Ramon Hofileña – Silay’s prime arts advocate

I have long wanted to see a city in the country where arts and culture is strongly supported. This longing was satisfied when I visited Silay City in Negros Occidental earlier this year. Silay in itself is a lovely gem but the highlight of the experience was spending an afternoon with a Silaynon and his rich and engaging stories.

The fact that we had to call ahead to set an appointment to view an ancestral house was enough to rouse my curiosity and raise my expectations.  The Manuel Severino Hofileña ancestral house did not disappoint, and the unconventional and highly entertaining host, Ramon Hofileña, was beyond expectations.

The house from the outside

The house is located in the quaint city of Silay in Negros Occidental, known as the Paris of Negros, not for its appearance but for the city's appreciation and knowledge for arts and culture.  Over the years, Ramon has obtained a diverse collection of artworks, sculpture, and prints from Manansala, Luna, Hidalgo, Ben Cab, Hechanova, and a local artist from Silay, Conrado Judith.  Some pieces were also from well-known printmakers from Japan (whose names I couldn't remember).  His collection even includes a doodle by Jose Rizal during his days in Ateneo.  Shelves on the first floor of the house are bursting with pocketbooks from the time of the war, memorabilia from his trips (including a pair of painted dolls smaller than a grain of rice), newspaper clippings of his siblings' and nephews' accomplishments, and tektites!

On a serious note, the man shared his views on the country's future on the arts because, admittedly, hardly anyone gets noticed here.  He cited Lamberto Hechanova, who won several art contests abroad but is seldom written about and recognized in his own country.  He commented on how our education program lacks essential elements to make our youth well-rounded individuals.  Hearing him air his opinion might make one think that the man's point of view of this country is highly cynical but if you think about it, he already spent a good chunk of his years promoting arts and culture in the country (and is still doing it now).  His ancestral house was the first house in Silay to open its doors to the public. Since then, 2 more ancestral houses have opened for viewing.  He said he might be able to convince some more families to do the same. He holds the Annual Cultural Tour of Negros Occidental (ACTNO), the longest running cultural tour in the country (on its 40th year), every Saturday of December. Now if all cynics were like him, we'll be out of the rut we're in in a few years time.