He graduated with an architecture degree from Mapua. He was only 12 when he became carver-apprentice to his father, Jose Alcantara, prominent woodcarver of stylized classical genre. Together they did the wooden mural about rural life, installed at the theatre lobby of the PhilAmLife Bldg. in Manila. In the seventies, he did several sculptures for the interior design projects of Wili Fernandez, Edith Oliveros, and Lor Calma. A versatile artist, he works in both classic and modern idioms, in woods as well as in metal. Some of his commissioned works are at the Philippine Village Hotel, the Plaza Hotel, and the old ABS-CBN. Since migrating to the US in 1978, he has continued to do his creative work and commissions. In 1998, he held a solo exhibition at the Ayala Museum. In 2006, his wood carving “Harmony” was awarded First Prize in a competition held at the Las Vegas Art Museum.
