ILOILO CITY – A mural by young Ilonggo artists honored a World War II hero who played a pivotal role during the Battle of Bataan on Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).
ARTISTS (from left) Roneal ‘Zippy’ Torres, Rafael Jester ‘Rap Rap’ Indicio, Ken Laurence Cadenas, and Shanneth ‘Zee’ Militar paint a mural of World War II hero Capt. Jose Cabalfin Calugas in Leon town, Iloilo province. (Photo courtesy of Zippy Torres)
A mural of Capt. Jose Cabalfin Calugas was painted by Ken Laurence Cadenas, Shanneth “Zee” Militar, Roneal “Zippy” Torres, and Rafael Jester “Rap Rap” Indicio in Leon, the hometown of Calugas in Iloilo province.
The four Fine Arts majors of the University of San Agustin here wanted to depict the courage of Calugas who left a lasting imprint not only to Iloilo but also to the country.
The mural outside the municipal hall is one artwork in memory of Calugas in Leon. The other designed by Alan Cabalfin is found at the town plaza.
Calugas was a mess sergeant – a soldier who prepares meals – when he led a group of volunteers run across a battle field to help soldiers from the 1st Battalion of 8th Artillery Regiment stop an attack from Japanese troops on Jan. 16, 1942.
He was able to fix a damaged weapon and shot advancing Japanese troops.
Calugas was captured and survived the Bataan Death March. He became the first Filipino to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by the United States government for his heroic role.