Growing up in Hagonoy, Bulacan, Fil Delacruz was admittedly raised within a family of simple means. His father, originally a farmer from the municipality of Angat, turned into a fisherman when he married Fil's mom, who was a school principal. This dynamic realism resulted in a matriarchal authority.

However, young Fil had always believed in Picasso's memorable quote that "all kids are born artists." He often found himself daydreaming, drawing and doodling, even before he knew how to read and write. Unfortunately, as he grew up, only the stubborn children continued to make art for it wasn't look upon favorably. After all, for those with minimal resources, each sheet of paper or ballpen ink could have been used for schoolwork instead. But Fil treaded on.

Another roadblock manifested just before college. Faced with daunting matriculation fees — aside from the ever-consumable art materials — his mother advised that art should not be a profession, just a vocation. This was counseled from the kindness of her heart, for she believed it might be difficult to independently support oneself.

So, they — mother and son — struck a deal: to let his four other siblings, him being the middle child, finish their educational journeys first. Only then he may begin his own.