SANTOS in pampanga

Although Betis is the center of woodcarving

and furniture-making in Pampanga, it is
Macabebe town which is known as the home
of santeros. A santero is a craftsman who
uses wood, ivory, cement or fiberglass to
produce an ecclesiastical art piece known as
santo, usually an image of Christ, the Blessed
Virgin Mary or a saint.

Pablo “Ambo” Bautista, a local businessman, is credited with

promoting santo-making in the town by gathering local artists
and putting them to work in a talyer he opened just for them.
Sons Antonio (a painter) and Gener (a carver) further grew the
business and improved the craft of santo making. This inspired
other carvers to put up shops that soon proliferated along the
whole stretch of the town’s main road.

Others found their way in the other towns of Pampanga. U.P.

Fine Arts graduate Maximiano Jingco also set up a pre-war
religious statuary shop in Guagua. Second and third generation
carvers continued the santo tradition like Rolando and Boyet
Flores (from the Flores family of Sta.Ursula), while a new breed
of highly trained carvers came to fore—Nick Lugue
(Apalit).Wilfredo Layug (Betis), Joseph Magcalas (Apalit) , Joed
Miclat (San Luis) and the Viray brothers (Bacolor).

THE PHILIPPINE SANTO TRADITION

The devotion of Filipinos to their Catholic religion does not only revolve around the church
and its rituals but also on images of veneration known as "santos". Introduced during the
Spanish colonial times, santos, often of wood or precious ivory, are sacred to most
Filipinos, lavishly processioned during Lent, fiestas and other holidays. Whether they be
products of unschooled hands or of trained master carvers, santos have come to be
cherished as part of every Filipino family's home. These treasured images of faith and
celebrates the exuberant art of the Filipino santero that still lives on today.