Guyito’s journey: From Inquirer gift to campus symbol of excellence
Philippine Daily Inquirer’s mascot, the feisty carabao Guyito, does not only live by its slogan “Balanced news, Fearless views.” It also symbolizes the publication’s quest to make young learners fall in love with the written word, in reading and to aspire for academic excellence.
Thus, Guyito has become a “gift” to many schools across the country that have become partners of and honored by the Inquirer for their learning programs.
Among them is Western Visayas Campus (WVC) in Iloilo City of Philippine Science High School (PSHS), fondly called Pisay, one of only 20 public high schools nationwide that received a life-sized Guyito sculpture from the Inquirer as part of the newspaper’s 20th anniversary celebration in 2005.
The fiberglass carabao statue—sculpted by Juan Sajid Imao—was awarded to PSHS–WVC following its strong performance in the 26th National Super Quiz Bee, where the top-ranking public schools were selected as recipients.
Each Guyito artwork interpreted the anniversary theme “The Power of Knowing” and was formally turned over during Inquirer-led campus visits that included a journalism workshop for students and teachers.
The day Guyito was delivered and installed at the entrance of the main academic building of Pisay–WVC, it created a lot of excitement as it brought an upbeat vibe in the campus, according to John Arnold Siena, journalism teacher at that time and former chief of the curriculum, instruction, and student services division of Pisay- Western Visayas.
Siena said Guyito became the subject of curiosity in the campus—students talked about it for days to come.
“It inspired pride in the hearts of the Pisay-Western Visayas community and served as a constant reminder for every student to remain true to the ideals of PSHS—not just to love learning but, more importantly, to learn in the service of the Filipino people. I hope all students in Pisay Iloilo continue to uphold this ideal represented by Guyito,” he said.
Source of inspiration
Siena is currently the deputy director for Programme and Development, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Secretariat, Bangkok, Thailand.
Today, the brightly colored Guyito remains displayed on campus as a symbol of academic excellence and the school’s longstanding reputation as Western Visayas’ premier public science high school.
In Leyte, thousands of students pass every day by a sculpture of Guyito standing quietly near the science building of Leyte National High School (LNHS). Most barely give it a second look. A few stop to take photos. But almost no one knows how it got there or why it belongs to the campus.
Proudest moments
Yet two decades ago, that statue symbolized one of the school’s proudest moments.
In 2005, LNHS student Mark Dean Demillo brought home the championship title in a national “super” science quiz bee held in Tagaytay City.
The competition, sponsored by Ford Motors and the Inquirer, awarded not just a trophy and medals—but a Guyito sculpture specially commissioned for the event. The work was created by celebrated visual artist Franklin Caña, known for his distinctive figurative style.
Part of the prize was to house the sculpture at the winner’s school—a lasting testament that academic excellence can put a public institution from Eastern Visayas on the national stage.
But Guyito didn’t arrive as expected.
“When it was sent from Manila, it landed at Leyte National High School all right—but the one in Leyte, Leyte,” LNHS information officer Bernie Jude Lamograr recalled with a laugh.
No one is sure how the confusion happened, but the mix-up delayed the statue’s arrival in Tacloban for nearly five months. By the time Guyito finally reached its rightful home at LNHS, the excitement of the quiz bee had long faded—though the pride had not.
“Of course we were proud and happy. It was an honor for our school, thanks to Mark Dean,” Lamograr said.
Weathered a supertyphoon
Guyito was installed near the science building, where it stood ever since.
Like the rest of the campus, the statue weathered the fury of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013 and the silent months of the pandemic. Dust, rain, sun and time have left their marks, but Guyito remains upright—a silent witness to generations of learners.
It has also become a curiosity on campus.
“Over the years, Guyito has become some sort of attraction,” Lamograr said. “But most students—and even teachers—no longer know why it is here.”
This is what the school hopes to change.
LNHS plans to relocate Guyito to a more visible area and install a marker telling its story—not only to preserve the artwork, but to reconnect the campus with the academic milestone it represents.
“I’m just glad it’s still there.”
Now based in Bacolod City, Demillo was delighted to learn that the sculpture remains intact after 20 years.
“It’s okay if they don’t know why it’s there—it has been two decades after all,” he said in an online interview.
“There are new teachers and new students. What matters is that Guyito is still in good condition.”
Demillo and Lamograr hope that one day, students will recognize what the sculpture symbolizes: a moment when LNHS proved that brilliance knows no geography, and that a public school in Eastern Visayas once stood at the top of the country’s academic map.
Silent witness
In Baguio City, Guyito quietly watched Pines City National High School through countless school events, flag ceremonies, sports meets and graduations.
Evidently, it weathered strong typhoons that routinely sweep across the highland city and the rest of Cordillera.
It stood silently through the cold foggy mornings of Baguio while it endured the empty campus of the pandemic years.
In Dagupan City, beneath trees now nearly stripped of leaves because of recent typhoons, Guyito stands just as cheerful as he was a decade ago when the Inquirer officers brought it to Dagupan City National High School (DCNHS).
It was drizzling one day in 2015 when Guyito arrived encased in glass. It was placed near the entrance and was like a welcoming figure for students, teachers staff and visitors.
Ten 10 years later, Guyito stands as stubborn as the carabao—braving the scorching, almost unbearable heat that the city usually experiences during the long dry season, and the fierce winds and blinding rain whenever typhoons hit.
Braving dry season
Some scratches and cracks are visible in the body, seemingly just like the newspaper it symbolizes that has undergone challenges throughout its 40 years of existence.
But the colors of the paint—blue, red, yellow and other colors are still as vibrant as that day it was gifted to the city school.
Again, it is like the Inquirer that had its share of hardships, but these are just fractures on the surface. Like Guyito, the newspaper is tenacious and is ready to defy the test of technology and changing times.
From beside the driveway, Guyito was put in front of the DCNHS’ Special Program for the Arts building, under the trees and where it shares company with creations of the arts students.
Teacher Maribel Diolazo, the SPA department in charge, said Guyito was transferred to where it is now, as its original site was accessible and made it prone to damages. Unfortunately, its glass case is gone, probably broken by vandals or by natural destruction.
The SPA students have no inkling on what Guyito is or what it represents.
“We thought it was artwork by visual arts students,” 13-year old Christian Karl de Guzman, a second year media arts student, said.
First year arts student Cyrus Lloyd Agsalud said some students even rode its back, but it did not break, saying it is a quality masterpiece.
“The paint’s color never fades, even if it gets rained on,” de Guzman said.
It was suggested that a marker be put beside “Guyito” to tell everyone its story.
But in the meantime, the “carabao,” its blazing eyes looking straight to the future but its feet firm on the ground, would continue to be the mascot of the Inquirer and what the newspaper represents to the country. —WITH REPORTS FROM HAZEL P. VILLA, JOEY A. GABIETA, VINCENT CABREZA AND YOLANDA SOTELO
