BPI Foundation, Inc. is celebrating three decades of leadership as the corporate social responsibility arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) with the launch of a coffeetable book that promises to be one of the most important publications on Philippine art history.

The book, Herencia: A Legacy of Art and Progress, contains in-depth reviews of nearly 1,000 important works of art accumulated by BPI in the course of years of mergers and acquisitions – from People’s Bank, Comtrust, Ayala Investment Development Corporation, Citytrust Banking Corporation, Far East Bank and Trust Company, Development Bank of Singapore, to Prudential Bank.

Artworks by Filipino visual artists and sculptors were included in the acquisitions and integrated with BPI’s existing collection. BPI Foundation has also been acquiring pieces to help strengthen the collection’s art historical value. Over the past two years, the Foundation has acquired a Cesar Legaspi painting, originally owned by the National Artist’s family. It also bought 20 drawings and memorabilia of the National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco from a 1960s collector’s estate.

Enriching the value of the milestone book are the valuable insights on Philippine art history by renowned art historians and writers which include former Governor of the Central Bank Jaime C, Laya, distinguished UP professors Alice Guillermo and Ma. Victoria Herrera, Cid Reyes, and Ramon N. Villegas, who conceived and edited the book.

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THE vision of an 18-year-old girl will spell a big difference to the lives of physically challenged individuals in Cebu with her gift of 550 special wheelchairs this month.

Michelle Dalrympe, the youngest of three children of a couple from California, finds a common denominator with the pre-qualified recipients of these wheelchairs. (more)