Leo Cloma posted a photo:
A baul or chest with 2 drawers
ESTIMATE: PHP 12,000 - 16,000
Early 1900s
Ilocos
Narra wood, lanite inlays, wrought iron
35.5 x 60 x 30 cm (14 x 23 1/2 x 11 3/4 in)
Lot 311 of the SALCEDO AUCTIONS
Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles (Morning Sale)
LIVE & ONLINE AUCTION | Sat, 6 June 2026 | 10AM
Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information and to place an online bid.
Leo Cloma posted a photo:
A church tripodal base for large candlestick and processional cross, decorated with sacred symbols
ESTIMATE: PHP 80,000 - 90,000
19th century
Pampanga
Cast bronze
44 x 58 x 55 cm (17 1/4 x 22 3/4 x 21 3/4 in)
A heavy base designed to support a processional cross, banner, or paschal candlestick. Each of the tapering faces stands on volute-scrolled feet, deeply cast with a distinct sacred symbol: Cross fleury, Ave Maria monogram enclosed by a beaded border and a cross, and a sword and scepter. They symbolize Christ, His Mother, and His spiritual authority. It exhibits a pronounced verdigris patina.
Lot 625 of the SALCEDO AUCTIONS
Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles (Afternoon Sale)
LIVE & ONLINE AUCTION | Sat, 6 June 2026 | 2PM
Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information and to place an online bid.
Taiwan’s coast guard said Sunday it has deployed vessels “to respond appropriately” to a Chinese operation in waters east of the island democracy, which it said “violates international law”.
It comes after Chinese state media reported Saturday that the “law enforcement operation” was in response to talks between Japan and the Philippines to draw a boundary in the affected waters.
China, which asserts Taiwan is part of its territory, called the talks “illegal” and has claimed exclusive control over the waters.
The Chinese ships have been monitored “throughout the entire process” and Taiwan “has deployed the necessary vessels to respond appropriately,” the Taiwanese coast guard said in a statement.
Taiwan said it had detected four Chinese government vessels departing from Xiamen port which had sailed outside Taiwanese restricted waters southwest of the island.
Taiwan’s coast guard dispatched more than five vessels “to assist with surveillance”.
The Chinese vessels were expected to arrive “in the relevant waters” on Sunday, the statement said, adding that “China does not enjoy any sovereign rights in the waters east of Taiwan”.
Tokyo and Manila said last month they would start formal talks “to delimit the maritime boundary” of an economic zone and continental shelf between them, angering Beijing.
On Saturday, Beijing’s transport ministry organised maritime police from coastal provinces Fujian and Guangdong to “conduct a special maritime traffic law enforcement operation in waters east of Taiwan Island”, state news agency Xinhua said.
The report did not give details on the operation, including how long it lasted or whether it was still ongoing, and it did not say whether maritime police dispatched ships to the area.
The operation was “a necessary action taken against Japan and the Philippines’ unilateral announcement they would start ‘negotiations on delimiting a maritime boundary'” near Taiwan, Xinhua added.
Taiwan said Wednesday it should be consulted on the Japan-Philippines talks.
Manila and Tokyo’s shared grievances over Chinese maritime territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years.
Japan and China are in territorial and economic disputes in the East China Sea, where coast guard ships from both sides routinely stage tense standoffs.
Beijing has meanwhile deployed navy and coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, in a bid to bar the Philippines from strategically important reefs and islands, leading to a string of confrontations.
Taiwan’s coast guard said Saturday that a Chinese survey vessel had joined a coast guard ship in waters around Pratas Island in the northern part of the South China Sea.
The Taiwanese coast guard said it was “the first observed instance of Chinese coast guard and survey vessels acting in coordination to provoke Taiwan”.
Taiwan controls Pratas but Beijing also claims the island, along with most of the strategic waterway.
To date news reports suggest two fatal landslides with a combined toll of 17 people.
There are various news reports trickling in about the landslides triggered by the 8 June 2026 M=7.8 earthquake offshore Mindanao in the Philippines. As usual, the remote locations of many of the landslides means that the information is a bit hit and miss at this point.
To date, the most serious event appears to have occurred at a community called New Aklan, located in Glan, Sarangani. It appears that New Aklan is at: [5.7705 N, 125.3356]. News reports indicate that 13 people were killed, although there are also indications of additional fatalities in this area.
A further four people are missing under a landslide at Sitio Buhangin, Barangay Patuco, Sarangani. Patuco is in the area of [5.4770, 125.4859]. This appears to have been a failure on a coastal cliff:-
Over the next few days, satellite imagery should become available that will help identify the landslide impacts, but in the meantime Dan Shugar has identified some (using Planet imagery, I’d imagine):-
Leo Cloma posted a photo:
FERNANDO AMORSOLO (1892 - 1972)
Baguio Trail
signed and dated 1940 (lower left)
oil on canvas
18" x 23" (46 cm x 58 cm)
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Indeed, Baguio Trail showcases another remarkable feature of Fernando Amorsolo’s oeuvre: the painstakingly detailed foreground, where every element receives meticulous attention. Simultaneously, the background appears shrouded in a thick mist, with each feature blending with the shadows. With his masterful strokes and exemplary use of color, this piece breathes with life. The distinct mountain air permeates the scene, almost palpable and perceptible to viewers, as if they were looking out a window.
Amorsolo’s masterpieces capture the light and colors he observed during his travels to far-flung provinces. Witnessing the grandeur of the Philippine landscape with his own eyes enabled him to capture its hues and tonal variations with precision in his canvases, as well as to create authentic representations of Philippine topography, people, and daily life. Moreover, his deep understanding of color placement, shadows, and highlights further enhances the realism of his work.
The Cordilleras, especially Baguio City, served as both a favorite retreat and a frequent subject for Amorsolo. The mountain scenery, often depicted in his paintings, not only showcases its natural beauty but also provides a picturesque backdrop for the hardworking rural folk he often portrayed, emphasizing the harmony between nature and Filipino life.
This 1940 piece, painted a few years before the Japanese occupation, undeniably captured the essence of a peaceful Philippines, a time of simplicity and grace. The maestro depicted a group of people, perhaps a family, on a mountain trek. They were carrying big baskets containing their belongings–or products to sell–as they traversed the rocky and steep mountainside. The sun is high up in the sky, but the altitude and the trees around neutralize the heat.
The rise of modernism posed as one of the greatest threats to Amorsolo’s career. As many artists shifted to abstraction and abandoned the Amorsolo school of art, collectors’ tastes also changed, and his market gradually declined. Subsequently, many people criticized and made harsh remarks about him and his work. Still, the maestro persisted in his artmaking and stayed true to his light and palette for as long as he could hold a paintbrush, a testament to his perennial artistic prowess and dedication to the arts. (Jessica Magno)
STARTING BID: ₱ 4,600,000
Lot 105 of the Leon Gallery's
Spectacular Mid Year Auction 2026
Saturday, June 13, 2026
G/F Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Street, Makati City
For more information and to place an online bid, please see leon-gallery.com and leonexchange.com
Leo Cloma posted a photo:
An elegant Art Nouveau vajilera or glass-fronted display cabinet, made by La Moda Furniture
ESTIMATE: PHP 80,000 - 95,000
C. 1920s
Manila
Narra wood, bevelled and flat glass, kamagong and lanite inlays
194 x 100 x 58 cm (76 1/2 x 39 1/4 x 22 3/4 in)
This is an exceptionally elegant, three glass-fronted panel vajilera, with a protuberant bow façade, that allows an optimal view of the highly prized fine chinaware, silverware, and glassware on display. Art Nouveau floral carvings on the top crest seamlessly blend into the Classical framework demarcated by Ionic pilaster columns and intricate sawtooth banding border inlays. It stands on cabriole legs ending in carved hoof feet. The maker’s plate remains intact on the reverse panel.
Lot 665 of the SALCEDO AUCTIONS
Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles (Afternoon Sale)
LIVE & ONLINE AUCTION | Sat, 6 June 2026 | 2PM
Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information and to place an online bid.
Leo Cloma posted a photo:
EDDIE SARMIENTO (B. 1940)
Untitled (Boat)
ESTIMATE: PHP 6,000 - 10,000
Signed and dated '96' (1996, lower right)
Oil on canvas
61 x 45.7 cm (24 x 18 in)
Lot 173 of the SALCEDO AUCTIONS
Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles (Morning Sale)
LIVE & ONLINE AUCTION | Sat, 6 June 2026 | 10AM
Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information and to place an online bid.
BEIJING, June 7 — China held a “law enforcement operation” in waters east of Taiwan following recent talks between Japan and the Philippines to draw a boundary there, state media reported yesterday.
Tokyo and Manila said last month they would start formal talks “to delimit the maritime boundary” of an economic zone and continental shelf between them, angering Beijing.
China, which asserts Taiwan is part of its territory, called the talks “illegal” and has claimed exclusive control over the waters concerned.
Yesterday, Beijing’s transport ministry organised maritime police from coastal provinces Fujian and Guangdong to “conduct a special maritime traffic law enforcement operation in waters east of Taiwan Island”, state news agency Xinhua said.
The report did not give details on the operation, including how long it lasted or whether it was still ongoing, and it did not say whether maritime police dispatched ships to the area.
The operation was “a necessary action taken against Japan and the Philippines’ unilateral announcement they would start ‘negotiations on delimiting a maritime boundary’” near Taiwan, Xinhua added.
Taiwan said Wednesday it should be consulted on the Japan-Philippines talks.
Manila and Tokyo’s shared grievances over Chinese maritime territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years.
Japan and China are in territorial and economic disputes in the East China Sea, where coast guard ships from both sides routinely stage tense standoffs.
Beijing has meanwhile deployed navy and coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, in a bid to bar the Philippines from strategically important reefs and islands, leading to a string of confrontations. — AFP
The Philippines defence minister was defiant on Friday after Beijing sanctioned him for what it termed “irresponsible remarks” as the two nations grapple over the disputed South China Sea.
Gilberto Teodoro as well as his spouse and child will be banned from entering China’s mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, an unnamed foreign ministry spokesperson said in an online statement on Thursday.
It added that “organisations and individuals in China” will not be allowed to “engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child”.
The two countries have in recent years regularly dealt with flare-ups in tensions over the disputed South China Sea.
Beijing claims the strategic waterway nearly in its entirety, despite an international ruling that said its assertions are baseless.
In a statement early Friday, Teodoro said he had been sanctioned for “speaking truth”.
“Their own countrymen and the others under their control suffer far worse,” he said. “I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing here and even in our seas.”
Manila reacted to the sanctions late Thursday by saying that “the Philippines views it as an unfriendly act that further complicates the bilateral relations”.
China regularly deploys navy and coast guard vessels to bar the Philippines from important reefs and islands in the area.
The Chinese statement said Teodoro’s rhetoric “undermines China’s legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations”, without specifying to which remarks it referred.
At a summit in Singapore last month, Teodoro criticised Beijing’s activities in the disputed waters, saying Manila “will not sacrifice our territorial integrity and sovereignty”.
Asked last week about Teodoro’s remarks at the summit, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that he “is known to vilify China”.
“All he cares is selfish personal gains to the point that he would perform political theatrics even when people’s well-being is at stake,” Mao said.
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