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National Sculptor Frederick Caedo (left) and portrait artist Rudy Aquino begin work on the tomb of Pancho Villa in Manila. Photo courtesy of Rudy Aquino.
Pancho Villa was the biggest sporting celebrity of his time, but glorious memories of his greatness have faded as the legendary Filipino boxer's grave remains neglected.
Filipino artists Rudy Aquino and Frederick Caedo have turned their attention to Villa's forgotten resting place in Manila North Cemetery, where they will undertake the noble act of restoring a damaged bust of the boxing hero.
“After seeing the horrific scenes at Villa's grave on social media, I decided to visit,” said Aquino, the former personal portrait artist of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
The Philippine News Agency article, which included photos of a defaced monument immortalizing the name of the Filipino's first world boxing champion, struck a chord with President Aquino.
Read: Before Pacquiao, there was Pancho Villa
Rubbish including washbasins, dirty kitchen utensils and old helmets further littered the area, which is also partially occupied by informal settlers.
“I politely asked them (the informal settlers) to remove the kitchen extensions and other rubbish,” said Aquino, who got the residents themselves to help clean up Villa's gravesite.
Villa, also known as Francis Gilead, famously became the first Filipino world boxing champion when he knocked out Welshman Jimmy Wilde in the seventh round in a flyweight bout in New York on June 18, 1923.
Known in the United States as the “Brown Bomber,” Villa defended his title in Brooklyn in May 1924 and in Manila in May 1925.
Villa lost his final fight in a California ring on July 4, 1925. Plagued by toothache and infection, he died 10 days later at age 23. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.
Read: Losses continue as Philippines loses to no-world boxing champion
Beneath the bust of Villa his name was inscribed clearly, with a pair of gloves on the left side and behind him an angel holding a belt identifying him as the flyweight champion of the world.
The bust is in dire need of proper conservation and restoration as it has a broken jaw, a missing left ear and is improperly painted. Aquino will work with National Sculptor Caedo to give it a complete makeover.
“There are cleaning techniques that can remove surface dirt, old paint, grime and stone corrosion to expose the original surface,” said Aquino, who has done many portraits of Pacquiao, particularly during the height of his career as an eight-division world champion.
“But all we can do is make some easy fixes,” he added.
President Aquino plans to contact Villa's family in the United States to seek permission for the restoration.
He will also seek permission from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission, the Manila city government and the Northern Cemetery Authority.
“The bust needs to be upgraded to a metal cast or a mixture of metal and granite,” Aquino said.
