By Tracy Anne Cruz
( photo from http://www.backpackingphilippines.com/2007/11/angel-cacnio-and-bahay-parokyano-art.html)
I'm not really a artistic person nor a fan of artworks. I don't know but I'm stupid when it comes to appreciating artworks. Arts is my weakness, really even since I'm in my kindergarten years.
But not until I knew that I have a famous artist neighbor. Their family is the most sophisticated in the village. Their house stood out among others not just because of its size but its design and motif. And also knowing that they are a family of successful ones will amaze you.
They are the Cacnio family, head of the family Mr. Angel Cacnio is a famous and well-known artist here in our country. His passion for paintings and sculpture was inherited by his two sons , Fredie and Micahel.
He finished a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines in the year 1954 , he is also a member of International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Mr. Angel is famous for his designs in our coins and bills, yes some of the mysterious designs stamped in our bills and coins are maid by him. Angel Cacnio has won coin design contests of the Central Bank of the Philippines in 1967 where his designs won first prizes for the Lapu-Lapu one centavo coin and the Marcelo H. Del Pilar 50 centavo coin. His designs commissioned by the Central Bank for the P100 and P20 bills are still in circulation. And also, he is the one who designed the 500 peso bill, with Benigno Aquino in it.
While his son, Ferdie Cacnio, in 2005, won 2nd place in Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) Annual Art Competition. He also listed large mixed-metal sculpture “Pasasalamat (Thanksgiving)” which stands prominently in Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Micahel is an awardee of the Ten Outstanding Young Men for 2006, after more than 50 well-received solo exhibits, his art has achieved critical and commercial success in Asia, Europe and the United States, his works frequently featured in broadcast media and in several reputable publications. In 2007, he became the first Filipino artist to be featured in a solo exhibit in the European Commission’s headquarters in Berlaymont, Brussels.
They built their own art gallery museum located just beside their house in Malabon, which they called "Bahay Parokyano" for some reasons.
Here are some of Mr. Angel Cacnio's achievements.
Central Bank of the Philippines Coin Design Contest.
Lapulapu, 1-centavo coin (first prize)
Marcelo H. Pilar, 50-centavo coin (first prize)
Tandang Sora, 5-centavo (second prize)
Francisco Baltazar, 10 centavo (third prize)
Juan Luna, 25-centavo coin (third prize)
Gintong Parangal ng Malabon Awardee for Art,1981.
Gintong Ama Awardee for Arts and Culture,1996.
Truly, this father and son tandem is a pride not just for their hometown but for the whole country.
( photos from http://www.backpackingphilippines.com/2007/11/angel-cacnio-and-bahay-parokyano-art.html, michaelcacnio.com)