — was simply in awe, while Revoli was in total disbelief, seeing his sleepless nights to complete the project finally pay off. "This is it. This I think is the highlight of my career as a photojournalist," Revoli, who has photojournalism background that spans 20 years, tells GMANews.TV.

A 250-by-200-foot photo mosaic of the late President Cory Aquino is unfurled at the Quirino Grandstand on Saturday for her 1st death anniversary. Danny Pata

A walk-through Revoli's four-ton photo mosaic consisted of about 3,200 photos — from over 7,000 photos submitted by friends and Aquino supporters — of Mrs. Aquino throughout her years, showing her with not only her colleagues and family but also prominent figures like Mother Teresa. Revoli says making the four-basketball-field large photo mosaic took on a special meaning for him. "Nung binuo ko ito, para na rin akong naglalakad sa buhay ni Cory (It was like a walk through Cory's life)." Unlike Julian, Revoli had personally experienced being around Mrs. Aquino when he covered the Malacañang beat from 1990 to 1992, her last two years in office before relinquishing the post to her successor, then military Gen. Fidel V. Ramos. Revoli says he has covered four presidents so far starting from Mrs. Aquino to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Revoli says it would be a tough job for other mosaic artists to beat his record, but added if someone succeeds in doing so, he would be up for the challenge.

A photojournalist takes a photo of one of the 3,200 images that make up Revoli Cortez's mosaic of the late President Corazon Aquino in Manila. Mark D. Merueñas

"Mahihirapin silang talunin ito. Pero kung matalo nila ito, sa second death anniversary, dodoblehin natin ito (They will have a hard time making something bigger than my work. But if they succeed, I’ll make a bigger one next year)," he says. But while waiting for the day when somebody would finally end up outdoing what he had painstakingly collated, Revoli only has one thing in mind: "Tigil muna ako. Gusto ko munang namnamin ito (This would be it for me now. I will just stop and savor the moment)." - KBK, GMANews.TV