PH EMBASSY RECEIVES MURAL PAINTING 鈥淗ARIMANOK: BAYANG MAPAG-IMBULOG鈥� BY KUBLAI MILLAN, HONORING A SOARING PHILIPPINE NATION

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez formally received Harimanok: Bayang Mapag-Imbulog (A Nation That Soars) from acclaimed Filipino Mindanaon artist Rey Mudjahid "Kublai" Ponce Millan, during an handover ceremony at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. on 18 May 2026.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez formally received Harimanok: Bayang Mapag-Imbulog (A Nation That Soars) from acclaimed Filipino Mindanaon artist Rey Mudjahid "Kublai" Ponce Millan, during an handover ceremony at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. on 18 May 2026.

PHOTO RELEASE

WDC-145-2026

21 May 2026

Embassy Press and Information Section

info@phembassy-us.org

Acclaimed Filipino artist Kublai Millan generously donates Harimanok: Bayang Mapag-Imbulog (A Nation That Soars), 2026, a reimagining of the Meranaw Sarimanok as a symbol of national progress rooted in the celebration of indigenous identity and cultural heritage. The diptych portrays scenes from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the colors of the Philippine flag, rendered in the artist’s distinctly Mindanawon visual style inspired by the rich traditions of his home island. Originally a symbol of prosperity among the Meranaw people, the Sarimanok takes on a contemporary role in the artwork as an emblem of the Philippines’ cultural abundance and diversity. Presented in Washington, D.C., the work also pays homage to the indigenous Thunderbird traditions of the Algonquian peoples, reflecting a shared recognition that a nation can only truly soar when it remains grounded in its native roots and ancestral spirit.
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