Police pursue leads in Amorsolo painting theft, reward offered

• GILBERT P. BAYORAN / CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO

Police investigators are now looking for leads on the suspects behind the theft of an 88-year-old painting by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo from a museum on Cinco de Noviembre Street in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

The 1936 painting of Amorsolo, titled “The Mango Picker,” belongs to the Hofileña family. Its value is estimated at several million pesos.

In a Facebook post, the Silay Heritage Foundation appealed for help in recovering the valuable collections of the Hofileña Museum.

Silay City Police Chief Lt. Col. Mark Anthony Darroca revealed that they already have two persons of interest, who were seen on CCTV footage stealing the Amorsolo painting from the second floor of the Hofileña family’s private museum.

Mayor Joedith Gallego revealed that the Silay City Government is offering a cash reward of PHP 25,000 to anyone who provides information that will lead to the arrest of the suspects and the recovery of the stolen painting.

Although authorities already have some leads in their investigation, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said it was not advisable to discuss it publicly. He did not provide further details.

Initial police investigations further showed that the two suspects had joined a group of six guests on a 15-minute tour of the private museum on July 3.

The suspects registered fictitious names in the customer register.

Police learned that only one tour guide was on duty at the time of the incident.

The names of the guests of the private museum have already been passed to the police for further investigation.

The stolen painting, measuring 12 x 18 inches, was part of the collections of the late Ramon Hofileña, a renowned art curator from Negros Occidental.

Darroca said he is also coordinating efforts with the Bacolod City Police Office to track down the suspects.

On the other hand, Gallego said he would augment the manpower of the city’s museums with employees of the Silay City Hall to prevent similar incidents from happening.

He also considers this to be an “isolated case” as he hopes the stolen painting will be found soon.

The Hofileña Museum also contains a collection of paintings and sketches by national artists Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fernando Amorsolo, Ang Kiukok, Vicente Manansala, HR Ocampo and BenCab.

THE COMMUNITY REACTS

Silay Vice Mayor Thomas J. Ledesma also called for an investigation into the theft.

“This unfortunate incident will surely have a huge impact on the city of Silay as this house is located in our heritage area. This incident needs to be thoroughly investigated and we in the local government of Silay will ensure that this incident is resolved so that it does not happen to any of our local museums,” he said.

“Silay is known for its preservation of culture, arts and heritage and it pains us to see brainless individuals committing this crime. It is an insult to the dedication of local artist Mr. Ramon Hofileña, who personally collected artworks of great Filipino masters to share with his fellow Silaynons and Negrenses. That is why this has become personal to us,” Ledesma said.

Meanwhile, the president of the Bacolod-Negros Art Association is calling for the cooperation of the community to unite in the efforts to return Fernando Amorsolo’s artwork to the Heritage House and Hofileña Museum.

“It is with deep concern and determination that we address the recent theft of a significant piece of Philippine art history from the Hofileña Heritage House and Museum in Silay City – Fernando Amorsolo’s ‘Mango Harvesters’ (1936),” AABN President Ihvonie “Tey” Sevilleno said in a statement.

“As custodians of our cultural heritage, we urge our community to unite in efforts to restore this priceless work of art to its rightful place,” she said.

In Negros, we were privileged to admire Amorsolo’s masterpiece alongside other treasures by Filipino masters, thanks to the generosity of Sir Ramon Hofileña and his family. Their commitment to sharing these national treasures has inspired countless artists and art lovers. The recent theft has not only shocked and angered us, but has also deprived future generations of the opportunity to experience and be inspired by these works firsthand, Sevilleno said.

“We implore all members of our community, from artists to art lovers, to join us in our advocacy for the safe return of the ‘mango harvesters’ to Silay and Negros. Let us stand together to preserve our cultural heritage and ensure that these precious works of art continue to inspire and educate generations to come.”

Those who may have information on the missing Amorsolo painting may call the Silay City Police Station at 09985987443 or 09989674432.*