The son of a Methodist pastor, he was raised in Davao, the multicultural city that nurtured his early interest in art. He discovered a love for painting while a student at the University of the Philippines. In 1993 Garibay held his first solo exhibition, which showed his ability to paint in oil, his favorite medium, and his talent to tell a story through art. Many of Garibay’s paintings focus on everyday people and places. He paints ordinary people in an attempt to portray them as political entities. In this way Garibay’s activism shows through in his work. He truthfully portrays ordinary people and places, leaving out the glamour that most Filipino artists add to their work. Garibay says, “It is the richness of the poor that I am drawn to and which I am part of that I want to impart in my art.

Born in 1962, Manny Garibay was given the prestigious Thirteen Artists Award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2000.