FEATURE

Bakas sa mga pader ng lansangan ang hinanaing ng mga mamamayan. Hindi ang mga poster na nagsasabing, ‘Vote for’ kundi ang mga bandalismo na turing ng karamihan ay dumi subalit sining ng mga naglakas-loob upang ipabatid ang kani-kanilang mga panaghoy. Elementarya pa lamang, tinuturuan na tayong gumuhit – hindi lamang ng mga letra kundi pati mga larawan. Naalala ko pa noong puro bura ang aking papel dahil sa mga lagpas na linya at sobrang panggigigil sa krayola. Noon pa ma’y manghangmangha na ako sa mga taong kayang maniobrahin ang mga kulay. Sa paglabas ko sa aming tahanan, napansin kong maraming ilustrasyon ang nakaukit sa mga poste at gilid ng mga pader. Tila may ipinaparating. Napatanong ako sa aking sarili, sining nga ba ang mga bagay na ito? Sa bagay, napakalawak ng sining. Wala itong sinusunod na pamantayan. Iba-iba ang pinagsisilbihan nito.

May mga nalilikha para sa estetika lamang ngunit mayroon ding mga taong lumilikha ng sining dahil sa politikal na esensiya nito na matatagpuan kung saan-saan.

Sa

Lansangan

Sa

Maynila, laganap a n g mga itinuturing na ‘vandal.’ Marahil ay walang matinong materyales upang lapatan ang kanilang obra kung kaya’t sa mga pader na lamang nila ipinipinta. Ngunit kung iisipin, maaaring gumagawa sila rito ng obra upang mabigyang pansin ang kanilang mga daing. Noong madaling araw ng Hulyo 26, dalawang aktibista sa Bicol ang pinaslang ng kapulisan. Hindi dahil natiyempuhan silang nagpipinta sa lansangan kundi dahil sa kanilang panawagan na itigil ang karahasan ng kasalukuyang pasistang namumuno na si Duterte. Matatandaan ding nadakip ang apat na miyembro ng Panday Sining noong 2019 matapos lumikha ng ‘protest art’ sa mga poste ng Light Rail Transit (LRT) sa Maynila na nananawagang tapusin ang panunupil sa mga aktibista. Ilan ito sa mga krimeng naganap sa ilalim ni Duterte. Kinilala ng mga pulisya ang ‘protest art’ na nalikha bilang bandalismo na siyang sanhi sa patuloy na pagdanak ng dugo sa lansangan. Sa lansangan maaaring matagpuan ang sining – kaakibat ng mga panawagan ng masang api. Itinataguyod nito ang boses ng sambayanang tinalikuran nang karamihan. Burahin man ng pasistang namumuno ang obra ng masang api, mayroon at mayroon pa ring sining na mananawagan para mawasak ang mapaniil na sistema. Sapagkat mas matimbang ang sining sa lansangan kumpara sa mga itinuturing na magagarbong sining sa mga museyo ngunit pawang nagsisilbi lamang sa iilan.

Sa Pakikibaka

Tanyag ang paggamit ng iba’t ibang uri ng sining sa tuwing protesta. Madalas gamitin ang mga placards tuwing protesta ng mga aktibista, bitbit ang kani-kanilang mga panawagan. Ilan sa mga alagad ng sining ay sina Ka Parts Bagani at Kerima Lorena Tariman. Kapwa sila artista ng bayan, ngunit kapwa ring pinaslang ng pwersa ng estado. Walang kalaban-labang pinatay ng mga militar si Bagani, isang kilalang rebolusyonaryong pintor at ilustrador, noong ika-16 ng Agosto habang si Tariman nama’y naging biktima ng engkuwentro sa Negros Occidental noong ika-20 ng Agosto. Pinapatunayan nito na ang mga galamay ni Duterte ay walang pakundangang ginagamit ang kanilang mga armas sa mga sibilyan, pati na sa mga artista ng bayan. Pilit na nililimitahan ng sistemang ito ang mga artistang lumilikha ng makabuluhang sining na tumutuligsa sa kanilang paghahari-harian. Sapagkat kapag ang mga piraso ng mga obra ay pinagtagpi-tagpi, maaari itong maging instrumento ng pagbabago. Makakabuo ang kanilang sining ng mensaheng makapagbubuklod sa masa at makapagpapatumba sa kasalukuyang bulok na sistema.

Sa Internet

Matatandaan din noong nakaraang Hulyo na nagtrending ang #Tumindig post ni Tarantadong Kalbo sa iba’t ibang social media platforms. Larawan ito ng mga taong hugis kamao na nakaluhod ngunit mayroong isang pumiling tumindig. Sinundan ng mga netizen ang post na ito ng samu’t saring komento at reaksiyon na ‘domino’ ang naging epekto. Ayon sa isang panayam kay Kevin Raymundo, artista sa likod ng Tarantadong Kalbo, hindi lamang siya gumagawa ng sining para lamang sa estetika – gustuhin man natin o hindi, ito ay laging politikal. Hindi maitatangging politikal ang sining sapagkat kaakibat nito ang sitwasyong naoobserbahan ng mga manlilikha sa lipunan.Likas itong pampulitika sapagkat nilikha ito ng mga taong may sariling pagkiling na naninirahan sa politikal na mundo. Dulot ng mala-pyudal at malakolonyal na sistemang umiiral sa ating bansa, naluluwalhati ang mga nararanasang paghihirap sa lipunan na karamihang naitatampok sa mga sining. Ika nga ni Alice Guillermo, ang sining ay hindi pumapagitna dahil nanggagaling ito sa mga tunggalian na nararanasan sa lipunan.

Sining sa Bawat Sulok

Ngayon, batid ko na ang sining ay hindi maikakahon sa ideyang pangestetik lamang – higit itong lumalalim sa tuwing nagagampanan nito ang kaniyang pinakalayunin. Iba-iba man ang kahulugan ng sining sa mundo, mas nagkakaroon ng silbi ang sining kung nailalaan ang esensiya nito sa pagpapalaya at hindi sa pagsisilbi sa iilan lamang. Sa kaliwa’t kanang pagputol sa mga kamay ng mga pintor, sa pwersahang pag-aresto sa mga artistang nais ipabatid ang kanilang mga obra, at sa walang habas na pagpatay sa mga artista ng bayan, nakatitiyak tayo na ang sining ay para sa kanilang ipinaglalaban. Ito ay para sa taumbayan – hindi para sa pansariling interes ninuman kundi para sa makamasang sining na nakasandig sa pambansa at makamakamasang pagpapalaya. Ang sining ay para sa masa at sa mga susunod pang nais gumuhit nang malaya laban sa mga baril ng pasista gamit ang bumabahang pintura. ▼

Nang tapatan ng bumabahang PINTURA

ang baril ng mga PASISTA

Kindling

a set of wildfires

WORDS JUSTINE RHYS MARTIREZ

Amid a global health crisis, Duterte found it best to add more torment to the people—signing Executive Order No. 130 that lifts the ban on large-scale mining. The said law lifts the 9-year ban on new mining agreements and orders the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to review existing mining contracts “for possible renegotiation.” However, this means allowing mining companies previously closed by former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to resume their operations—a move environmentalists condemned due to its looming environmental degradation. One such closed company is the Nueva Vizcaya-based coppergold mine OceanaGold Philippines Inc., formerly shut down in 2019 for continuing operations despite permit expiration as well as human rights and environmental violations. The local government and indigenous peoples were relieved then; however, Duterte this year approved the renewal of its 25-year mining permit. The fire was sort of extinguished, but Duterte is keen on letting it burn again. After all, it only takes one lit matchstick to start a series of wildfires.

Burning the environment

In 2016, Lopez ordered an audit of 41 large-scale mines in the country—23 received closure orders while five were suspended for committing “serious environmental violations.” But four years later, they continued to operate, an apparent display of this administration’s ‘culture of nonimplementation.’ The National Economic and Development Authority declared Nueva Vizcaya a “watershed haven and agroforestry hub”—the “life support system” of Region 2 and its neighboring areas, serious reasons why Governor Carlos Padilla had appealed to discontinue the mining operations because Didipio and Runruno need protection as subwatersheds of the Cagayan River. However, these watersheds are in critical danger. In 2018, the Institute for Policy Studies and MiningWatch Canada revealed that elevated levels of toxic minerals such as manganese, arsenic, and selenium, among many others, were found in rivers and streams around the mine, gravely affecting marine life in the surrounding waterways. The report also revealed that over 100 native hardwood trees around the site died due to OceanaGold’s tailings, but the company had no intentions to reforest. They failed to refute the findings; yet, it is still set to operate.

Incinerating human rights

The Duterte admin’s infamous crackdown on activists includes environment and land defenders. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development documented at least 98 cases of “attacks, intimidation, and harassment against human rights defenders in the Philippines… 27 were killings that mostly targeted land and environmental defenders.” Global Witness also reported in 2019 that the Philippines had the highest number of killings of land and environmental defenders with 30, 16 of which were mining-related deaths—making the country “one of the worst places in Asia for attacks against defenders.” For OceanaGold, a 2011 Commission on Human Rights (CHR) report revealed that the company violated the “Right to Residence... of several Didipio residents,” with the demolitions done with “unnecessary violence and destruction” as “houses had been bulldozed off cliffs and set on fire.” With violence undertaken for their operation, it is a big question mark why the Duterte admin set off to continue its renewal when such cases may happen in the future, especially that they do not enforce the laws to these large companies as they do the Filipino people.

Smoldering indigenous peoples and their domains

The Philippines is enchanted with unique and bountiful natural resources that mining companies always targeted. However, these endowed areas are mostly indigenous peoples’ ancestral domains—a minority that Duterte and past presidents repeatedly exploited. OceanaGold’s renewal came after the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples issued a Certificate of Non-Overlap indicating that the mining area is outside the ancestral domain of the Bugkalot tribe, a move that Alyansa Tigil Mina strongly denounced. “The NCIP has neglected to promise and protect the rights of indigenous communities – the Bungkalots, the Tuwalis, and the Ifugao – who are residing and living in their ancestral domains affected by the mines,” they said. OceanaGold is also infamous for violating indigenous rights. The 2011 CHR report revealed that the company caused the demolition of 187 houses in Didipio, resulting in these families’ displacement, “the majority... were forced to leave Didipio for good and abandon their indigenous community, customs, traditions, and way of life.” Now with the law in effect, more indigenous peoples around the country will suffer from the dire effects that new mining companies will bring. As the country suffers under a devastating health crisis, Duterte decided to add this to his arsenal of incompetence. With several wildfires waiting to happen, it is not only the environment that will burn down—as fire razes everything and everyone. But if we burn, they will not burn with us—as they are cowards who run away from the damages they caused. ▼

Kung wala ng kwenta at bulok na ang pesteng puno, dapat nang tibagin at patayin ang ugat. Huwag lang bawasan ang mga sanga. Ganoon din sa gobyernong puno ng katiwalian. Kung ang tatapyasin lang ay pili at iilan, hindi ito mawawala hangga’t hindi tinatanggal ang pinaka-ugat ng pang-aabuso.

Kamakailan, ang pag-aalburuto ni Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III matapos umanong “warakin” ng Commision on Audit (COA) ang reputasyon ng kanyang departamento ay hindi nakaligtas sa malikhaing imahinasyon ng mapang-asar na mga Pilipino. Ginawang meme at punchline ang mga kawalang-hiyaan ng mga opisyal bilang pagkundena ng kanilang kamalian. Gaya nang paggamit ng “Mañanita” at “Voltes V” matapos magdiwang ang dating PNP Chief Debold Sinas ng kanyang kaarawan sa kabila ng pagpapatupad ng social distancing at pagbawal sa mga pagtitipon dala ng

COVID-19. Ang paglabag ni Sinas at pagaalburto ni Duque ay pagpapakita ng kapabayaan at pagsasawalang-bahala nila sa kapanakan at sa kahirapang dinadanas ng mga mamamayan na matinding naapektuhan ng pandemiya. Habang si Sinas ay malayang nakakapagdiwang ng kaarawan sa kabila ng pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19, may mga Pilipinong hindi makalabas ng bahay upang maghanap-buhay. At habang si Duque ay umiiyak sa kanyang “nawarak” na reputasyon, may mga healthcare workers na nagmamakaawang dagdagan ang kakarampot na tulong na bigay ng DOH.

Ngunit, sa kabila ng mga kapalpakan at kapabayaang ito, nanatili pa rin sina Sinas at Duque sa pwesto. Naging malaking salik ang pagtatanggol at pagdepensa pa ng sarili nating pangulo sa kanilang kapabayaan. Sa hindi pagtanggap ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa panawagang patalsikin sila, pinagtitibay ng kanyang administrasyon ang katiwalian sa gobyerno.

Sa insidenteng ito, makikita natin ang naging papel ng pangulo sa pagpapatuloy at paglawak ng tiwaling pamahalaan minsan niyang pinangakong magiging malinis ang pamamalakad. Pinapakita ng pagsasanggalang ng pangulo sa kanyang mga kakampi na anumang kamalian na kanilang ginawa at magagawa ay ipagtatanggol niya.

Kaya naman, kahit na tapyasin ang mga bulok na sanga’t tangkay, magpapatuloy lang ang pagdami nila hangga’t nabubuhay ang puno. Matanggal man sa posisyon ang ilan, ay magpapatuloy pa rin ang katiwalian hanggang di napapanagot at patuloy ang paglalim ng ugat ni Duterte sa gobyerno. Ang pababago sa sistema ng pamamahala ay dapat nakatuon sa kung sinong namumuno at ugat nito. Nananatili ang kanilang depensa hangga’t nasa kanila ang kapangyarihan.

Nakatalaga sa Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas na bilang pribilehiyo ng pagkakaluklok, ligtas ang presidente sa anumang paratang ng pakakasala sa batas habang siya ay nakaupo sa pwesto. Kaugnay dito, nagpahayag si Duterte ng planong pagtakbo bilang Bise Presidente sa darating na halalan. Pinaliwanag niya sa pagtitipon ng PDP-Laban noong Hulyo 17 na ang pagtakbo niya ay para maka-iwas sa nakaambang mga kaso sa kanya kaugnay ng paglabag sa mga karapatang pantao ng ibinandera niyang “war on drugs.” Pinaliwanag naman ni UP Law dean Atty. Pacifico Agabin na nakabase lang ang ideya presidential immunity sa mga desisyon ng Korte Suprema. “Maraming duties at functions ang Presidente kaya hindi siya dapat maistorbo upang harapin lang ‘yung mga criminal or civil actions na naka-file sa kaniya. Kaya, meron siyang immunity from suit,” saad niya.

Kaya naman para sa Bise Presidente, hindi lubos at nakaangkop lamang sa sitwasyon ang pagbibigay ng immunity.

“Meron silang qualified immunity in the sense na puwede silang makasuhan pero puwede nilang ipadi-dismiss ‘yung kaso kung ma-prove nila na ‘yung aksiyon na ‘yun in question sa kasong ‘yun eh classified under official functions,” pagpapaliwanag ng dekano.

Ang pagpapahayag ni Duterte ng kanyang muling pagtakbo upang makaiwas sa mga pananagutan niya sa batas ay patunay na ang serbisyo niya ay hindi para sa bayan kung hindi para sa kanyang pansariling interes at interes ng kanyang mga alipores. Sa pagpapatuloy niya sa kapangyarihan, ang pagdedepensa, pagsuporta, at pagpapanatili ng mga tiwaling opisyal at maling sistema ay maaaring magpatuloy pa.

Ang pagdami ng mga sanga ng kurapsyon at pangaabuso ng administrasyon ay hindi mahihinto sa pagpapabagsak ng mga nasa puwesto at patuloy na pagkundena lamang. Kasabay ng pagpuntirya sa ugat ng katiwalian, kailangan na rin itigil ang pagtatanim ng bunga ng bulok na puno.

Ang pagluklok muli sa mga kagaya ni Duterte at ng kanyang mga alipores ay pagsisimula lang ng bagong siklo ng pangaabuso. Upang makamit ang reporma at tunay na demokrasya, kailangang siguraduhin na ang mga opisyal na ating ilalagay sa puwesto ay hindi kasing bulok ng dating puno. Mabuting isaalangalang sa nalalapit na halalan ang mga namumunong tunay na tumayo para taumbayan. ▼

Ang pagdami ng mga sanga ng kurapsyon at pangaabuso ng administrasyon ay hindi mahihinto sa pagpapabagsak ng mga nasa puwesto at patuloy na pagkundena lamang.

puno ng katiwalian:

pag-aalaga at pagpapalago ng kabulukan

SULAT NI JAN PEARL EAZRYE REYES

upboutcrop upboutcrop@gmail.com FEATURES

21 GOING BACK TO a crumbling home WORDS IMARI JAZMINE TAMAYO

The life of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) has always been romanticized. Many Filipinos believe that families with OFWs live glamourous lives; imported goods, expensive gadgets, and branded clothes are the things that always catch people’s eyes. They often forget the sacrifices made in exchange for these things.

For years, many OFWs have endured being away from their families because of the lack of opportunities in our country. A foreign environment, lonely nights, and unsafe working conditions are only a few challenges that they face once they leave our borders. Some even encounter fake companies and abusive owners that prevent them from returning home.

Despite these risks, the government continued to push for many Filipinos’ departures. In 2018 alone, it was estimated that there are 2.3 million OFWs all over the world. The reason behind this is the strong remittance inflows that they provide the country with. These remittances help alleviate poverty, provide stable cash flow and circulation, and allows the country to withstand financial crises.

Because of their sacrifices, OFWs were named the country’s modern-day heroes. However, now that they are the ones in need, who will be there to save them?

A Bitter Homecoming

It has always been every OFW’s dream to come home to the Philippines. However, they expected to come back when they have already improved their families’ financial status. No one predicted that their means of income would be taken away without any warning. The pandemic did not only affect the world’s healthcare. It also affected many companies and businesses that provided for many Filipinos abroad. Many OFWs were laid off and were forced to come back to the Philippines.

As of August 2021, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) reported that 654,546 OFWs have been repatriated since the pandemic began. However, there are still many Filipinos who are stranded abroad.

As of July 2021, almost 50,000 OFWs worldwide are still waiting to be sent home according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Moreover, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) admitted that the shortage of quarantine facilities prevents them from helping OFWs in coming home faster.

Airing the Dirty Laundry

The government reassured many displaced OFWs that their needs will be provided for once they come back to the country. However, these promises began to vanish one by one.

The “DOLE-AKAP for OFWs” promised a PHP 10,000 cash assistance to displaced OFWs. This cash assistance program began back in April 2020 but many OFWs said that they have not yet received this benefit.

Last March, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also urged displaced OFWs to file for loan programs to start their small business. Despite loans being available, not every OFW has the capability to grow a business. Applying for loans without any stable source of income may lead to bankruptcy and further debt.

Even if OFWs would want to avail these benefits, they must go through a lengthy process before receiving these aids. Various Facebook comments found in the posts of OWWA showed the grievances and difficulties that they had when applying for these benefits.

Some OFWs said that they were asked to provide several documents to confirm their eligibility for the benefits. Others said that it has already been months since they submitted their requirements but they have not yet heard from the agency. The lack of urgency on behalf of the government deprives these citizens of the benefits that they are entitled to have.

Need for Renovations

The Philippine government has always praised OFWs for their endless contribution to the country’s economy. However, gratitude should not stop with mere words.

The government should step up its programs in making sure that every OFW returns to the Philippines safely. They should have a sense of urgency when it comes to repatriating our fellow men who are stranded abroad. Moreover, quarantine facilities and swab tests should be readily available to ensure everyone’s safety. Transportation to their home provinces should be provided as well.

Accessible and consistent financial assistance should be given to OFWs. We should respond to the urgent needs of the people and junk the lengthy bureaucratic system that delays the distribution of assistance.

In the long run, the government should provide better opportunities within the country to every citizen. Filipinos deserve to live comfortably without being away from their families. They should never need to leave the Philippines just to put food on the table.

For years, Overseas Filipino Workers have kept the country afloat through their sacrifices. It is only right to provide for them now that they are the ones in need. ▼

You must have heard about it, stories of armed men on the hunt, raiding houses at the dead hours of midnight. They come barging at your doorstep with a death note in hand. And like a well-rehearsed magic trick, they suddenly pull out a rifle, a hand grenade, or small gun out of nowhere. A few words describe the outcomes that result after — illegal arrests, killings, and massacres.

From war on drugs to war on dissenters

Cut from the very same cloth which created Oplan Tokhang, the raids employ very similar tactics to the notorious drug operations. But instead of planted drugs, victims are planted with explosives and firearms; killed victims are also framed as ‘nanlaban’ encounters. At least a small grenade is uncannily seized in these raids to ensure that targets are charged with illegal possession of explosives as this is a non-bailable offense which means victims are sent straight into jail. According to human rights group Karapatan, as of March 2021, there have been 1,205 victims of illegal search and seizure since Duterte took office. A chunk of these reported searches were conducted just after the pandemic had struck, usually targeting offices of progressive organizations and the homes of union leaders and peasant organizers. Among these raids were the ‘Tumandok Massacre’ in 2020, where nine indigenous leaders were killed and 17 others were arrested; the ‘Bloody Sunday’ in the Southern Tagalog region which resulted in the arrest of six individuals and killing of nine including known labor leader Manny Asuncion; and crackdowns in Metro Manila and in Northern Luzon where known victims include mothers Reina Mae Nasino, whose three-month old child’s death, baby River, sparked massive outrage from the public, and Amanda Echanis, the daughter of slain activist Randall Echanis.

Free pass to abuse

Search warrants contain the place to be searched, the names of the persons involved, and the items to be seized. It is applied for by a witness under the grounds of having probable cause. This judicial mechanism however is prone to abuse. Most of the applications are submitted by law enforcers themselves and probable cause, accompanied by the affirmation of an accomplice judge, can be easily concocted for a specific target. Moreover, most of the search warrants issued in these raids come from courts outside their region making it nearly impossible to be predicted. The implementation of these searches are also very questionable. In the case of arrested activist Pol Viuya, it was said that the recovered grenade was found casually hanging in his window. Other silly reports include firearms or explosives that were seized under a pillow, inside an eco bag with brown rice, and on a shelf along with ‘sari-sari’ items. Progressive groups point at the surge in the arrests and killings of activists to the factory-like production of search warrants by the very same judges. It was Quezon City Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos Villavert who was behind the Bacolod and Manila arrests in 2019, and the Human Rights 7 arrests in December 2020. While Manila First Vice Executive Judge Jose Lorenzo dela Rosa and Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Jason Zapanta issued search warrants in the crackdown in the Southern Tagalog region.

Justice yet to be served.

Due to persistent calls for the review of search warrant issuance, much needed correction was made when the Supreme Court limited the power of executive judges to issue warrants only within their region’s jurisdiction, stated in a memorandum released last July 19. This includes an amendment requiring the use of body cameras by police during the execution of warrants. There have also been reports of legal wins such as the quashing of the search warrants issued by the mentioned search warrant factories by courts in Capiz, Bacolod, and Mandaluyong. Justice however is far from achieved. Many of the arrested remain in jail even in the midst of the pandemic, not to mention the countless lives that have already been taken. Moreover, the bloodstained hands of the law enforcers and judges behind these raids continue to run free and are left unpenalized. The search warrants have become Duterte’s personal death note, listing those who’d dare to oppose him – instituting a de facto martial law regime to maintain his hold of power. But true power is within the people. As elections draw near, may we look back into the countless deaths brought by the administration’s rabid attacks on the people. Let us seek justice for the people that have been terrorized by holding the people behind these attacks accountable so that the next names that are written in the death note are no other than the names of Duterte and that of his allies. ▼