EDUARDO MUTUC

Eduardo Mutuc also known as "Tatang Eddie". He was born on October 12, 1949 to farmers and grew up with nine siblings. Mutuc is a Kapampangan from Apalit, Pampanga. Got married by the age of 20 yrs old. Learned and become skilled in traditional art of pinukpuk metalwork.

​

He dedicated his life to creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas are in churches and private collections. A number of these works are quite large, some exceeding forty feet, while some are very small and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship.

​

In the history of The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355., there has been only one Kapampangan recipient and it is Mr. Eduardo Tubig Mutuc of Apalit, Pampanga who was conferred this prestigious recognition in 2004.

​

Finding an alternative source of income to supplement his earnings from farming, he started his artistic career late as a woodcarver at age 29. He worked in an antique shop owned by the Lozano family who were his relatives as a helper. It was during his stint that he learned woodcarving under Carlos Quiros. On his sixth year, he learned silver plating or locally known pinukpuk from a colleague and left the furniture shop where he was working to be an independent craftsman with another friend.

​

When Eduardo Mutuc is working on metalwork, he begins with a detailed drawing. He then transfers the design on a block of wood by chiseling out the details. He then covers the wood with a metal sheet, and then coaxes out the design through careful hammering with a mallet and an old rubber lipper. Afterwards, he dips the solid metal sheet in molten silver, a dangerous task that must be done in the open air lest the poisonous fumes overcome him. He then proceeds to do more hammering and polishing to bring out the details of the piece. He wont stop on creating other religious works many of which are based on Spanish colonial designs although Mutuc also incorporates his own ideas. He also did works of secular nature, although even in this case rely on religious influence to create such works.