Maria Virginia Sy

Canvass of Loss and brushstrokes of love: son pays tribute to his father through his tomb art

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Canvass of Loss and brushstrokes of love: son pays tribute to his father through his tomb art  

Maria Tan

ABS-CBN News

<p>In the heart of Aglipay Cemetery in Pateros, among rows of timeworn tombs and quiet prayers, mural artist Jae Valencia finds his sacred space: the resting place of his father.</p><p>For 15 years, this small patch of ground has been more than just a grave. It has been a canvas, an altar, an expression of love painted in color and memory.</p><p>Jae, now 34 years old, is not just an artist. He is also a theater actor and the owner of a dance studio, balancing life between stage lights and the sacred shadows of memory. But it is in this annual ritual of returning to his father&#x27;s tomb that his art becomes most personal and profound.</p><p>Two years after his father’s passing, Jae began painting on the tomb. What began as a simple gesture of cleaning and repainting evolved into a tradition of tribute, a son’s way of turning grief into grace. Each year, his brush finds new meaning: transforming loss into life, silence into color.</p><p>“Masaya po ang family ko dahil nagagawa ko yung arts ko and napapakita ko din po yung life ng papa ko kahit wala na po siya,” Jae shares.  “Yung nakakakilala sa akin, simula nung nag-viral yung mural ko, lagi na nilang inaabangan yung mural yearly na gagawin ko para sa papa ko.”</p><div><em>(My family is happy because I get to do my art and, at the same time, show my father’s life even though he’s no longer with us. Ever since my mural went viral, those who know me have been looking forward to the yearly mural I would create for my father.)</em></div><div><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/10/29/21/tingnan-artist-nagpipinta-ng-disenyo-sa-nitso-ng-ama" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TINGNAN: Mural artist taon-taong nagpipinta ng disenyo sa nitso ng ama sa Pateros</a><br/><br/></div><div><strong>An annual personal tradition</strong></div><p>This year, his theme blooms with plants, a nod to his father’s love for gardening, but with a twist.</p><p>“Ang tema po ng mural ko this year is about plants po since mahilig po sa plants ang papa ko,” he explained. “But this time makulay ang mga plants na naisip ko kasi I think itong season na ‘to as family mas nag-flourish kami nitong nakaraang taon after niya po mamatay.”</p><div><em>(The theme of my mural this year is about plants since my father loved them. But this time, I imagined them in vibrant colors because I think that during this season, as a family, we’ve flourished more over the past year since he passed away.)</em></div><p>The tomb, once plain and pale, now radiates with life. Vines and blossoms painted in bright hues, roots curling around a cross, petals unfolding toward the sky. It’s a visual metaphor for healing, for how love continues to grow even in places of farewell.</p><p>“Naging taun-taon ko nang tradisyon para alalahanin ang tatay ko and i-celebrate ang life niya,” Jae adds.  “Bukod sa paglilinis at pag-repaint ng puntod, gusto ko gawing special since artist naman po ako. Ito po ang way ko na iparamdam ang love ko and ipakita sa kanya kung paano na ako nag-improve sa art na nagsimula din naman sa kanya.”</p><div><em>(It has become my yearly tradition to remember my father and celebrate his life.Aside from cleaning and repainting the tomb, I want to make it special since I’m an artist. This is my way of expressing my love and showing him how much I’ve improved in the art that actually began with him.)</em><br/><br/><em></em></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/YTk0rNuYcX8?t=3266s" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PANOORIN: Pagpinta sa nitso ng ama taon-taon tila panata para sa mural artist</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>A silent vow</strong></div><p>Jae is the youngest of five siblings, raised in Barangay Magtanggol, Pateros, where family and community have always been his grounding force. His art, though deeply personal, has resonated beyond family circles.</p><p>Since his first tomb mural went viral, many have followed his yearly tributes online inspired by how art can give grief a voice. In his series of tomb murals, hands reach skyward from the earth, golden light filters through clouds, and flowers bloom over stone.</p><p>They are not just decorations; they are prayers made visible. It is indeed an expression of gratitude, longing, and love that transcend time and death.</p><p>For Jae Valencia, tomb art is more than a painting. It is a living promise to keep his father’s memory alive, to celebrate the beauty of a life that once was, and to remind others that even in mourning, there is room for creation.</p><p>Through every brushstroke, Jae turns loss into legacy. Through every color, he keeps his father’s story alive. And in every mural, he whispers the same silent vow: “You are gone from sight, but never from my hands. Never from my heart.”</p><div><em>(Production: Maria Tan, Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News)</em></div><div><br/></div><div><em><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DD5yKTSGA28?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></em><br/></div>

<p>In the heart of Aglipay Cemetery in Pateros, among rows of timeworn tombs and quiet prayers, mural artist Jae Valencia finds his sacred space: the resting place of his father.</p>

In the heart of Aglipay Cemetery in Pateros, among rows of timeworn tombs and quiet prayers, mural artist Jae Valencia finds his sacred space: the resting place of his father.

Brushstrokes of love: Son pays tribute to father through tomb art

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Brushstrokes of love: Son pays tribute to father through tomb art

Maria Tan,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 01, 2025 08:17 PM PHT

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Updated November 03, 2025 12:09 PM PHT

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Undas 2025

Pateros

Aglipay Cemetery

Jae Valencia

tomb art

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