During my visit to Zamboanga City, I was fortunate to experience “All Out Peace Not War: Kalinaw Hindi Digmaan,” a powerful traveling exhibition of large-scale paintings by Norberto “Bert” Monterona, currently on display at the National Museum Western-Southern Mindanao inside the historic Fort Pilar. The centuries-old fortress, once a sentinel of colonial history, now serves as a symbolic space for reflection and renewal — a fitting venue for Monterona’s stirring call for peace, justice, and cultural preservation.

Norberto “Bert” Monterona is a Filipino-Canadian visual artist, cultural worker, and educator known for his social realist paintings, murals, and tapestry art that illuminate pressing themes such as peace, human rights, environmentalism, and indigenous culture. Over the years, Monterona has used his art as a form of advocacy, a visual language that transcends borders and speaks to the conscience of communities both in the Philippines and abroad.

The exhibition, “All Out Peace Not War: Kalinaw Hindi Digmaan,” features 22 monumental works that capture the essence of Monterona’s advocacies: campaigning against war, building a culture of peace, protecting women’s rights, promoting sustainable living, and safeguarding the environment. Each painting is both an aesthetic triumph and a moral statement, weaving together the struggles and aspirations of people across the Southern Philippines. Through rich colors, symbolic imagery, and sweeping compositions, Monterona gives voice to those who have long been silenced by conflict and inequality.