“This lawyer is noted not only for his prolific writing on law and history, but also for his art.”
“This lawyer is noted not only for his prolific writing on law and history, but also for his art.”
Recently had to write about extradition law, and one of my go-to sources for my research was the recently released book entitled International Extradition, authored by lawyers Saul Hofileña Jr. and Daniel S. Hofileña, a father-and-son tandem.
Why write about this particular topic now, for their first collaboration?
“Because we are both lawyers and teachers of law,” the authors wrote in their preface, “we decided to write about an overlooked field of the law—international extradition.”
The book is accessible to practically everyone, as it is structured in an easy-to-understand question-and-answer format. The book is divided into sub-topics, and cases related to extradition are provided to serve as examples to illustrate laws and jurisprudence.
It’s useful not only for law students, but also for reporters and writers, historians and other academics, and generalists of all kinds.
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Atty. Saul is noted not only for his prolific writing on law and history, but also for his art—the HOCUS paintings.
HOCUS pertains to a series of paintings documenting through the medium of allegory the Patronato Real of the Spanish colonial period. The works were a smash hit when they were exhibited in the National Museum for six months and followed by Quadricula (HOCUS II), also exhibited in the National Museum for six months.
The exhibits took the artworld by storm, and were written about in newspapers and magazines. However, when the pandemic hit soon after the most recent show, the National Museum was ordered locked down. The paintings, along with other national treasures, were protected from the virus and viewers.
Hofileña said that he is no longer conceptualizing the artworks since the pandemic has made it impossible for him to carefully supervise the making of each painting.
“The HOCUS paintings are time-consuming to create. Each figure, each subject, each and every image that you see on canvas are carefully researched and conceptualized for historical accuracy,” he said.
“I have to research every idea that I have in my mind which would illustrate the impact of the Patronato or the patronage of the Spanish state and religion in our society.”
Curious about the effect of his paintings on the religious community since it is common knowledge that the paintings show the Catholic Church deeply involved in the Spanish conquest, he said that on the contrary, they were surprisingly well received.
In fact, when the exhibitions were ongoing at the National Museum, priests went there with seminarians to explain the history of the church, and a group of nuns headed by their madre superiora belonging to the Daughters of Charity also visited the exhibit and took pictures.
There was even a book on the 500-year history of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines published by the Claretian Order, with a blurb by Jose S. Palma, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu, which featured two HOCUS paintings in its pages.
Hofileña Jr. said the HOCUS paintings appear to have taken a life of their own, “traveling to curious places they were not supposed to be, occupying space previously destined to be left vacant, and providing answers to questions that were not supposed to be asked.”
“It is religion after all, based on faith and ritual and ritual and faith alone,” he mused.
Five other paintings, he said, will be installed at the National Museum of Anthropology after the pandemic. The paintings are part of the Quadricula (HOCUS II) exhibit. The permanent installation of the works, he added, is guaranteed in a signed memorandum of agreement with the Museum.
I wonder if he signed them with the Anghel de Cuyacuy, an icon which serves as the signature of HOCUS—a native angel seated on a bench reading a book and with one leg nonchalantly swaying.
The exhibit will be in addition to the six other HOCUS paintings presently installed on a permanent basis in the National Museum of Fine Arts, among them the famous “La Pesadilla” (The Nightmare).
Hofileña also added: “In principle, a donation of a HOCUS painting has been made to the newly built Museo de Intramuros, and before the pandemic, we were working out another donation to the Rizal Shrine in Calamba of two paintings. All these are to be permanent exhibits.”
When I asked him if the HOCUS paintings are being sold, he answered: “No. The paintings are intended only for museums, that is why they are so big. They are not for sale but they may only be donated or bestowed.
“All the paintings were documented in two catalogues raissoné. A third one containing the last of the HOCUS paintings will be printed soon. I do not even ask for a tax deduction when I donate them to museums. All that I ask is that they are displayed and their meaning explained and understood.”
And what about the future of HOCUS, his brainchild? Will there be a HOCUS III set of works?
Hofileña said he is now devoting his time to writing and teaching and has completely shelved the project “maybe forever and one day.”
Why, I asked, did he add a day to forever?
“To emphasize eternity,” he answered.
But given the importance of the HOCUS artworks to understanding a key period of Philippine history, I hope he changes his mind and once again brings to vibrant, colorful life a significant part of our past that many can only dimly imagine.
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Still waiting on the liquidation of the P15 billion PhilHealth funds. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO