Heraldist Galo Ocampo honored with exhibit, lecture

Far Eastern University (FEU) paid tribute to Galo B. Ocampo, known as the country’s first Filipino heraldist through the “Brave Heraldy, Beyond Signs: Celebrating FEU’s Institutional Insignias by Galo B. Ocampo” exhibit from Oct. 14 to 17 at the Administration Building. The event is part of the university’s centennial celebration, recognizing the artists and scholars who shaped its legacy.

The exhibition presented Ocampo’s original heraldic works, including designs for the national coat of arms, the presidential seal, and FEU’s own institutional insignias. Ocampo is regarded as one of the pioneer Modern artists in the country and is noted for using distinctly Filipino imagery such as the sarimanok and the baybayin script.

In line with the exhibit and in celebration of Ocampo’s 112th birth anniversary, the Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (IARFA) hosted a Memorial Lecture on Baybayin last Oct. 14 at the Multi-Purpose Hall at the Administration Building. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Ian Christopher Alfonso, historian from the University of Philippines Diliman.

“[Ocampo]’s designs of the seals of the country and those of FEU served as his laboratory for a design that is maka-Pilipino. FEU has likewise become a home for nationalistic visualization,” said Alfonso in a Facebook post.

Ocampo’s long-standing relationship with FEU began in 1969 when he joined the Institute of Arts and Sciences as a professor of humanities. Two years later, he helped establish the Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts with then-Executive Vice President Nicanor Reyes Jr., serving as its first acting dean.

Recognized as one of the “Triumvate of Modern Art” alongside Victorio Edades and Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Ocampo was instrumental in shaping Philippine modern art and heraldry. His works reconciled Western formality with local imagery which art critic Alice Guillermo described as a visual language built from symbols.

As FEU approaches its 100-year founding anniversary in 2028, the exhibition and lecture stand as a reminder of the university’s deep Filipino artistic roots and of Ocampo’s enduring influence on Philippine art and national identity. Billy Ray Malacura, one of the IARFA faculty who helped organize the event, expressed hope that the exhibit-lecture would foster “a sense of pride” among FEU students and community.

“That these are not just random play of images, or mix and match of colors, but a profound statement of nationalism expressed in Heraldry, a rather Western concept of symbols and iconography localized in Filipino visual language,” said Malacura. “[T]he amount of inspiration that our academic community can draw from our past, including leading figures who pioneered our onstitutes and offices. And lastly, how all of these values figure in our contemporary experience as we step into the preparations for the university's centenary.”