Baguio folk mourn loss of iconic mural

WATERPROOFING A popular mural in front of a busy bus terminal in Baguio City is coated with waterproof paint and cement to repair leaks at its host building. Work to complete the rehabilitation may take until Monday, giving residents and artists more time to grieve. —VINCENT CABREZA

BAGUIO CITY—Residents and art enthusiasts in this city are mourning the loss of a mural featuring realistic images of indigenous peoples of the Cordillera, which was gradually destroyed this week to allow repairs to the building that has been hosting it since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

These towering portraits of Cordillera life were drawn by a team of young artists led by Venazir Martinez on the wall of the three-story building and quickly became some of the most photographed street art in Baguio because it stood right in front of a busy bus terminal along Barangay Marcoville.

These drawings were part of an ecosystem of Cordillera street art found all over the summer capital, which were outputs of Martinez’ Hila-bana Art Project.

The project highlighted Baguio’s Igorot populace to advocate humanity’s interconnectivity. Martinez’ art can be seen on the walls of a shopping mall near the Baguio Cathedral, on a small road along Military Cut-off, and on Carantes Street, which was recently converted into a “living street.”

In shock

But people were shocked on Thursday when they saw two-thirds of the artwork covered in a mixture of cement and the deep gray coat of waterproofing paint.

On Friday, a crew proceeded to cover the rest of the beloved artwork.

A real estate firm hired to manage the property had been dealing with bad water leaks, according to an employee who asked not to be identified in this report.

The repair work has spared the companion drawings of Igorots that encircle the compound where a gas station and a fast food restaurant operate.

“We coordinated with the artists,” said the source, which Martinez confirmed on her social media page on Thursday night after friends in Baguio reached out to “condemn the atrocity.”

“It is truly sad when the building owner told me months before that they needed to paint over the mural to waterproof the building,” Martinez wrote, adding: “So I said, ‘You know what, this mural had its moments.’ This Hila-bana wall gave me a lot of blessings! This was my saving grace during the pandemic, and it [had been] a glorious experience.

Upset mayor

The incident upset Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who stressed that while building owners had the legal right to remove the artwork, they “could have given me a knock on the door to tell me what would happen.”

The mayor said on Friday the government may draw up an incentive program to encourage private building owners to preserve “culturally significant artworks” on their properties. INQ