‘Alab ng Puso’ Year-Ender Channels Rage Into Relief
JT Nisay • Published December 16, 2026 • Business Mirror
ART Lounge Manila at The Podium closes out 2025 with a bang, mounting a copious 50-artist group show where political dissent gets creatively channeled into purposeful artworks, auctioned for the benefit of those in need.
Passion meets purpose in the year-ender exhibition, titled Alab ng Puso, featuring a sizeable collection of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media creations. The pieces act as artistic responses to the country’s abhorrent political climate, hounded by corruption issues. A stacked roster of 50-plus artists lent their voices to the exhibit that opened on December 5 and runs until tomorrow, December 17.
The showcase is a collaborative effort between Art Lounge Manila, Galerie Francesca, and the Bynum Faith Foundation, founded by Filipino-American National Football League player Camryn Bynum. The Bynum Faith Foundation serves as the on-ground arm, ensuring that every peso from the exhibit’s sales goes to relief efforts, particularly to the victims of the recent calamities in Cebu. The exhibit’s silent auction culminated yesterday, December 15, in a reception at The Podium in Mandaluyong City.
The long list of participating artists in Alab ng Puso includes Roel Obemio, Pete Jimenez, Michael Cacnio, Kublai Millan, Carlo Magno, Gerrico Blanco, Raul Isidro, and Anton Del Castillo. Also part of the fold are Janos Delacruz, Fil Delacruz, Richard Buxani, Agi Pagkatipunan, Glenn Perez, Meneline Wong MD, Iris Babao-Uy, Sam Penaso, Isobel Francisco and Isaiah Cacnio, and more. Among the featured artworks in show is Jonet Carpio’s Mga Aninong Lumulunok sa Liwanag Bantay Salakay sa Lumubog sa Lupa. The 24” x 36” mixed media piece showcases corruption personified with human and anthropomorphic figures gathering in the frame, filled with long gazes and empty stares from suggested culprits. There’s also a depiction of Jose Rizal in Gerrico Blanco’s Kalayaan sa Katiwalian ang Pag-asa ng Bayan, where the National Hero either inspires the solution to our current problem, or asks whether what he died for was ever worth it. Meanwhile, another key figure in Philippine history appears in the resin sculpture of Megs Empinado, where Andres Bonifacio sparks a movement, trouncing a crocodile.
The first artwork to be auctioned off was Roel Obemio’s namesake painting, Alab ng Puso. It was born out of his impassioned plea for and with the Filipino people, where his signature Boterismo figures raise their flaming voices and fists, while clad in clothes bearing the colors of the Philippine flag.
According to Art Lounge Manila, the exhibit is “much more than a showcase of poignant deviation from the artists’ usual oeuvre. It is a vital, time-sensitive fundraising mechanism. The unique works—direct expressions of rage, frustration, and hope for a better Philippines—are actively bringing support to communities that often feel beyond the reach of government aid.”
More information about the exhibit and the gallery is available at www.artloungemanila.com, and on social media platforms through @artloungemanila.
JT Nisay has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism obtained at the University of Sto. Tomas. He is a Lifestyle Reporter for 3 years now in BusinessMirror.
