{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":9864,"auction_id":10,"set_id":17,"lot_number":"1186","artist":"Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)","title":"A Portrait of Sotero Baluyut","starting_price":120000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 1959 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"32” x 24” (81 cm x 61 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"The Honorable Sotero Baluyut was born in San Fernando,\nPampanga on January 3, 1889 to Leoncio Baluyut and Casimira\nJulao. In 1904, the insular government granted Baluyut a\nscholarship in the United States, becoming one of the first pensionados.\nIn America, he enrolled at the Santa Ana Central and High School in\nCalifornia and later at the University Summer School of Illinois. In 1914,\nBaluyut graduated from the University of Iowa, obtaining a Bachelor of\nScience in Civil Engineering.
\nHaving acquired an immense training in the field of engineering,\nBaluyut returned to the Philippines in 1911 and worked with the Office\nof Public Works as an assistant engineer in Pampanga and Cavite. The\nfollowing year, he was appointed district engineer of Isabela, Antique,\nIlocos Norte, Bulacan, and Pangasinan, serving the post until 1919 while\nconcurrently working as a special engineer for the San Jose – Santa\nFe Road traversing Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya. In 1920, Baluyut\nbecame an engineer for the Pampanga Sugar Development Company,\nthe company that spurred the economic growth of San Fernando,\nwhere it is located.
\nBaluyut ran for the governorship of Pampanga in 1925, which he\nwon. He would eventually be reelected two times, in 1928 and 1938.\nSchools, hospitals, roads, and bridges were built under his term.
\nFrom 1926 to 1928—his first term, Governor Baluyut oversaw the\nconstruction of the first concrete pavement in the Philippines. Spanning 25.8 kilometers, it ran through Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, and\nMabalacat. According to the historical marker erected by the Pampanga\nCivil Engineers Association, the success of this project catalyzed the\nconstruction of other concrete pavements throughout the country.
\nAfter his second term as governor ended in 1931, Baluyut ran for\nsenator and was elected to serve in the 9th Legislature (1931 – 1934).\nTogether with Benigno Aquino Sr. and Hermogenes Concepción, he\nrepresented the 3rd Senatorial District covering Bulacan, Nueva Ecija,\nPampanga, and Tarlac. He would be reelected in 1934 during the 10th\nLegislature.
\nPresident Quezon appointed Baluyut Secretary of Labor, serving\nfrom 1939 to 1940. Owing to his track record and achievements in\nengineering, infrastructure, and overall strengthening of the local\ngovernment’s competence, Baluyut held the post of Secretary of the\nInterior (1948 – 1950) and Secretary of Public Works and Highways\n(1951 – 1952) under President Quirino.
\nA historic bridge in San Fernando bears his name—Baluyut Bridge. It\nreplaced the Spanish-era Puente Colgante, which was destroyed during\nWorld War II. Using Baluyut’s undergraduate thesis, the old Puente was\nreplaced with a concrete arch bridge and christened Baluyut Bridge,\nhonoring the legacy of the man who helped usher Pampanga towards\nmodernization. (A.M.)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972) A Portrait of Sotero Baluyut signed and dated 1959 (lower right) oil on canvas 32” x 24” (81 cm x 61 cm)