Manuel Baldemor is a painter, sculptor, printmaker, writer and book illustrator. He was born on March 26, 1947 in Paete, Laguna; a town known for woodcarvings. He was influenced greatly by his hometown as he traveled all over the world learning each country's culture. He has held numerous solo exhibitions not only in the Philippines but in cities around the globe as well. Baldemor has also received several awards in the Philippines and numerous invitations and grants in abroad. He was also chosen as an artist-in-residence in Chile, Estonia, France, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and Portugal. For years his works have been in reproduction on the UNICEF greeting cards and distributed worldwide.