Andres Bonifacio & Jose Rizal? On “Abililty & Disability,” Nanay Ampy and Tatay Frank A Hilario, Paintings By Son Paul Benjamin

Yesterday, 05 Feb 2025, was the opening of Paul Hilario’s one-man exhibit “Ille Imperium” (“The Supreme Power”) comprising of 15 art pieces, each one composed to make the viewer laugh and/or cry. Each one is original. The paintings are in modern art form: Impressionism – the details are much less important than the message.

If I had the money, I would buy the whole set and have it installed in one exclusive room. The paintings in the collection are all original and the exhibit title “Ille Imperium” is provocative: “The Emperor” (my translation).

I urge you to view each painting at a time and reflect on the message. The title “Ille Imperium” is the beginning of the overall message – which is about Graft and Corruption reigning in Philippine society today: “What are we going to do about graft & corruption?” No, there are no names mentioned in any of the paintings – the overall message is to reflect on the nation “Philippines” and inhabitants called “Filipinos.”

On the painting above shows (photo by Jeff Escobin): Warmonger Andres Bonifacio talking to Pacifist Jose Rizal. It’s an intriguing dialogue, no words need said here. We can see Rizal holding a bolo, with seriousness in his eyes – he must be talking to Bonifacio out of the Katipunan Revolution. Historically, I know that Rizal did not approve ot the Katipunan Revolution (of 1896). Rizal was for the Philippines to become an island part of the Spanish kingdom, and benefit from the same laws that Spaniards were benefitting at that time.

Paul is our son. We are seniors now; Ampy is 80 and I am 85 – do we want a Philippine Revolution to get rid of Graft & Corruption? Absolutely not! I speak for myself – I want the Ille Imperium of science to reign supreme over these islands.

I am a UP Los graduate of 1965, BSA major in Ag Edu, teacher. That was 62 years ago! But if you think I’m old-fashioned, let me tell you maybe I am, but I have been into digital writing, editing, and desktop publishing – all self-taught – at least in the last 34 years. I am a blogger, and this is going to be one of the 40,000 articles I have blogged since I began WordPress.com (where is it now?). Today you can find me in Blogspot.Com, where I began blogging in 2007 or 18 years ago. Thank God, I am still up and about and much enjoying my blogging!

Unfortunately, my favorite Internet search site and topic, “Leadership in Agriculture,” can mostly report for me, as Paul Hilario’s “Ille Imperium” does, the reign of personal interests.

But I am not dismayed, not losing hope for my country! I am thinking of “Ille Imperium” for scientific farming, especially “Regenerative Agriculture’ (RA)! I continue to fight for regenerative farming because I know that all those 13 methods in my RA list are for the benefit of Big & Small Farmers – Ille Imperium for the Filipino Farmers!@517