12/02/2026
Faith endures where art meets devotion.
Florante âBoyâ Caedo, a sculptor whose classical sensibility and deep reverence for heritage shaped not just images of saints, but mirrors of the Filipino soulâwhere art, identity, and devotion become one.
His hands were chosen to immortalize the first Filipino saint, a task born of a profound spiritual calling shared with the late Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua. In 1981, Amba witnessed the beatification of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Manila, and in the martyrâs gaze, he saw the very essence of the Filipino soul: steadfast in faith, resilient in suffering, and capable of ultimate sacrifice. Moved by this encounter and entrusted by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin to spread this nascent devotion, Amba recognized a painful absenceâthere was no statue of the first Filipino saint to inspire the faithful. Determined to give form to this collective belief, he turned to Caedo, igniting a collaboration that would echo through generations.
From this sacred charge emerged the first statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Baesa. Caedoâs sacred artistry, however, was not limited to the martyr. At Eternal GardensâBaesa and Eternal GardensâBalagtas, he breathed life into the Brown Madonna (Kayumangging Ina), a distinctly Filipino portrayal of the Virgin Mary. A small-scale model of this beloved Madonna was presented by Amb.Cabangon Chua to Pope John Paul II during a special audience at the Vatican on June 12, 1985, further elevating Filipino religious art onto the global stage.
The legacy of Florante âBoyâ Caedo lives on not only through these enduring works but through his son, Frederic Caedo, who continues his fatherâs tradition of sculpting smaller versions of the San Lorenzo Ruiz statue for several Eternal Gardens parks.
Centuries after the martyrdom of San Lorenzo Ruiz, that same triumphant faith echoed across the world and through the hands of Caedo, it was given a face, a name, and a permanent home in the hearts of the Filipino faithful.
