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‘Law needed to order singing of Bagong Pilipinas’

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Cecille Suerte Felipe – The Philippine Star, June 11, 2024

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang’s directive to integrate the singing and recitation of the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge into the weekly flag ceremonies of national government agencies and instrumentalities needs a law, according to Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III.

“I suggest that the executive branch submit a bill containing those ideas, to amend the existing law governing the national anthem, pledge and flag-raising ceremonies. The (memorandum circular) is not sufficient. I believe a law is needed in order to authorize that,” Pimentel said.

Malacañang has ordered national government agencies and instrumentalities and encouraged local government units (LGUs) to integrate the singing and recitation of the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge into their weekly flag ceremonies.

Memorandum Circular 52, which was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, seeks to “further instill the principles of the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ brand of governance and leadership among Filipinos.”

The Palace directed the heads of all national government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned and controlled corporations and education institutions, to ensure that the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge are properly disseminated within their respective institutions and offices.

The Presidential Communications Office was also tasked to implement measures to communicate and make available the hymn and pledge to all government agencies and the public.

Pimentel said the policy “involves the way of thinking of the people. Hence, such a mandate must emanate from the people’s chosen representatives – their legislators.”

“Also, notice that the MC involves SUCs (state universities and colleges). The students therein are not even government employees. They all observe the established flag ceremony under existing law,” he pointed out.

For Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, the question in the MC includes “whether that is only for the executive branch or for everyone because the judiciary and then the legislature are separate, so (we need) to clarify that as well.”

Senate Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada explained that insofar as laws are concerned, the singing and playing of the Philippine National Anthem are governed by Republic Act 8491.

Section 38 of RA 8491 stipulates that whenever the national anthem is played at a public gathering, it must adhere to the musical arrangement and composition by Julian Felipe. Attendees are also expected to sing the anthem with fervor.

“It’s important to note that MC 52 is neither illegal nor irregular; rather, it aims to foster a culture of good governance and progressive leadership across all government levels,” Estrada said.

“It is no different from the singing of the Senate, school and university hymns, which is a way to remind us of the patriotism and unity of us Filipinos,” he added.

On the other hand, law professor Mel Sta. Maria of Far Eastern University declared that the memorandum on the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge is “in violation or goes beyond the mandate of RA 8491” or the Flag and Heraldic Code, and that the Office of the President “just transgressed a law which it claims it is implementing.”

Sta. Maria called the MC 32 a “coercive memo.”

Superficial attempt

Meanwhile, teachers are opposing Malacañang’s directive to require schools, national government agencies and instrumentalities to sing and recite the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge in weekly flag ceremonies, calling it a move “reminiscent of the political propaganda tactics seen during the martial law years.”

The directive is impractical, unnecessary and has nothing to do with educating students about nationalism and patriotism, according to the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC).

“This initiative is a superficial attempt to instill a brand of governance that, instead of genuinely educating schoolchildren about nationalism and patriotism through the exemplary lives of our national leaders, resorts to mandatory recitations and songs,” the TDC said in a statement yesterday.

“True nationalism and patriotism cannot be enforced through hollow rituals or the blind worship of national symbols, let alone a piece of propaganda,” it added.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed last week MC 52, as approved by President Marcos, which aims to instill the principles of “Bagong Pilipinas.”

The TDC pointed out that the administration does not need to force its own brand of governance and should instead work genuinely in the interest of Filipinos to “truly inspire and educate the youth.”

“The people in power have a duty to be responsive and responsible, exhibiting genuine love for the country through their respect for human rights, adherence to the rule of law and an active fight against corruption,” the TDC said.

“They must foster social justice through meaningful actions and legislation, not through the forced singing of a propaganda song and the recital of a pledge that appears redundant. The best way to teach our children about nationalism and patriotism is to show them leaders who lead by example, demonstrating their commitment to the country through their actions, policies and dedication to public service,” it added.

The group also stressed that the national anthem is enough to remind students of their duties to the country.

Meanwhile, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said it saw nothing wrong with the directive as, aside from Marcos’ having the prerogative to enforce his policies within the executive branch, instilling “positive values and virtues” to ensure everyone in government is aligned with the administration’s goals.

“If this is tied with the new Philippine Development Plan, then I don’t see what is wrong with ensuring that everybody in government is aligned with the goals and principles being pushed for by the administration,” CSC Chairman Karlo Nograles said at a press conference yesterday.

While the CSC is not required to follow Malacañang’s directive on the hymn and pledge recital, Nograles noted that he would speak with the rest of the CSC commissioners about implementing it.

Unconstitutional?

The Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) also opposed the new Malacañang directive, saying it may be unconstitutional.

Citing law experts’ opinion, CONTEND said RA 8491 or the Flag Law “does not provide the Office of the President the authority to create and require a new hymn to sing or pledge to recite during flag ceremonies in the country.”

CONTEND added that the introduction of the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge is reminiscent of the “dark chapter in our history, glorifying an era that brought suffering to countless citizens.”

“The ‘Bagong Lipunan’ of the Marcos dictatorship in the ’70s was a period marked by severe human rights violations, suppression of dissent and economic hardship for many Filipinos,” the group said.

“We challenge all educators to resist this unconstitutional move by Marcos Jr. and instead underscore historical truth and the principles of nationalism and democracy in our classrooms and research,” it added.

Manila complies

Some government offices in the City of Manila played the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge during flag-raising rites yesterday.

The Manila LGU and the Manila Police District (MPD) played the soundtrack of the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn.

MPD personnel recited in unison the “Bagong Pilipinas” pledge following pauses by the leader at the MPD headquarters.

At the LGU’s flag ceremony held at the Kartilya ng Katipunan Shrine beside the Manila city hall, a leader recited on her own the new pledge with right hands of the attending personnel raised. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Ghio Ong

‘20,322 killed until 2017 in Duterte drug war’

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Shiela Crisostomo – The Philippine Star, June 6, 2024

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 20,322 people were killed during Duterte’s war on drugs from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 27, 2017, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said during yesterday’s hearing of the House committee on human rights on the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) during the past administration.

Diokno said that of the 20,322 people, 3,967 were killed by police during law enforcement operations while 15,355 were eliminated by “riding in tandem and other unknown persons.”

But Diokno was berated by panel chair Rep. Benny Abante for not initiating the filing of cases against Duterte despite having clients among the relatives of EJK victims.

According to Diokno, those who are “directly aggrieved are very afraid to file cases because they know they are going against a former president.”

To this, Abante replied he was hopeful that such attitude of the victims will change because of the panel’s hearing. He urged the other victims’ families to come forward as the panel wants to help them formally seek justice for their loved ones.

The House committee on human rights will “invite” Duterte to shed light on the EJK in connection with the war on drugs.

[The Slingshot] A Duterte and Bato cop named Patay

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Antonio J. Montalvan II, Jun 10, 2024, Rappler.com

It was an unthinkable scene.

In the six years under Rodrigo Duterte, it was completely inconceivable to bring police officer Lito E. Patay to Congress and be grilled by legislators. First of all, the topic was classic Duterte untouchable: extrajudicial killings by the nation’s Philippine National Police (PNP).

Laguna congressman Dan Fernandez, who chairs the House committee on public order and safety, made a shocking announcement: “The government can use the minutes of these hearings for the purpose of coordinating with the ICC.” And that is what appears to be the aim of the hearings.

Paolo Duterte has scrambled a futile damage control by asking the House to also investigate all extrajudicial killings in the last 25 years under previous presidents. It is obviously a bid to detract attention away from his beleaguered father. It will fall on deaf ears, as it should be. The Duterte political capital is not headed for “maisug” days.

Lito Patay was certainly not the only one transported to Manila to begin Duterte’s so-called war on drugs. His assignment at Station 6 in Batasan, Quezon City, was the subject of a Reuters report complete with factual information sourced from police blotters and even interviews. How his police career was configured after Station 6 speaks so well of how the Duterte administration evaded justice for human rights violations – with impunity.

Reuters’ “The boys from Davao” (written by Clare Baldwin, Reade Levinson, Andrew R. C. Marshall) should continue to be read by many today as a very succinct representation of how Duterte mangled the state’s police force whose principal role is to protect citizenry into a killing machine.

No coincidences

Rodrigo Duterte assumed office as president on June 30, 2016. The next day on July 1, Bato dela Rosa assumed office as national police chief. Four days later on July 5, Lito Patay and his eight Davao boys arrived in Manila to begin their work at Station 6 the next day July 6. It was premeditated and well calculated. The Manila assignment had been planned.

That they came from Davao was not an accident. As it was also not an accident that Duterte had appointed Dela Rosa as the national police chief. As commander of Station 6, Patay had 78 police officers under his command to begin the drug war in that part of the metropolis.

Back in Davao, Patay had an aura of legend about him. One of the Davao Boys intimated to the Reuters writers: “Patay kayo kay Patay” (You are dead with Patay). He said his group was sent purposely to Station 6 because of their “special kill skills.”

Remember this was just the first year of Duterte’s drug war from July 2016 to June 2017. In the few months that Patay headed Station 6, it chalked up a death tally of 108. It was the highest in all of Quezon City. Second was Station 4 with 81 deaths. Total killed in Quezon City was 280 people. Patay’s Station 6 accounted for 39% of all police killings.

Yet, despite the publication of the damning Reuters exposé, the PNP never gave a damn about it. Patay’s police career, and that of his eight Davao boys, was never interrupted by any police inquest, as the law requires whenever suspects die during police operations. They just simply did not go by the books. They went by the Duterte books of Davao City.

Dutertismo lies

Patay mumbled at the House hearing that he had never read the Reuters report. He even denied meeting Baldwin, Levinson and Marshall for an interview (which he had, in Pampanga, where he was assigned after Station 6).

In 2017, Patay was promoted and assigned as regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of Central Luzon based in Pampanga.

In December 2017, Dela Rosa gave a public defense of Patay and the Davao Boys for the first time. He said he was standing by Patay and the Davao Boys. He said they fired only in self-defense. It was a classic Dutertismo lie. Nanlaban, they call it.

Dela Rosa said he chose Patay “because I have big trust in him, he has the balls to face the problems. He will fight. So what’s the problem?” He said Patay had been “given a free hand” at station 6 and had command responsibility over his operations. It was an implicit admission that what happened at Station 6 was the creation of Bato dela Rosa who also faces the possibility of ICC prosecution.

After Pampanga, Patay was assigned to head the CIDG Central Visayas. He told Cebu city media: “CIDG operations will not become synonymous to his surname which means death.” Media asked him about the Reuters report. He refused to comment.

On May 25, 2022, Duterte’s executive secretary Salvador Medialdea signed a 7-page document ordering the dismissal of administrative charges filed against Lito Patay for the brutal death of 17-year old Darwin Hamoy. Hamoy and four other urban poor  youth of Payatas B in Quezon City were killed after police said they had engaged the cops in a gunfight. Hamoy’s mother had testified that all four owned no guns.

But Medialdea said there was no evidence either that Patay was remiss in his performance of duties. He said all 16 policemen who participated in the killings did not use excessive force. It was expected. What was unexpected was Malacañang interfering with the alleged crime of a police officer.

Why was Patay so special to Duterte and Dela Rosa? He was a champion marksman. – Rappler.com.

Fil-Am student at SF State explains why she joined pro-Palestinian protest

Q&A with San Francisco State University student Mari Ramos

By: Jun Nucum@inquirerdotnet

INQUIRER.net US Bureau /May 26, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO – Many students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities nationwide, including Filipino Americans, have faced a range of repercussions, from arrests to suspensions.

Eliana Atienza – the daughter of  TV personality Kim Atienza – was one of the University of Pennsylvania students who were recently suspended for participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus.

Lauren Daus, a Fil-Am PhD student in UCLA Department of Education’s Urban Schooling Division, was arrested as police dismantled the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus earlier this month.

Student protesters at San Francisco State University (Shave recently reached an agreement with SFSU President Lynn Mahoney that addressed some of their demands, but Fil-Am SFSU student Mari Ramos tells Inquirer.net USA their fight continues.

Ramos, who is pursuing a degree in Broadcast Electronic Communications Arts, gave us an interview on why students continue to hold protest actions on campuses. He is a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Trans Club and Gabriela SFSU.

Q: Why did you set up an encampment on campus?

A: We launched our encampment on campus in support of Palestinian liberation and in protest against the California State University’s complicity in the ongoing genocide happening in Gaza.

San Francisco State University is a part of the CSU school system and invests money in Israel’s military, which is actively murdering Palestinian people. Since October of last year, more than 30,000 Palestinian lives have been lost due to this ongoing genocide.

As students who are paying $5,000 a year to go to classes, we are not okay with that. We want full transparency with where our money is going and we want to have a say in where it is going.

The rallies and encampments that are happening across the country today are in protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people.

Q: Were your actions coordinated with student protests in other universities across the US?  

A: We have gotten help from UC Berkeley when it came to getting supplies, like extra tents and sleeping bags for our encampment. Besides asking for aid, we have stood in solidarity with other university encampments because we are fighting for the same cause.

Q: Who were the rally/encampment participants?

A: Majority are students and faculty at the university, but our support has reached others who aren’t a part of the university, like students from local community colleges.

It’s good to see that our cause has reached people outside of our university because a lot of people don’t acknowledge how a lot of issues are intertwined. For example, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation was held in San Francisco in November and that was to increase militarization around the world, and funding for extra militarization contributes to the genocide greatly.

Q: There were reports claiming that ‘outside agitators’ made the situation worse. Do you  agree?

A: The claim of ‘outside agitators’ is used to delegitimize our cause. In this case, police act as outside agitators to our cause because of the unnecessary brutality and force that students at other encampments, like Columbia and UCLA, have faced.

Q: What measures have you taken to avoid violence and ensure safety during your protest actions?

A: We have organized different committees in order to maintain safety among our students who are camping. We have security who take on night shifts to watch the camp, and we have medics who have first aid kits. We also have taken the time to convene with everyone who is involved during our general assemblies to make sure that every individual’s voice is heard.

Q: What are your demands?

A: We have four demands:

  • Full disclosure of any and all investments of our school and the CSU system.
  • Full divestment from any and all companies participating in the genocide of the Palestinian people.
  • Defend all Palestinian people and their struggle for liberation.
  • Full and public declaration and condemnation of genocide faced by the Palestinian people. We will not end our protests and encampments until our demands are heard by our school’s administration and the CSU school board.

Q: Are you open to a dialog?

A: Yes. On Monday, SFSU President Lynn Mahoney came to meet us to openly negotiate about our demands. From what I have heard, nothing has been fully decided yet on whether or not we will accept her negotiations. If this meeting falls through, we will continue with our encampment until we are completely heard and our demands are met.

(Note: Shortly after the interview, an agreement with university administrators was reached.)

Gov’t to seize 320 properties worth billions from Chinese drug lords

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INQUIRER.net /May 25, 2024

MANILA, Philipppines — The government is set to forfeit billions of pesos worth of lands from suspected Chinese drug lord Willie Ong and his associates.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will file forfeiture proceedings against Ong, his real estate firm Empire 999, and his partners.

“They own 55% of Empire 999 Realty Corporation, which is in direct violation of the constitutional limitation of the 60-40 equity,” Barbers said.

Barbers said that the LRA and OSG committed to this action during Wednesday’s House Dangerous Drugs Committee hearing. The committee found that Ong and his associates, who failed to attend the hearing, were likely Chinese nationals posing as Filipinos.

“Since Willie Ong and company are not Filipinos, their Philippine passports must be immediately canceled by the Department of Foreign Affairs while Empire 999 Realty Corporation’s SEC registration be revoked and the corporation dissolved,” Barbers added.

Ong, owner of the SEC-registered Empire 999 Realty Corporation and a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, where 530 kilos of shabu worth P3.6 billion were seized in September last year, has repeatedly ignored summons to appear before the House probe.

Barbers said the LRA and OSG’s actions aim to prevent Ong and his associates from selling or transferring their illegally obtained assets.

Ong, whose Chinese name is Cai Qimeng, is believed to have fled the country in October 2023 using his Chinese passport. Authorities have been unable to ascertain the whereabouts of Ong’s associates, identified as Aedi Tai Yang, Jack Tai Yang, Michelle Santos Sy, and Elaine Chua, among others.

Atty. Salvalente Elizalde, chief of the LRA Legal Division, said during the hearing that the LRA would endorse an adverse claim to the OSG for court filing to forfeit Ong and his associates’ properties.

“Kailangang may kaso sa court. However, we commit right now that we will monitor the properties,” Elizalde said during the hearing attended by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, and Abang-Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Paduano, among others.

Barbers emphasized the need to inform the public about these questionable properties and to protect potential buyers. He also stressed the importance of investigating how these properties were purchased, whether through cash, banks, or laundered money from illegal activities.

If Ong and his associates acquired public lands, a reversion proceeding could be initiated by the LRA and OSG to revert the land to public domain. This is the proper remedy when public land is fraudulently awarded to private individuals or corporations.

Based on updated LRA data, Empire 999 has acquired 41 titled land holdings; Ong with 59; Aedi Tai Yang with 11; Jack Tai Yang with 15; Michelle Santos Sy with 72; Elaine Chua with 75; Albert Valdez Sy with 22; Na Wang with 1; Ana Ong with 10; Ana Ang with 5; Cai Quimeng, the Chinese name of Willie Ong, with 6; and James Valdez with 3.

Ong, Empire 999, and their associates have significant land acquisitions in Mexico, San Fernando, and Angeles City in Pampanga; Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan City, Aurora Province, Bulacan, Cavite City, Tagaytay City, Iloilo City, Lingayen, Pangasinan, Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Valenzuela City, Quezon City, Rizal, Muntinlupa City, Taguig City, Makati City, Malabon, Parañaque City, Manila City, Davao del Norte, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, and Tabuk, Kalinga, Apayao.

All were linked to interlocking companies created by another suspected Chinese drug lord, Michael Yang, who was appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte as a presidential economic adviser.

Yang, who was summoned but failed to appear at the hearing, was identified by former anti-drug law enforcement officer Col. Eduardo Acierto and whistleblower Arturo Lascañas as a drug kingpin based in Davao City.

This article was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence and reviewed by an editor.

A second look at the cases presented at the International Peoples Tribunal on the Philippines

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By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL and DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – The International Peoples Tribunal (IPT) issued a guilty verdict to Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the United States government for war crimes against the Filipino people and violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by the International Peoples Tribunal last Saturday, May 18.

For this year’s IPT, the tribunal focused on the war crimes and IHL violations.

Here are the cases presented at the tribunal:

Massacres of civilians

Tumandok Massacre. On December 30, 2020, a series of raids was conducted by the combined forces of the police and military purportedly to serve search warrants in different Tumandok communities in Iloilo and Capiz.

The police insisted that the victims were members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and that they fought back when the warrants were served. Leaders of the Tumandok communities, namely Roy Giganto, Reynaldo Katipunan, Mario Aguirre, Eliseo Gayas, Maurito Diaz, Arlilito Katipunan, Jomer Vidal, Garson Catamin, and Rolando Diaz were killed during the raids.

The families of the victims recounted that the combined forces of police and soldiers forcibly entered their homes and killed their loved ones, while the others, including children, were violently pushed outside their homes.

Read: Gov’t troops massacre 9 Tumandok in Panay

New Bataan 5. On February 23, 2022, five individuals, namely Chad Errol Ramirez Booc, Gelejurain Alce Ngujo II, Elegyn Balonga, Robert Aragon, and Tirso Añar, were killed in New Bataan, Davao de Oro while they were about to visit a community for research work for the Save Our Schools (SOS) Network.

The military claimed that an armed encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA) took place, but the locals confirmed that no such encounter took place. Prior to their deaths, the victims were subjected to threats, harassment, intimidation, red-tagging, surveillance, and other forms of death threats.

Read: 5 killed in Davao de Oro are civilians, not NPA, group says

Fausto family. Spouses Billy and Emelda Fausto, 55 and 50 years old, respectively, were killed along with their two sons on June 14, 2023 in Sitio Kangkiling, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. Ben Fausto was 15 years old while Ravin Fausto was 12 years old.

Before the incident, soldiers subjected the family to illegal searches, robbery, interrogation, and red-tagging.

On June 14, 2023, government soldiers arrived at their residence and opened fire at the house. After an hour, a neighbor of the victims woke up one of Fausto’s daughters, Emely, and informed her of the gunshots believing that it came from her parent’s house. They rushed to the residence and saw Emelda, Ben, and Raben lifeless, and only found the body of Billy in the morning, near a cornfield behind their house. The military claimed that it was the New People’s Army who was responsible for their death.

Read: ‘Probe massacre of peasant family in Negros’ – rights group

Attempted extrajudicial killing of Brandon Lee

On August 6, 2019, human rights worker Brandon Lee was shot by two unnamed soldiers outside of his residence in Lagawe, Ifugao. Lee, an American citizen and a permanent resident in the Philippines, is married to an Igorot, an indigenous people from the Cordillera region.

The attempted killing of Lee has resulted in paralysis from the chest down due to an injury to his spinal cord. Prior to the shooting, Lee has been subjected to threats and harassment by the members of the Philippine Army.

Lee is a correspondent of the alternative online newspaper, the Northern Dispatch, and a paralegal volunteer and provincial human rights officer in Ifugao for the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance and Ifugao Peasant Movement (IPM).

Read: Journalist, rights defender shot, seriously wounded in Ifugao

Killing of hors de combat and desecration of remains

Bilar 5. On Feb. 23, 2024 in Bilar, Bohol, five members of the New People’s Army, namely Hannah Jay A. Cesista, Domingo Compoc, Perlito Historia, Marlon Osomura and Alberto Sancho, were killed by members of the 47th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army and the Bohol Provincial Police Office.

Witnesses said the house where the five were staying were strafed by the military. A woman, whom the witnesses assumed was Cesista, a lawyer, coming from inside of the house shouted to stop the gunfire because there were children inside and that they would just surrender. Witnesses saw men coming out of the house with no shirts on. They identified one man as Compoc, a native of the area. The five were made to walk and crawl in the mud and they later heard Cesista begging for their lives.

Authorities claimed that the five were killed in a three-hour gun battle that also killed a police officer. But the Communist Party of the Philippines insisted that the five NPA fighters were caught alive.

Families of the dead also said that they noticed several things unusual in the bodies of their loved ones. They had wounds which could not have been caused by a firefight. The autopsies supported the families’ observations.

Read: Young lawyer, 4 NPA comrades massacred by AFP—CPP

Jevelyn Cullamat. On Nov. 28, 2020, New Peoples Army fighter Jevelyn Cullamat was killed by unidentified members of the military in Surigao del Sur. The Philippine Army claimed that 22-year-old Cullamat was killed during a clash between the NPA and a 12-man Army Special Forces team in the mountains of Surigao del Sur. After the killing, various units of the military released photographs of her corpse with a rifle clinging to her chest and surrounded by firearms and personal belongings. Flags of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the NPA, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDF) were displayed behind her, with soldiers also posing in front of the camera, some grinning and gloating. Her mother, then Bayan Muna Party-list representative, Manobo tribe leader Eufemia denounced the use of her daughter’s body as a “trophy” in what she called the government’s propaganda war.

Fake surrenders

Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano. On the evening of September 2, 2023 Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro were forced into a waiting vehicle while doing research in Bataan. They were brought to a room and were interrogated while blindfolded.

Later on, the two were surfaced at a press conference organized by the military, presenting them as “NPA surrenderees.” However, the activists exposed that they were abducted by soldiers and that they were made to sign affidavits under duress inside a military camp.

Read: 2 environmental activists defy military, expose abduction

Fake surrender in Tumandok communities. Aside from the massacre that took place on Dec. 30, 2020, several individuals were arrested and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, namely: Marilyn Castor, Luisito Bautista, Wilsio Chiva, Benito Caballero, Rodolfo Diaz, Lauriano Castor Jr., Marevic Aguirre, Ailyn Catamiin, Rolando Diaz Sr., Marilou Catamin, Rollen Catamin, Jucie Katipunan Caro, Eleuteria Caro, Benny Loraña, Ferdinand Caspillo, and Carlito Diaz.

The police tagged them as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines. In June 2021, a court quashed the search warrants used during the raids, releasing those who were arrested.

Read: Iloilo court says search warrant in deadly raid vs. Tumandok invalid

Bombing and militarization

A series of aerial bombings in two villages in the municipality of Balbalan, Kalinga took place in March 2023. About 1,000 residents or around 247 households from barangay Gawaan and Poswoy were affected. Soldiers were also stationed within the communities conducting house-to-house inspections and restricting the movements of the residents. Accordingly, the soldiers told the residents that the bombings and blockade were part of “cleaning” operations against the NPAs.

Other violations recorded were shelling, hamletting, denial of human access, arbitrary detention and attempted killing.

The bombing resulted in livestock deaths and has affected the residents’ livelihood. The said communities were earmarked as potential sites for hydroelectric power plant and large dam projects which the residents are opposing.

Read: Explosions in Kalinga community cause fear, anxiety

Terrorist labeling

Hailey Pecayo, Kenneth Rementilla, Jasmin Rubia, Rev. Glofie Baluntong were all charged with violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, international humanitarian law and common crimes because of their work.

Charges against them were junked by the courts.

Read: Court junks terror charges vs. Batangas rights defender for lack of evidence
Read: ‘How quickly the dominoes fall,’ terror charges vs. ST youth activists dismissed
Read: Clergywoman slapped with trumped-up charges for standing with the indigenous peoples

Extrajudicial killing of Peace Consultant Randall Echanis and his companion Louie Tagapia

Seventy-two year old Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis was a peace consultant for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) for the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms between the NDFP and the government. He was killed by five unidentified men at midnight in his apartment in Quezon City. According to witnesses, they heard a commotion coming from the unit where Echanis and Tagapia were residing and the sound of footsteps as if several people were running away. A witness said that he saw about five to eight individuals wearing face masks coming from Echanis’s unit and two suspicious vehicles parked outside the apartment gate.

Read: ‘Randall Echanis was made to suffer before he was killed’ – forensic expert

Enforced disappearances

Dexter Capuyan, 56, and Gene Roz de Jesus, 27. Both were indigenous peoples rights activists who were abducted by 10 state agents aboard two vehicles, introducing themselves as members of the Criminal Investigation and Detective Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

On April 28, 2023, they were supposed to be home after buying groceries at a nearby shopping center in Tanay where Capuyan was renting a room. A testimony from a tricycle driver said that they were abducted inside the subdivision. They remain missing until today.

Read: ‘We shall overcome’ | Searching for Bazoo and Dexter with a firmer resolve

The International People’s Tribunal 2024 is a quasi-judicial forum convened by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and the Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS) to investigate and address alleged war crimes committed by the US-supported Marcos and Duterte regimes.

It serves as a platform for victims and advocates and their organizations to present evidence and legal arguments related to the crimes committed against the Filipino people.

The IPT 2024 follows a series of tribunals on the Philippines, which first started with the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) in 1980 also in Belgium. The 1980 tribunal heard the two cases filed by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and found the Marcos Sr. dictatorship “guilty of grave and numerous economic and political crimes against the Filipino.” The tribunal also declared the NDFP as the genuine representative of the Filipino people.

The panel of jurors consist of legal experts and prominent human rights personalities such as Lennox Hinds, professor of Law at Rutgers University and former legal counsel for the African National Congress; Suzanne Adely, president of the National Lawyers Guild (US); Severine De Laveleye, member of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium; Julen Arzuraga Gumuzio, member of the Basque Parliament; and Archbishop Joris Vercamen, former member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.

Subsequent tribunals in 2005, 2007, 2015 and 2018 have indicted the Philippine administrations together with the U.S. government for committing crimes against the Filipino people. (RTS, RVO)

Is the ‘Artista’ bloc behind Zubiri’s ouster due to injury dispute?

Marc Jayson Cayabyab – The Philippine Star, May 25, 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The ouster plot against Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri that cost him his Senate presidency has taken an unexpected twist – all due to an action star’s foot.

Talk is rife on social media that what triggered senators’ discontent at Zubiri’s leadership was his refusal to allow virtual attendance for Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., who is nursing a reopened Achilles tendon wound in his foot.

A video of an undated session day went viral showing that Zubiri and Revilla talked about the latter’s request for virtual attendance, only for the former to turn it down because a foot injury “isn’t as bad as a coma.”

“We’re rules-based,” Zubiri said in the video, prompting Revilla, who was wearing an ankle brace, to literally put his foot down and lament the lack of respect: “Bastusan na tayo dito, eh.”

The STAR could not independently verify the video.

The video started rumors that this incident prompted the “Artista” bloc – composed of Revilla and fellow action stars turned Sens. Lito Lapid, Jinggoy Estrada and Robinhood Padilla – to turn against Zubiri and swing the numbers for new Senate President Francis Escudero, who got 14 senators on his side.

It was Escudero who defended Revilla’s request during the May 14 session, which was later granted by the body against Zubiri’s wishes.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa fanned speculation that this triggered the ouster plot.

In a GMA News interview on Wednesday, Dela Rosa denied his “PDEA leaks” investigation triggered Malacañang’s discontent with Zubiri, who claimed he was demoted for offending the “powers that be.”

Dela Rosa pointed instead at Zubiri’s stickler-for-the-rules attitude that irked Revilla, who in turn got the sympathy of his fellow actor-senators.

“When Senator Migz denied Revilla’s request, that triggered the ‘artista’ bloc and caused them to harbor ill feelings against him,” Dela Rosa said.

Reducing the ouster plot to a “petty” cause did not sit well with Zubiri’s ally Sen. Nancy Binay, who mocked the tale of Revilla’s “powerful” twisted foot unseating a Senate president.

“It is weird to think that of all conspiracy theories that came out since the Senate coup, a senator’s foot is the trigger why Senator Migz was booted out of his post. The best or worst interest of the nation is just a foot away,” Binay said Friday.

Binay said Escudero’s allies are making Zubiri’s ouster worthy of political drama by painting Revilla’s foot as “more powerful than the powers-that-be.”

“If that is the reason for Senator Migz’s ouster, then we can say they have really put their best foot forward. If a sore foot can inspire such decisive action, just imagine what a fully functioning pair of feet could do,” Binay said. “But for now, the foot has spoken. Let us all unite behind Sen. Bong Revilla’s foot.”

Binay vowed that the “Solid 7” – or those who opposed Zubiri’s ouster – would be formidable whether or not it chooses to be a minority or independent bloc in the Senate.

“Solid 7 will continue to march forward in the 19th Congress. We will stand on two feet, or one foot. Injured or not, rest assured, we will always step up,” she said.

On his Viber group with reporters, Revilla merely laughed off the puns that poked fun at his foot injury, which is going down in history as a powerful political weapon.

“It is one of the triggers, but there are several problems already. Let us move on from the issue,” Revilla said, vowing to put his best foot forward.

Let’s talk about the Banksy controversy in Manila

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Lala Singian, May 14, 2024, lifestyle.inquirer.net

Held at The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, this unauthorized showcase of Banksy’s work has spurred discussions on art, authenticity, and institutional critique

The presence of Banksy’s work in Manila, both original and recreated, has stirred up heated conversation with the recent unauthorized exhibition “Banksy Universe” that runs at The Metropolitan Museum of Manila (The M) from May 14 to Nov. 20, 2024. 

The exhibit has prompted discussions filled with complexities and points of contention, tackling the finer points of graffiti, made worse by the exhibition being in BGC where all street art must be pre-approved by the city. Taguig being one of the top five richest cities in the Philippines might have made it less popular, too.

Banksy Manila

Although Banksy’s works are inherently provocative, the exhibit’s unauthorized status has drawn criticism from many, sparking debate over the legitimacy of displaying his art without permission and invoking thousands of comments criticizing its “unauthorized” nature. But this unauthorized nature is a common trait of showcases of his work around the world, something which we’ll delve into further.

Nonetheless, The M has stood firm in its agenda, activating programs to engage with the community, and future plans to make a mural with graffiti artists (pre-approved, I think). 

READ MORE: The Metropolitan Museum of Manila releases official statement on Banksy exhibit

In line with the anti-establishment spirit of the street artist, we can’t turn a blind eye to the position of The M as an institution. But we must also be aware of The M as an unsubsidized, non-government, nonprofit foundation, which has been free of charge for over a year but only now, is forced to charge entrance fees by the end of the month to supplement overhead charges for employee salaries and building maintenance.

Pioneering feminist, institutional critic, and performance artist Andrea Fraser once said, “Art is not art because it is signed by an artist or shown in a museum or any other ‘institutional’ site. Art is art when it exists for discourses and practices that recognize it as art, value and evaluate it as art, and consume it as art, whether as object, gesture, representation, or only idea.” 

So let’s talk discourse. 

How the “unauthorized” conversation is not as big a deal as you think

In the realm of Banksy exhibitions, the distinction between “authorized” and “unauthorized” is crucial. 

Authorized exhibits by Banksy are few and far between. Meanwhile, unauthorized exhibitions of the artist’s work have proliferated since 2000. 

Something netizens may not be aware of is that there have been countless unauthorized Banksy exhibitions across Asia, Europe, and the United States for decades.

Unauthorized Banksy exhibitions are common, and neither too crazy nor controversial.

In New York, there is a permanent and totally unauthorized collection in The Banksy Museum entirely dedicated to work by the artist. Also in New York last 2021, there was the world’s largest Banksy exhibition entitled “Banksy Expo: Genius or Vandal?” with a collection of 80 genuine, authenticated works that were also unauthorized by the artist.

“The Mystery of Banksy — A Genius Mind” in Cologne, Germany held in a former car dealership, drew over two million visitors, despite it not having a single original artwork, and was instead presented as a tribute to the artist with recreated artwork.

International “unauthorized” exhibits of an identical fashion to Banksy Universe’s at The M have been an ongoing trend for decades, one many other institutions do not even bother to clarify. https://

Granted, The M did not say as explicitly as they could have that the exhibit was unauthorized in their announcement of the show. The post, which has since been taken down by BGC, simply wrote, “Art is not a crime.”

It’s also important to keep in mind that there is a difference between what is “authorized” and what is “authenticated.” 

Some of the work featured in these exhibits have been authenticated by the Pest Control Office, the official body that authenticates genuine Banksy pieces.

Many of these exhibits are removed from their original environment, detaching from an authentic experience of his street artwork. 

This is a statement repeated by The M, “It’s almost impossible to see Banksy’s original art outside of the specific locations in which they were created.”

Yet even if you walk the streets in Paris and see the original stenciled works by the artist near the Sorbonne, you can find them behind transparent plastic to avoid being tampered with, removing this sense of an experience of naturally stumbling upon his work, anyway.

One popular argument has been that Banksy’s legal guardian Pest Control espouses not using Banksy’s image for commercial purposes. But this seems to imply merchandise like his figures on a T-shirt or a baseball cap. 

Banksy Manila
Photographic documentation of Banksy street art.

To authorize a work by the Pest Control Office also costs £100 (₱7,266.75), not including taxes and other fees that may arise from shipping abroad, which also has a questionable aspect of capitalism. 

The main criticism for placing an exhibition that runs counter to Banksy’s subversive and anti-capitalist messaging in his art is ironic—a catch-22 situation where the value of Banksy’s work rakes in money, no matter what, as much as the artist pursues anonymity and independence from the system.

People do not like being lied to, and the initial lack of information and late admittance of the unauthorized exhibit prompted public outcry with criticism online that has spun out of control with over-the-top comments on high moral ground, as netizens called the exhibit “MMDA art” or “blasphemy,” among others. 

This awareness of the ubiquity of unauthorized exhibits seemed to be shared knowledge among art world authorities at the exhibit opening. But this was an absent perspective online, perhaps out of fear of being canceled on the internet. It even seemed to be passed around in whispers at the opening.

However, criticism of restrictions on graffiti in Bonifacio Global City, where the museum is located, is understandable. Yet one must also imagine if the city did not impose at least some rules and instead imagine a BGC where graffiti is not pre-approved, and everywhere you can find tags of fluorescent letters that spell out balloon-like b-boy names in fluorescent Day-Glo. Maybe a “live love laugh” along High Street, too.

Banksy Universe at The Metropolitan Museum of Manila

This particular exhibition at The M is handled by the production company Banksy Universe, a group of Frenchmen who toured visitors at the private launch last week. The collective seems relatively new on social media, judging from their Instagram, which launched their first post just last April 11, 2024.

The members of Banksy Universe include international street artists, who prefer to remain as anonymous as their collective’s namesake. Some of them traveled to Manila to transpose recreations of Banksy’s street art through stencils and spray paint in The M exhibit.

Arranged in an immersive fashion, Banksy Universe seeks to recreate the expanse of Banksy’s work in the range of spray painted stencil pieces on standing walls, original prints by anonymous private local and international collectors, and other imitations of original works.

At the time of the soft opening, aspects of curation could have been enhanced, especially given the recent controversy, with a focus on ensuring a more engaging and informative experience for visitors, as a gesture of respect and consideration. Although post-opening it has been reported that there are further wall text captions and even QR codes that can identify where the original pieces were found.

Banksy Manila

Upon entering the second floor, you move past a gray curtain, a couple of orange traffic cones, and a triangular road sign labeled “Banksy” with an exclamation point that indicates danger ahead. 

Inside are the exhibition notes detailing Banksy’s career since the ’90s, touching on how he plastered his work on buildings of corporate entities. 

You can find spray painted stencil recreations such as the King’s Guard subversively peeing against a faux brick wall. There is Banksy’s giant rat originally along Melrose Ave. in L.A. It holds up a red-tipped paintbrush that has written, “I’m out of bed and dressed. What more do you want?” 

Privately owned pieces include the print that plays on “Pulp Fiction,” showing Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta sticking out bananas instead of handguns. See one of the 500 editions of “Love Is In the Air (Flower Thrower),” a 2003 mural originally on the West Bank that depicts a masked man throwing a bouquet of flowers instead of a grenade or Molotov cocktail—a symbol to replace peace over violence.

Certain exhibits are also relevant to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine, specifically with the recreated room depicting the Walled Off Hotel—a project of Banksy that I and many other guests were not aware of.

Seven years ago, Banksy’s “Walled Off Hotel” (a play on words on the Waldorf Hotel) challenged Israel’s surveillance of Palestine. The hotel, which has since closed, was in front of the ugly perimeter wall between Israel and Palestine, boasting ”The worst view in the world.” The protest was a hotel and gallery in one, erected to mark the 45 employed staff and a permanent exhibit, with art all over the walls and frames with words like “Free Palestine.” 

Some of the elements in Banksy Universe can be classified as kitsch—such as a recreation of his imagined workspace, a red British telephone booth, and the well-known stall where Banksy sold original canvases to unassuming New Yorkers for cheap.

Banksy Manila

You can find screen prints showing Banksy’s “Pie Face” and other printed imitations of work where he took classical paintings and defaced the surfaces with his elements.

There is also documentation of certain album art like Blur’s 2003 studio album “Think Tank.” On one wall is a recreation of the notorious “Girl with Balloon” after it went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in 2018 for £1,042,000 (₱75,717,023.78), and was subsequently shredded live during the auction. 

There were also small works sold at the opening, original prints issued on-site by The Banksy Hotel. At first, I was a little surprised that a museum would be selling these box sets in a raffle to collectors when the museum’s nature is averse to commodification—but these are explained over by being sold by Banksy Universe, and not the museum. Child Hope Philippines is also the beneficiary of sale proceeds.

Towards the end of the exhibit, there are references to the 2010 documentary film directed by Banksy, “Exit Through the Gift Shop.”

Banksy and the purpose of provocation

With several works being reproductions, there is a definite sense that the curators focused instead on the social relevance of Banksy’s art.

The purpose of The M and Banksy Universe’s collaboration has been reiterated to raise awareness of the artist by detailing his many projects and forms of work, with references to social issues. They write, “The exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Banksy’s impact on the street art movement, showcasing his thought-provoking pieces that address social and political issues such as inequality, injustice, capitalism, and commercialism… [The exhibit] is a unique opportunity to learn more about Banksy’s art and explore the universality of the many piercing social, political, and domestic issues it raises.”

Does a good cause make good art? Art writer Jerry Saltz, one of Banksy’s occasional critics, wrote, “Good causes and actions have nothing to do with making good art.” Traditionally, values like surface, material, scale, and color, were what made up the criteria to judge a work of art in a gallery or museum. But lately, the values of art have been measured more and more by the artist’s intentions and the piece’s social meanings.

Banksy Manila
A recreation of “The Walled Off Hotel”

Banksy’s enigmatic persona adds another layer. Not much is known about the artist, except he is from Bristol. In his pursuit of anonymity, Banksy’s persona has always been anti-establishment, but these unauthorized exhibits highlight the tension between anti-establishment messages, institutions, and commercialization. For example, in a post-modern move, Banksy has persisted as a guerilla artist, like when he hung a painting at The Tate Britain, disguised as a pensioner.

He makes work that everyone can recognize, that stands on its own, far different from the fluorescent graffiti in large letters one sees on the street. His works are filled with dark humor and a deep sense of social criticism, with pieces that are largely black and white, occasionally highlighting certain colors. His images are simple in terms of composition but also a little bit edgy. There is some appropriation of art history and social issues, making graffiti more professional and also more bankable. Often his pieces are post-modern, with versatile mediums that go beyond street art, from paintings and prints to massive installations like Dismaland, the sinister satire world of Disneyland, dubbed a dystopian “Bemusement Park.” 

When you think street art, you think graffiti writers sprinting through subways in the dead of night or parkouring across crumbled, abandoned buildings. Banksy still works within the traditions of graffiti, working unannounced and disappearing into the night. He still paints, or (spray paints quickly over stencils), illegally, too. Although if he were discovered, he’d likely never be arrested, his identity would be revealed on the news, and he would make a lot of money. Banksy has transformed this rebellion through a fame machine that gets the message out but also millions of dollars.  

This whole issue is wrought with irony. While Banksy’s messages have always been anti-capitalist, many of his works have brazenly succumbed to the very workings of capitalism. So it is difficult to know what exactly the artist’s intentions are. While on Pest Control, he advocates for no dissemination of his work on mass commercial levels like T-shirts and caps, it’s difficult to proclaim definitively what his feelings are on all these unauthorized exhibits. Although ultimately, he appears to be the kind of person that just doesn’t give a crap, period. 

If there’s one thing that can be said about the provocative artist, it is that his 30-year career has made waves in contemporary art by leaving the white walls of the gallery—with a role as a street artist who has challenged societal norms, successfully engaging with political issues on a massive scale that keeps the conversation on art, life, and the many issues in-between—going.

The Manila exhibition as a catalyst for dialogue

Can genuine institutional critique truly emerge from within an institution? Within the art world, characterized by its bubble of privilege, these institutions may be viewed as engaging in nothing more than virtue signaling. The controversy of having such an exhibit of a provocative artist at an institution could have been expected. 

Maybe the fiasco that the Banksy exhibit in Manila has stirred is a success. It seems to be exactly the kind of conversation that Banksy is trying to elicit—the complicated, polarizing discourse between public institutions, private entities, and artists as well as a big middle finger to the man and authority.

The institution is taking active steps to address the issues raised by netizens, as The M plans an opportunity for a collaborative mural between graffiti artists.

Banksy Manila

On another note, there has been pushback from artists and the public for The M, with negative feedback for not exhibiting as many Filipino artists. Some authorities in the art world cited “Sounds of Blackness,” in particular, that despite it being a relevant exhibition that gave exposure to Black artists in Manila, it was criticized for not having Filipino artists. This is despite being in-between programs of fabulous “The Hat of the Matter” and a stunning retrospective of Annie Cabigting.

For sure, the exhibit is challenging for all involved, prompting curators, onlookers, collectors, and institutions to grasp the hard facts while staying well aware of the nuances and ethics of involvement in the art world and its institutions, within and outside of it.

On the anonymous provocateur and the unauthorized exhibit, take a side or don’t—any discourse is good. Banksy in Manila has undoubtedly made an impact. 

All photos courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Manila.