A 23-year-old tapasero (sugarcane cutter) with no formal training defied the odds to claim the grand prize at the Negros Island Region (NIR)-wide painting competition held in Cadiz City on July 1.
Arby Villaruz, a resident of Barangay Jerusalem in Cadiz City, took home the P100,000 top prize after the panel of judges unanimously selected his masterpiece.
The art tilt was a major highlight of Cadiz’s 59th Charter Anniversary celebration, which ran from June 27 to July 5.
For Villaruz, the victory is a life-changing milestone.
As the eldest of four siblings, his daily life has been defined by poverty and intense sacrifice.
Unable to afford a college education, he took on grueling manual labor at construction sites and in sugarcane fields to support his family.
Though forced to become the family breadwinner at a young age, he postponed but never truly abandoned his dream of becoming an artist.
It was in 2023 that Villaruz discovered painting not merely as a passing hobby, but as his true purpose.
He devoted himself to learning and honing his brushstrokes by joining various city and provincial art competitions.
While he occasionally placed as a runner-up, he faced numerous losses before securing this major breakthrough.
When his name was announced as the grand winner, tears replaced words as his parents and siblings watched the young man who once carried heavy sacks of sugarcane finally lift a championship trophy.
Villaruz’s winning artwork, titled “Paglaum” (Hope), depicts a young girl in a school uniform standing before a modest home built from weathered bamboo walls and a galvanized iron roof.
Unlike conventional art pieces that often romanticize rural landscapes, Villaruz’s work delivers a raw, intimate narrative detailing the story of children who dare to dream despite deep poverty, and ordinary families whose greatest wealth is their resilience.
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. lauded Villaruz for creating such a profound and meaningful piece, calling the achievement truly heartwarming to note.
Escalante added that as the annual Cadiz painting competition continues to evolve, participating artists across the country also level up their work.
The mayor noted that beyond colors and strokes, these artists paint unheard and unknown stories that showcase the beauty of humanity—stories that are worthy to be told and retold.
Following Villaruz’s grand win, Francis Danielle Fajardo of Bacolod City claimed the second-place spot.
Rounding out the rest of the top five finishers were Angelico Abo of Silay City in third place, Marjune Escaran of Manapla in fourth place, and Emarie Andalajao of Pontevedra in fifth place.*
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