CAPIZ FLASHBACKS

by BIENVENIDO P. CORTES

“Institute Capiz” And its Founder

There used to be a school in the early history of Capiz town (now Roxas City) Telesforo Sucgang founded in 1907 and existed until 1911. The location of that school in this city however could not be determined because that institution stopped operation after four years. It left no record of achievements except the interesting brilliant annal of its founder, Telesforo Sucgang.

Telesforo Sucgang’s records from the National Historical Commission (1973) state that he was a native of Banga,  Capiz (now Aklan). He could also trace his roots to Sapian, Capiz. His mother, Matea Alayon was a native of Sapian, Capiz.

His artistic talents led him to the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura where he met Jose Rizal. They became classmate in a sculpture class.

In the 1879 Liceo Artistico-Literario contests, Sucgang bested Rizal in the field of sculpture. His bust of Cardinal Cismeros earned award over Rizal’s bust of Cervantes. Rizal’s poem “A la Juvintud Filipina” won first prize , however,  in the literary category.

Sucgang was a painter, a  propagandist, a composer, and a revolutionary.

In the early 1900’s, his prolific mind thought of bringing education to his province.He formed Institution Aklan in 1905 and then established one in Capiz in 1907. Short lived, but the institution was one of the great legacies of Sucgang to the Capiceno people and the entire nation.

Telesforo Sucgang (1855 – 1916)

Telesforo Sucgang was a painter, sculptor, musical composer and educator. Born to  Eusebio Sucgang and Maeta Alayon  on January 5, 1855 in Banga, Capiz (now Aklan). He attended the College of San Jose, took up music lessons and then transferred to Letran where he received his A.B. degree. Thereafter, he enrolled in the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura and studied painting under Lorenzo Rocha and Agustin Saez. He also  studied sculpture. In 1879, in a contest sponsored by the Liceo Artistico-Literario, his  entry, a bust of Caardinal Cisneros, won the prize in sculpture together with Glicerio Janson’s entry.

He went to Madrid in 1884 as a government pensionado for four years with Esteban Villanueva.  In 1893, after nine years, he returned to Manila, accepted a royal  appointment in the Essccuela de Artes y Oficios in Iloilo where he taught modeling and engraving.  During the second half of the revolution, he joined the rebels.

At the establishment of the American sovereignty, Sucgang turned to education. He founded the Instituto de Visayas in Jaro, Iloilo in 1900, the Instituto Aklan in 1905, and another one in Capiz in 1907. Then he taught in the U.P. School of Fine Arts. Finally, he founded the Colegio de Minerva in Manila in 1912. He died on December 16, 1916. He had 12 children by his wife Manuella Mateo y Villanueva, a native of Madrid, Spain.

Sucgang’s painting consisted of historical canvasses: “El Desembarco de Magallanes,” and “La LLEGA DE Legaspi y Urdaneta”; marine paintings like “estamos Salvados” and “Steamship Buenaventura’; and portraits, notably that of  Jose Rizaal’s, said to be one of his finest being the closest resemblance to the patriot. His sculptures were religious in nature, like “La Purisima Conception” and “El Despojamiento de la Sagrada Tunica.” Two  of his musical compositions, copies which are unavailable at present, are “La Bahia de Manila” and “La Rosa Temprana.”

Sources:  Notable Personages of Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo, National Historical Commission, 1973. /MP