My opening day speech. “CANVAS: Twenty Years of Art and Stories”. National Museum of the Philippines. Friday, June 13, 2025.

Hi everyone, and especially our distinguished speakers:

Thank you all so much for coming. Welcome to “Twenty Years of Art and Stories”, our way of celebrating two decades of CANVAS.

Most of you already know who we are, how we began, and what we’ve tried to do through the years. And if you don’t, that’s totally fine. Many of those stories are actually in the exhibit itself. So I’ll spare you the long version. At least for tonight.

Instead, I just want to share two things: gratitude, and an invitation.

First, gratitude.                        

We really wouldn’t be here without you - the artists and writers who gave your time and talents, the friends and partners who believed in what we were trying to do, the institutions (including of course, the National Museum of the Philippines) that took a chance on us, my family – our families - who stood by us, and of course, the children we hope to inspire… and who inspire us in return, every single day.

I won’t name names because there are simply too many to thank, and I know I’ll forget someone important (or worse – baka alam ko kung sino, pero hindi ko maalala pangalan. Yan kasi ang kapalit ng senior citizen discount card).

But I want to be clear - CANVAS is here not just because of what I have done, or what our amazing team at CANVAS has done, but really, because of what we’ve all built together. In big ways and small, you’ve each helped bring us to this moment - on the edge of new dreams that are even brighter than the ones we dared to imagine 20 years ago.

That said, I do want to make an exception and mention one name: Daniel Tayona.

Daniel was the first person to join me at CANVAS, our very first book designer. He designed the first 28 or 29 books we ever made. He was with me, with us from the start—when we had no clear roadmap, just a lot of ideas and a desire to make something meaningful. He passed away during the pandemic, but you’ll see two of his artworks in this show. And more importantly, you’ll feel his presence in everything we continue to do. He would’ve loved to be here.

So yes, this exhibit is a retrospective, but not just to look back. It’s also a way to look ahead. The past reminds us not only of where we’ve been, but of all the seeds we’ve planted, and what they might still grow into.

And at the heart of it all is our belief in the power of art and stories—not just to decorate walls or fill pages, but to stir empathy, spark imagination, and quietly change the way we see the world and each other. We believe that loving books can be a radical act— because books can change the world, as it has for me, and as it has for CANVAS. But most especially for children—because books, especially those infused with great art, help build a sense of wonder, possibility, and self

Which brings me to the second part: an invitation.

I have always like to say, libre managinip – dreams are free. But when you actually pursue a dream, you start to understand that it also comes with a cost. And that’s not a bad thing. Because when you finally reach it, the struggles and challenges make the achievement of a dream even more meaningful.

I am proud of all that CANVAS has accomplished. But we’re not done yet.

We still have big dreams. We want to give away another 500,000 books to reach our one million book goal—and go even further beyond that. We want to grow If Trees Could Talk into a truly global art biennale. And we want to build a world-class children’s museum of Philippine art in Ibaan, Batangas.

All of that is possible, but not guaranteed. We’re going to need a lot of help, a lot of funds, a lot of luck, and… did I say a lot of funds already? 😊 In other words, we won’t be able to do all these alone. We will need all of you to stay the course with us. So don’t be surprised if and when we we reach out to you… And needless to say, if you do want to participate, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us as well.

But for tonight, as we celebrate the past, I just hope you’ll also say yes to being part of our future. Let’s keep building, dreaming, and filling the world with more books, more art, and more stories that matter.

Thank you, enjoy the retrospective, and please spread the word about the show. Hindi lang libre managinip. Libre din bumisita sa National Museum! 😊 Maraming salamat.