Baldonado, Andrea Nicole P.

AAP 0007
BS Acctg- Block 1-2 08/27/2019

Carlos "Botong” Francisco was born on November

4, 1913 in Angono, Rizal. He lived in Angono where he
found the fullest expression of his talents. Among friends
and town mates, he was known simply as "Botong," a
nickname he acquired early in life after a dark-skinned
Cainta character by that appellation. Felipe Francisco his
father, an ex-seminarian who settled in Angono and
engaged in winemaking, died when Botong was only five.
Maria Villaluz, his mother, also from Angono, attended to
his education. Botong was among the few of his generation
in Angono who went to college. He was not able to finish
it but with only for a semester more to go before
graduation, necessity forced him to work.
Botong started his artistic career as an apprentice at the Philippine Herald. He was a layout
artist at La Vanguardia and later at Manila Tribune as a layout artist as well. In 1944, he won his
first award for painting, "Fiesta in Angono". He was officially acknowledged by the art
establishment to be one of the country's foremost artists. Despite being a renowned muralist, he
led a simple life. The Angono Petroglyphs that sits along the boundaries of Angono in Binagonan
and Antipolo in Rizal, is a heritage site discovered by him. His murals, The Progress of Medicine
in the Philippines, was restored for the 3rd time in 2007 and is currently residing in the National
Art Gallery of the Philippines. A high-quality replica of the mural is also located at its previous
location at the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital. Some of his great artworks are Bayanihan,
Mangingisda, Muslim Bethrothal, The Martyrdom of Rizal, and Stations of the Cross at Far Eastern
University Chapel. He is a National Artist for paintings and 1964 Republic of the Philippines
Cultural Heritage Awardee. He is considered the greatest muralist of the country.
President Marco conferred him the "National Artist" awarded on June 12, 1973. His last
completed major work was the mural on the four walls of the Manila City Hall's Bulwagang
Katipunan entitled "Filipino Struggles through History". Laughing heartily at a favorite television
show, on March 31, 1969, Botong burst a vein from a lung lesion. He died at the age of 57. He was
buried in the town's cemetery after the best-attended funeral procession ever held in Angono.
References
(2016, May 23). Up Close and Personal: Botong Francisco through Lenses and Letters. Retrieved
from https://yuchengcomuseum.org/up-close-and-personal-botong-francisco-through-lenses-and-
letters/
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gallerybig.com/gallerybigbotong.html