One news item reported that the town council of San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur – the scene of the last battle – passed a resolution declaring September 16 as a non-working holiday in the municipality, and naming an old road in Brgy. Gongogong as Ambaristo Street in honor of the executed revolt leader.

Significantly, basi remains as the town’s main product and is in fact its entry to the government’s “One Town, One Product” program.

Villanueva’s 14 paintings

At this point, however, the most precious remaining legacy of the 1807 Basi Revolt are 14 oil paintings, done by Esteban Pichay Villanueva (1797-1878) in what is called the “naïve art” style.

The paintings, which measure 91.44 cm x 91.44 cm each, are on public display at the Burgos Museum – actually the ancestral house of martyred priest Fr. Jose Burgos in Vigan City and which now serves as the Vigan branch of the National Museum.

The paintings, depicting scenes from the famous revolt, were made in 1821 by Esteban Pichay Villanueva, 14 years after the bloody event. Villanueva was a farmer and unschooled painter, who, according to art teacher Roberto Feleo, used watercolor brushes to paint oils.

The 14 panels successively show the massing of rebel forces, the counter-attack by Spanish forces, the use of the Vigan church as sanctuary, the final bloody battle of Bantaoay, and the executions by hanging and beheading.

It is said that rich Ilocano businessmen – who were as adversely affected by the revolt as their Spanish masters – commissioned the 24-year-old Villanueva to paint the gory revolt scenes so as to dissuade the Ilocos peasantry from further entertaining thoughts of revolt.

“The 14 paintings were supposed to represent the 14 Stations of the Cross,” said Emma Villanueva, a businesswoman and a direct fifth-generation descendant of the painter. She added that her ancestor Esteban painted not for money, but as a hobby.

The 14 paintings were all but forgotten, Emma said, until a member of the Villanueva clan discovered them in the early 1950’s in one of the family bodegas (warehouses) in Vigan. After a number of transfers, the provincial government had the paintings housed in the Vigan branch of the National Library.

Who owns the paintings?

Emma explained that there is a gray area between three entities – the Villanueva clan, the National Museum, and the Ayala Museum – about who is in control of the paintings. She reiterated her clan’s position that the paintings were clearly owned by the Villanuevas when these were taken away and finally landed at the Burgos Museum.

Emma said her clan is open to the idea of granting public status to the paintings because these are the legacy of the entire Filipino people, but insisted that the Villanueva clan’s property claims be acknowledged first.

Emma expressed concern that the paintings be kept well-maintained for the sake of future generations. She noted that in the past, there were amateurish attempts to retouch the paintings, which modified some details including costumes.

When Nordis staffers visited the Burgos Museum two weeks ago, we did not notice any humidity and temperature controls. In some spots of the paintings, some deterioration is noticeable. Nordis encountered strict rules when we asked permission to take photos of the paintings.

It is to the credit of other history buffs that printed reproductions are currently on exhibit at the Museum of the Filipino People in Manila. Negotiations are also afoot to put all 14 panels on display in the said Manila museum up to mid-December. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat

 Save as PDF