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Willy Layug and son Totek graduate with honors from UST CFAD


Sculptor Wilfredo "Willy" Layug's dream was 30 years in the making, but it finally became a reality on Thursday (June 2) at the 2016 Solemn Investiture for the graduates of the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts. 

Layug walked with his son Totek, who graduated with his father.

In tears, Layug said that he never imagined that his wish to finish college and his wish that one of his children would follow in his footsteps would be granted on the same day. The pair were also conferred honors together: Layug received the Pope Pius XII Community Development Award for his achievements as the Premier Ecclesiastical Sculptor in Asia and his son received the "Best in Thesis" award. 

 

 

"Seeing my son graduate with honors is a fulfillment every parent will die for. And now I feel how he feels because we are together in this, incidentally, graduated at the same time," he said.

Rev. Fr. Edgardo Alaurin offered Layug a chance to get a college degree after hearing a talk he gave at UST in 2014. In the talk, Layug admitted that because he married early in life, he struggled to make ends meet and could not finish his studies. 

Layug's life inspired Armando Lao to make the biopic "Dukit", released in 2013. The film was part of the Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave category and was hailed Best Picture. Layug, along with Bor Ocampo and Bambalito Lacap, received the Best Actor award. 

Layug came into prominence for creating large scale works of altar pieces for churches all over the Philippines. A native from Betis, a town considered as the woodworking capital of the Philippines, Layug is a prolific artist who has been active since the late 1970s. His unique style is comparable to the works of legendary sculptors from the West and to further improve himself, he workshopped under Spanish Masters such as Paco Romero Zafra. 

In 2016, Layug was given the Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice award. The award is bestowed on lay people for services to the Church, and is the highest honor the Church can award to the laity. — AT, GMA News

Photo by Ruston Banal

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