How a community worker found his voice in theater, visual arts

MANILA, Philippines – Artist and community worker Christian Dayo vividly remembers being nine years old, huddled with his four siblings inside their house made of light materials as a typhoon barreled through Bulacan. In the aftermath, they checked on the uncooked rice and food that their parents had stocked for them before leaving to work in Manila – all of it was soaked in rainwater.

Their makeshift home under the bridge beside the creek in Paco, Manila, was among those demolished in 2005. They were relocated to San Jose del Monte, where there was virtually nothing for them – only a piece of land and a few thousand pesos to build a house for their family of seven.

“It was inaccessible and there were no job opportunities there. Even when we managed to have a small house built, we did not have basic utilities: water and electricity,” Dayo told Rappler in an interview in early August.

Soon after those rain-soaked days and nights, the Dayo children hitched a ride with other neighbors back to Manila to reunite with their parents. Less than a year later, Typhoon Milenyo (Xangsane) caught them unawares, tearing off the corrugated roof of their house.

Introduction to art

Once back in Manila, Dayo regularly accompanied his mother, Rowena, who was a volunteer facilitator for the international nonprofit organization All Together in Dignity (ATD) Fourth World, where she taught arts and crafts to disadvantaged children.

“As early as 10 years old, I was already exposed to the arts. Come to think of it, even before that, I would tell my friends that I wanted to make art and to act onstage,” Dayo said. 

He also joined other neighborhood children who participated in regular educational activities for children and youth in Manila, organized by Kanlungan sa Er-Ma in the Ermita-Malate area and Bahay Musika in Paco.

By the time he was 16, Christian was facilitating activities for children and enjoying it. He drew inspiration from these interactions and his conversations with fellow ATD volunteer and visual artist Robert Alejandro. But he knew that pursuing a career in the arts would be expensive, so he put his plans to apply to college on the back burner.

Broadening horizons

In 2015, Dayo was introduced to the community theater group Teatro Balagtas, an ATD Fourth World partner. Soon, he was onstage, acting alongside other young people from Manila.

“My involvement with Teatro Balagtas built my confidence, widened my perspective, and strengthened my resolve to be a voice for the voiceless like me in society,” he said.

In late 2016, Dayo was part of the cast performing in an original play for the observance of the National Week for Overcoming Extreme Poverty from October 17 to 23 in Manila.

During the preparations, broadcast journalist Howie Severino interviewed Dayo and fellow community actors for an episode of his documentary series. He took Severino on a tour of his neighborhood and family home. During filming, Severino told Dayo he would refer the young artist to his colleague Kara David’s scholarship program, Project Malasakit.

By June the following year, Dayo enrolled in a fine arts course, majoring in painting, at Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology on a full scholarship.

Personal milestones

Despite experiencing anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and suffering a great loss when their house caught fire in 2020, Dayo graduated in 2023. He is the first member of his family to earn a college degree.

His first exhibit was a group show at Cevio Art Haus in Pasig, where he sold one of his five works. He focuses primarily on social realism,

“A common theme is kalam (hunger) because it mirrors my own experience,” Dayo said,

In July, he celebrated his first year as an art instructor at Sip & Gogh Paint and Sip Studio. He brings to the job his own experience that artistic talent can be developed, encouraging clients because “I also learned through practice.”

Despite the financial cost, Dayo makes time for his art. Recently, one of his pieces was featured at the Modern and Contemporary Art Festival (MoCAF) 2024 at Bonifacio Global City.

He is also part of the cast of the original Teatro Balagtas play Ang Kwento ni Babae, supported by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), which is touring schools in Metro Manila.

He is passionate about his art and is grateful for the people and organizations that have helped him realize his dream and maximize his potential.

Being the breadwinner of his family, Dayo said he aspires to become financially stable, while continuing to use art to help raise awareness about various social issues. – Rappler.com