Kapampangan painter captures freedom fighters’ combat uniforms on canvas

ANGELES CITY—Daniel Dizon does one thing great for the Philippines even if it comes without recognition.

Dizon, 81, has produced paintings that captured on canvas the design and colors of combat uniforms of Katipuneros, including American colonial troops.

“Historical paintings” are what he calls his works and he, an “artist-historian.”

For the 113th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence, the Maharajah Hotel in this city asked Dizon to mount the exhibit, “Libertad.”

Dizon won’t say how many paintings of this genre he had made in over 20 years. For the exhibit, which runs until July, he prepared 60 drawings in oil, watercolor, pencil, and pen and ink.

It took an auspicious start on June 10 as buyers snapped up 38 pieces worth between P5,000 and P300,000 each. Proceeds go to the San Sebastian Church in Tarlac, said Mirasol Simon, general manager of the 40-year-old hotel.

Dizon’s works are divided into four sets. The first depicts Filipino revolutionaries in their uniforms and firearms from 1896 to 1913. The second set shows Philippine Army soldiers and Philippine Scouts in their uniforms from 1941 to 1942 while the third presents the founder of Angeles City, Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda, as a military official. The last set displays the evolution of United States Army uniforms, from 1775 to 1976.

“I made these because there are many things not taught in school, like the fact that the Philippine revolution against Spain was the first successful revolution in Asia,” Dizon said.

Living near Fort Stotsenburg, Clark Field (which became Clark Air Base after World War II) and the Philippine Army’s Camp General Gregorio del Pilar in Mabalacat, Pampanga, provided him first hand military warfare scenes.

“Live shows” was how he called combats.

Oral accounts by elder relatives filled details. They were his paternal grandfather, Lt. Jose Sampedro Dizon; his maternal grandfather, Lt. Jose Pedro Henson; his maternal foster granduncle, Lt. Alfredo Ganzon; and grandfather-in-law, Lt. Emilio Bernales Dominguez.

“They fired my patriotism,” Dizon said.

His father and teacher, Vicente Alvarez Dizon, also researched on local costumes and prepared 39 watercolor paintings.