Young curator Pax Pineda reframes Marcelo H. Del Pilar's legacy

Insider Spotlight

• At 17, Pax Pineda is using his debut exhibit at Ayala Museum to explore Marcelo H. Del Pilar as a husband and father, not only as a Philippine hero
• The exhibit draws on personal letters and historical works to examine the human cost of Del Pilar’s patriotism
• Pineda, a Hong Kong-based Filipino student and Del Pilar’s direct descendant, hopes to make history more relatable to younger Filipinos
  
  
  

At just 17, Filipino high school senior Pax Pineda is asking visitors to look beyond the dates, publications and political actions associated with Marcelo H. Del Pilar and consider the sacrifices made by the man behind the national hero.

His debut exhibit, Marcelo: The Man Behind the Hero (Reflections on the Legacy of Marcelo H. Del Pilar), runs from Sept. 4 to Oct. 17 at the Ayala Museum’s Diorama Experience Gallery. It is co-presented by Ayala Museum and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Why it matters

Pineda is Del Pilar’s great-great-great-grandson, giving his historical inquiry an unusually personal dimension. Yet he sought to balance that family connection with rigorous research, examining Del Pilar’s personal losses alongside his contribution to Philippine history.

“Often, history books shroud our heroes behind a dense wall of specific publications, dates, and political actions,” Pineda says.

The exhibition pairs foundational materials including Dasalan at Tocsohan and La Solidaridad with personal letters showing Del Pilar as an involved father to daughters Sofia and Anita despite living thousands of miles away. They illuminate the poverty, isolation and homesickness that accompanied his pursuit of reform.

The personal connection

Pineda, a Filipino senior at ESF South Island School in Hong Kong, has nurtured an interest in history for more than a decade. An early family trip to Washington, D.C. helped spark his fascination with American history before his attention increasingly turned toward Philippine history and his ancestors.

Growing up in Hong Kong also shapes his reading of Del Pilar. Pineda sees parallels between his ancestor’s years abroad and Filipinos in today’s diaspora who endure separation from their families while pursuing better futures for loved ones at home.

What he wants to change

Pineda hopes younger Filipinos can approach history through empathy instead of memorization.

“Young people might not relate to editing a reformist newspaper, but they absolutely understand love, homesickness, and standing up for what is right,” Pineda says.

The exhibit is also a milestone in Pineda’s own journey. Beyond writing and reading extensively about history, he plans to study the subject at a U.S. university. 

Away from historical research, he is an avid footballer who has competed in Hong Kong’s highest youth football division. —Ramon C. Nocon | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma