In 2010, revered Ilonggo artist Ed Defensor unveiled a major relief sculpture that has since become one of Iloilo City’s most recognizable historic markers—the Donato Militante Pison Sr. Chimney Monument at the rotunda of Ayala-Atria in Barangay San Rafael, Mandurriao.

Centered on a centuries-old muscovado chimney, the monument stands as both a preserved remnant of Iloilo’s sugar-producing past and a tribute to the Pison family’s role in the city’s economic rise. The relief sculpture highlights the legacy of family patriarch Donato Pison Sr., who laid the foundations for four key local industries: sugar, rice, fish, and salt production, activities once rooted in the very site that has evolved into today’s upscale commercial district.

You can also read more here: Ed Defensor carves a legacy for Philippine sculptures in Súpat

Defensor’s storytelling unfolds across the monument’s 20-foot-diameter base, where a series of sculpted reliefs capture the family’s contributions. Crafted from reinforced concrete and finished in gold and cobalt black rosin, the carvings provide a dramatic visual narrative that ties Iloilo’s industrial heritage to its present-day development.

Rendered by Defensor together with the equally respected artists, Fred Orig and Harry Mark Gonzales, the monument continues to serve as both a cultural marker and a touchstone of the city’s transformation. 

Inspiration and vision

Ed Defensor recalls the exact moment that ignited the vision for the Pison Chimney Monument in a Facebook post on July 23, 2023. 

Standing in the Ancient Near Eastern Art section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he found himself transfixed by the limestone reliefs adorning the palace of the first Assyrian king. “These were incredibly intricate sculptures carved on limestone rock that had existed for millions of years,” he said. “The precision, the difficulty, and the sheer audacity of the craftsmanship boggled my mind.”

But beyond awe, the experience stirred something else . “It affirmed my belief that the greatest challenges often yield the most historic and meaningful creations,” Defensor reflected. That visit, without a doubt, gave Defensor the courage to face the challenge that awaited him back home.

That challenge would eventually take shape into a artistic work of transforming the relic into more than just a structure that honors the contribution of Donato Pison Sr. but a landmark that highlights a blend of history, art, and identity. 

In the same way those Assyrian reliefs told the story of a civilization,  Defensor’s work speak of Iloilo’s own roots. From ancient inspiration to local legacy that’s the journey that shaped the Chimney Monument.

Life and Legacy

The Pison Chimney Monument immortalize the industrious legacy of one of Iloilo’s earliest and most enterprising figures. The old chimney, once part of a muscovado sugar factory that Pison Sr. built in the late 19th century, has become a symbol of the city’s early economic foundations and its continuing transformation.

Beginning in 1888, Pison Sr. emerged as one of the Ilonggo entrepreneurs who helped position Iloilo as a major producer of muscovado, or brown sugar. His ventures did not stop there. He cultivated a ten-hectare rice field, later expanding his holdings by acquiring neighboring fishponds—an early example of diversified land use that would characterize his life’s work.

See the work of Ed Defensor in Reels

A visionary trader, Pison Sr. frequently sailed on a batil, a traditional wooden boat that docked along the Iloilo River. Through his trading expeditions to Bicol, he met his future wife, Paciencia Tiam, who would become a steadfast partner in his many enterprises.

Recognizing the advantages of the strong northeastern winds ideal for forming salt crystals, Pison Sr. eventually ventured into salt production—then considered “white gold.” He manufactured bricks for salt beds using clay sourced from his rice fields, firing them in a kiln he personally built. To improve production, he engineered a Chinese-inspired wooden contraption equipped with multiple paddles, designed to pump saltwater from the river and fishponds into evaporator ponds and salt beds. His innovative system was soon adopted by salt producers across the Visayas and even in Mindoro, expanding the reach of salt trading throughout Visayas and Mindanao.

Through bold entrepreneurship and an unwavering work ethic, Pison Sr. made a lasting contribution to Iloilo’s agricultural and industrial growth. His achievements were made possible through the strong support of his wife and the loyalty of farm workers, many of whose descendants remain employed by the family today.

In recognition of his contributions, Pison Sr. was posthumously honored in 1981 as one of the “Ten Outstanding Iloilo Pioneers” by CREBA, ISOA, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo for his innovations in the salt industry.

His legacy inspired his heirs to pursue their own ventures, particularly in real estate. Through companies such as Kauturan Pison Development Corp. (KAPIDECO), Riverside Boardwalk Properties Inc., and S.T. Pison Enterprises Inc.

Despite his remarkable achievements, Pison Sr. was remembered as a simple man guided by passion and vision, values now upheld by the third generation of the Pison clan. Their developments stand today as symbols of Iloilo’s rapid progress and vast potential.

More than a hundred years after the chimney first rose above the fields of San Rafael, it remains at the heart of a community transformed. What was once the center of the Pison family’s agricultural ventures now anchors a modern district, carrying forward a legacy they continue to offer to the people of Iloilo.

Learn more about Ed Defensor and the Pison Monument the next time you pass by the rotunda.