He is tracing his passion for art from two inmates in Sablayan Penal Colony (SPC) way back in the mid-70s when he was ten years old or so.
Now called Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm or SPPF, the facility was established September 26, 1954 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 72 but was formally opened on January 15, 1955 and became part of Sablayan town in Occidental Mindoro. Diosdado “Jun” R. Gulapa Jr. was born in this place at the foot of the enchanted and majestic Mount Siburan. He and his brothers and sisters grew up in this grandiose natural landscape before the very eyes of men in orange uniform with ball and chain attached to their feet.
Jun Gulapa’s father was first assigned as prison guard in New Bilibid Prison then at Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan and in the 50s, he was transferred in Sablayan Penal Colony and later served as penal supervisor at SPPF’s Pasugui Sub-Prison until the old sentinel hanged his uniform decades later. Their mother Corazon (nee Del Rosario) is a retired public school teacher and her union with her beloved prison guard produced eleven children.
During
his childhood days at the penal colony, the young Jun was hooked and astounded by komiks and began copying the
masterpieces of great Filipino illustrators Pablo S. Gomez, Hal Santiago and
Jim Fernandez. Supporting his junior’s newly found enthusiasm for drawing and
sketching, his old man allowed him to learn from two inmates or persons deprived
of liberty who were distinguished painters when they were still freemen. Jun,
now 58 years old, narrated that his father even allowed two illustrious
prisoners to get out of their cell and teach his kids, Jun and Cel, the fundamentals of
drawing and the beauty and mystery of art. The komiks and the crafts of the two inmates opened him in the wonderful world of
arts. Even in present-day SPPF or probably in other prison facilities under
Bureau of Correction (BuCor), they do not disregard the value of arts much like
they regard the crux of rehabilitation. This tenet is kept alive by the present SPPF Superintendent CSINSP Jayferson G. Bon-As who enhanced the souvenir center by changing its location to make it more accessible to customers and visitors. The center showcases work of arts by PDLs such as woodcarvings, sculpture and portraits to this very day.
The Catholic chapel inside the SPPF compound is a living gallery featuring religious icons and artifacts crafted by a certain prisoner of old only known by his surname “Cueso”. B. Cueso was one of the two inmates who impressively influenced and taught the young Jun Gulapa how to draw. He cannot recall now the name of his other former maestro but the man’s memory stays in his mind forever. Incidentally, Jun Gulapa also made a gigantic painting of crucified Christ inside the same chapel and now considered one of the main religious artworks in the place of worship together with the paintings of his former PDL mentor and other artists behind bars.
“Dado”, as he is called by his childhood friends and classmates (in fact, Governor Ed Gadiano was a high school batch mate), finished his Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Advertising at University of Santo Tomas and later worked as computer graphic designer at GMA-7 and later promoted to being associate art director. He told this lowly blogger that he was one of the creative minds behind the making of the famous Encantadia, a television drama fantasy series presented by GMA Network. He also proudly revealed in my interview with him that the title card the comedy sitcom Bubble Gang is using until now was his brainchild and polished by his arty hands. In addition, Jun also crafted Angel Locsin's forehead gear in her Darna outfit including many of the show's layouts and billboards.
Dado worked outside of the province for more than 30 years and within that long years, he missed painting, his childhood passion. He is a product of old school, so to speak, so he truly missed the actual stroking of his brush in the canvass or in any surface. Finally in 2005, he resigned and went back to his land of birth and decided to stay for good in their residence at Barangay Ligaya in southern portion of Sablayan. With his separation pay in his bank account, he started a small business here and continue his passion and accepts mural and wall-to-wall paintings for such form of art now trends in European countries.
The Office of Vice-Mayor Walter “Bong” B. Marquez is on its way of creating an audio visual presentation honoring the town’s artists in lieu of the celebration of 2021 National Arts Month as declared by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Under Presidential Proclamation No. 683, the Philippines recognizes its culture and art in different forms with the celebration of the annual National Arts Month every February. The AVP project on local artists of VM Bong symbolizes his commitment to honor his town’s homegrown artists and to provide opportunities for them to harness their creative energies in uplifting the people’s spirit, especially during this time of public health crisis anchored in this year’s theme “Alab-sining, Alay-sigla.”
I was tagged along by the members of OVM’s documentation team composed of Jasper Francisco, Erl Favilonia and Mark Marquez for a video shoot and to meet with Jun Gulapa last Tuesday, February 16 at 4-M Fontanilla Resort located in Barangay Tagumpay also of said municipality. He was there doing the large-scale murals and wall-to-wall paintings all over the newly-renovated resort owned by Ms. Maricel Fontanilla, a local entrepreneur. Watch out for the release of that audio visual presentation in the coming days. By the way peeps, the resort is a nice place for a family getaway.
When asked how he defines “art”, the artist with high Roman nose says, “Art is infinite and it has no barrier.” He also added that in every artistic endeavor, the artist is reasserting his humanity, to remind himself and others that he is free and he exists.
Art, indeed, is the artist’s way of proclaiming, “I am still here and I am free!”
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(Photo: Jasper Francisco/Office of the Vice-Mayor Sablayan file)
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