Invitation to Artists and Cultural Workers to a Discussion on the Morong 43

Dear Fellow Artists and Cultural Workers,

Warm greetings from Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP)!

"The abduction in Morong, Rizal province, last February 6 and continued illegal detention in Camp Capinpin, Tanay, in the same province, of 43 community health workers and professionals received widespread condemnation here and abroad. The denunciations escalated when the AFP leadership refused to promptly follow the stern order of the Supreme Court to show the 43 in open court." (from Joel Garduce)

We are currently continuing efforts to widen the campaign regarding the Morong 43 as the stakes of freeing them become higher. In accordance to this, CAP invites you to a discussion on the Morong 43 and the Free the 43 Campaign on March 13, 2010, 4pm at #1 Maaralin Street, Teacher's Village, Diliman. The speakers include, families of the arrested health workers to give their account, doctors and health workers, and lawyers that help the Morong 43.

Please do not hesitate to reply to this thread, email us at concerned_artists_ phil@yahoo. com or text/call us at 0929-6454102 for questions or confirmation.

As artists/cultural workers, we hope you are with us in our continuing efforts to guard the welfare of the people and our freedom amidst a regime that knows no boundaries in employing violence to suppress dissenting voices, especially as one of the victims of the Morong 43 is the wife of our fellow artist and former Dean of the College of Fine Arts in UP, Prof. Leonilo Doloricon.

Thank you very much and hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Roselle Pineda
Concerned Artists of the Philippines

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IGPAW: Artists’ Action Towards Recuperation from Calamity

IGPAW: Artists’ Action Towards Recuperation from Calamity

Almost a month had passed and we are still in the stage of relief and recovery. Communities are still flooded, some still covered in mud, corpses from landslides and floods are still being recovered, people are still living in evacuation centers and piles of garbage are increasing in numbers as the victims try to clean their abodes. The combined forces of natural disaster and systemic crises had left the Filipino people in a state of great depression.

It is in this light that the Concerned Artists of the Philippines launches IGPAW: Artists’ Action Towards Recuperation from Calamity. The IGPAW project is composed of 1) basic integration and relief/field operations program for the artists 2) rehabilitation program through art workshop, livelihood trainings and rebuilding educational facilities like day cares, etc., and, 3) photo exhibition, cultural programs and other artistic outputs resulting from the relief/field operations and rehabilitation programs.

How can you help the IGPAW project?

1. Participate in field operations. CAP coordinates with other institutions and organizations in relief programs and feeding programs. You can help in collecting donations, repacking goods and cooking meals for distribution, or actually joining us in relief operations in various areas. For more information and schedule of activities, contact us through postmodernlily@ yahoo.com or 0929-6875322.
2. Submit photographs of the recent calamity. Your photos will be a part of a series of group exhibitions which aims to raise awareness, generate funds for IGPAW programs and encourage artists, students and cultural workers to participate in projects like IGPAW. Please have your photos printed in either 4R or 8R sizes. You may send as many photos as possible. For inquiries and submissions, contact Avie Felix through avie33@yahoo. com or 09296875322.
3. Help facilitate rehabilitation projects. CAP is developing a rehabilitation program for victims of Undoy through art workshops, livelihood trainings, and rebuilding educational facilities. Since this is the third phase of the IGPAW program, we are still in the planning and developing stage. Your assistance and commitment to help us in rehabilitation programs in the coming months will be very much appreciated.
4. Donate your artworks. CAP will be selling donated artworks to collect funds for the IGPAW project, especially for the rehabilitation programs. Your old works (paintings, photos, sculpture) which you may wish to donate to IGPAW will help raise funds to help Undoy and Pepeng victims.
5. Donate goods, clothes, blankets, medicine. CAP has designated drop-off points such as TEN02 Bar, 70s Bistro, CMC Film Department where you can bring your donations.

The IGPAW project is in partnership with Citizen’s Disaster Response Center (CDRC), Serve the People Brigade, Balsa, Tulong Kabataan and other NGOs and mass organizations. For general inquiries, contact CAP IGPAW Hotline: 09296875322 or send email to concerned_artists_ phil@yahoo.com.

CALL FOR PHOTOS

As part of IGPAW: Artists’ Action Towards Recuperation from Calamity, Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) will hold the IGPAW Exhibit, a series of exhibits which aims to raise awareness on the need for assistance in rescue, relief and rehabilitation programs for typhoon victims, generate funds for IGPAW programs and encourage artists, students and cultural workers to participate in projects like IGPAW.

CAP is requesting photographers/ artists/enthusia sts to submit photographs of the recent calamity. The photos will be exhibited on several venues, the first of which is the UP Faculty Center Gallery on November 23-27, 2009.

Print your photo/s in either 4R or 8R size. Attach your name and the title of your work with the prints and submit them to us. You may send them by express mail to IGPAW Photo Exhibit, Unit 3A MS Tower No. 29 Road 8 Project 6 Quezon City or contact Avie Felix at 0929-6875322 to find out where you can personally submit your works. Deadline for submission of works is on November 13, 2009.

The photos that you will submit will be considered as donations for the victims of typhoons Undoy and Pepeng. In the event that any of your works are sold, the revenues will be used to sustain the IGPAW Project. You may also donate other artworks (paintings, photographs, sketches/drawings, sculpture) to help the IGPAW rehabilitation program.

Avie Felix
UP Film Institute
9206863

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CAP Protest Statement on CCP Event to Honor Imelda

Concerned Artists of the Philippines
Protest the Arroyo regime's lavish cultural tribute to Imelda Marcos!

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) joins concerned Filipinos in protesting tonight's lavish cultural event organized by the Arroyo government through the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to praise Imelda Marcos' so-called patronage of the arts.

We find mounting tonight's event needless, profligate and immoral, considering specially that public funds were used. There are far more appropriate and meaningful ways for the CCP to commemorate its 40th year, and the current CCP Board should not have taken leave of their better senses in going ahead with this event.

The Filipino people have nothing to thank Imelda, even for establishing the CCP. It is precisely when the institution transcends its origins as an extravagant, elitist and insensitive undertaking of a tyrannical regime that the CCP has its finest moments. Only an equally corrupt, fascist and puppet power clique like the Arroyo power circle can ever be obliged to pay tribute to a paragon of corruption, repression and moribund politics that Imelda is.

Tonight's CCP tribute to Imelda is another bleak manifestation of the festering crisis in Philippine culture and the arts. It highlights once again that the dominance of fascist, feudal and colonial culture remains in our society, to the benefit of the utterly corrupt and intolerably oppressive like Imelda Marcos and the Arroyo regime, and to the detriment of justice, freedom, democracy and dignity for our people.

We remind our colleagues in this cultural institution that, as responsible Filipino artists and cultural professionals, we ought not to be party to indulging our people to forget the grievous sins of dictatorship. How can we move on as a people if we deny ourselves learning from the very fundamental lessons history has verily taught us, lessons paid in dear blood by Inang Bayan's modern martyrs and finest sons & daughters? Going blind over the Marcos tyranny's monumental corruption, fascism and puppetry does not foster an arts and culture worthy of the Filipino. We urge our colleagues in the field of arts and culture to stand their ground and not to vacillate and be coopted on the matter of moribund politics.

The CAP itself has been one of the leading cause-oriented organizations that overthrew the yoke of despotism in 1986. Our joining this picket tonight is our proud way of saying "When we say 'Never Again', we mean it!".

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Concerned Artists of the Philippines on 2009 National Artist Awards

CAP INDIGNANT OVER MORIBUND, DECADENT POLITICS BEHIND THIS YEAR'S SELECTION OF NATIONAL ARTISTS

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines joins much of the Filipino arts and cultural community in expressing indignation over the unprecedented brazen use by the Arroyo regime of the National Artists awards for its moribund, decadent politics.

We are outraged that Arroyo has transformed the National Artists awards as her own largesse for doling out political favors. More than half of the seven new National Artists awardees were Arroyo's direct recommendees that were not on the list given by the both the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the sole agencies tasked by law to recommend National Artists awardees.

We particularly detest the designation of Presidential Adviser on Culture Cecille Guidote-Alvarez as National Artist as reeking of the worst kind of patronage politics the Filipino people would have long been far better off without. Alvarez's designation speaks of the worst conflict of interest possible in this situation, given that she is currently NCCA executive director and heads the secretariat for the National Artists awards! How is it possible that such an award can be seen in any good light, and that the awardee would accept it in all good faith and honesty?

We cannot but see Alvarez's being named National Artist as Arroyo's way of returning political favors after Alvarez's consistent whitewashing of her regime's corruption and repression. As well, we see this as a spectacular condonation of various reported anomalies at the NCCA committed by Alvarez all these past years.

It gets worse. Malacañang is vainly covering up for its wanton presidential abuse by contending that it just dispatched its "purely ministerial" duties in naming this year's National Artist awardees. This is a brazen lie that is easily shown by a simple inquiry into the entire process, and by those from both the NCCA and CCP who were affronted by the grave presidential indiscretion after they went through a rigorous selection process!

We find this action by Arroyo as being consistent with her longstanding deceit of the Filipino people, capped recently by her last State of the Nation Address (SONA), the worst farewell SONA in our country's history. It is consistent with her overall disdain for all public accountability throughout her rule, as she engaged in massive cheating, corruption, brutal and bloody suppression of consistent critics to her criminal reign, puppetry to corrupt foreign interests, wholesale subversion of the constitution she vowed to uphold and protect, and sabotage of fully urgent and legitimate impeachment moves against her all these years.

Arroyo's virtual subversion of the National Artists awards process highlights as well her regime's deliberate exacerbation of the longstanding severe crisis in Philippine culture and the arts. Her regime will long be infamous for worsening colonial, feudal, fascist and commercial culture, shown by (1) its unabashed promotion of English as official language of instruction, commerce and government; (2) unprecedented opening up of the economy to foreign cultural goods and services, leading to the virtual decimation of the local cultural economy; (3) annihilation of native and minority cultures brought by unrivaled disruption of the agriculture- based livelihoods of Filipino cultural minorities and native communities; (4) the brazen bastardization and commercialization of Filipino native cultures and customs through promotion of tourism attuned to neoliberal globalization; and (5) its brazen suppression of the constitutionally- guaranteed freedom of expression by censoring numerous films with social commentary that have in fact been recipients of many international and local awards, and its world-class annihilation of journalism and journalists.

CAP will be alongside Filipino cultural workers, professionals and advocates in taking immediate direct actions to justly detest this latest outrageous act of the Arroyo regime. We enjoin all other freedom-loving Filipinos to do likewise. Philippine arts and culture deserve no less.

Sobra Na! Tama Na! Patalsikin si Gloria!

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Buhay ang Drama sa Cultural Center

Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP):
Pahayag ng pakikiisa sa CCP Vendors at Bike Operators

Buhay ang Drama sa Cultural Center

Ilang hakbang sa labas ng pangunahing gusali ng Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP), may drama sa totoong buhay. Ilang hakbang mula sa
CCP ay ang Plaza Ulalim. Naririto ang mga tindahan ng vendors at bike
operators. Sila'y tinatangkilik ng di iilan dahil ang kanilang paninda
at libangan na pagpapa-arkila ng bisikleta ay abot-kaya kaysa ibang
establisamento sa baybayin ng Manila Bay, o sa CCP complex mismo.

Enero 31, 2007. Alas-9 ng umaga. Yumanig ang lupa sa Plaza Ulalim nang
pumasok ang mga trak, bulldozer at forklift. Bumaba ang mga 400 tauhan
ng MMDA. Dirediretso sa mga tindahan. Pinukpok! Sinira! Dinistrongka!
Parang mga asong ulol!

Napaatras ang mga vendors. "Sino ang inyong pinuno? May kasunduan kami
ng Cultural Center! Irespeto nyo ito!" hiyaw nila sa kanilang
megaphone.

"Formation!" ang sagot ng dumadagundong na loud speaker sa trak ng
MMDA. Huminto. Nag-formation ang mga asong ulol.

"Kunin niyo kung anong makukuha ninyo! Walang ibabalik!" ang sunod na
order. "GO!"

Naglabasan ng mga pangil. At, mula sa mga pangil ay tumulo ang laway,
nilapa ang mga pagkain at sopdrinks na paninda!

Nagpatuloy ang kahayupan. Kinumpiska ang mga materyales ng tindahan.
Hinablot ang mga yumakap sa kanilang kagamitan at pinagtutulak
palabas. Kinumpiska ang mga upuan, balde, pinggan, kubyertos, gasera,
bisikleta... oo, kumpiskado maski bisikleta na pinundar mula sa 13th
month pay ng anak ng vendor.

Rumatsaga ang forklift. Dinakma ang stall ng vendors'coop. Tumba!
Umabante ang buldozer. Sinuyod ang mga tindahan. Giba! Hayop talaga!

Alas-12 ng tanghali. Umaagos ang luha ng hinagpis. Winasak na ang
kinabubuhay. Pero, buo parin ang loob ng mga vendors na ipaglaban ang
karapatan nilang mabuhay. Nagmartsa sa CCP. Iginiit ang kasunduan.

Mayroon silang pormal na kasunduan sa CCP. Nakatakda dito ang kanilang
pagpwesto, pagayos, paglinis at pagpaganda sa lugar, paglikas
pansamantala kung kinakailangan, at ang pag-integrate sa kanila sa CCP
Master Development Plan.

Alas-5 ng hapon. Nasa bungad parin sila ng CCP. Wala pang humaharap na
opisyales ng pangunahing institusyon ng sining at kultura.

Isang araw bago ang kalagiman, sinabi ng kinatawan ng CCP na ang
demolisyon ay direktiba ng Malacañang; wala daw silang magagawa. Sa
isang salita, sorry? "Sorry"— ito ba'y haplos ng nakikiramay? tapik
ng walang pakialam? o dagok ng nang-tsutsupi?

Alas-5:30 ng hapon. Tinaboy muli sa banta ng dispersal ng mga polis.
Napilitang umatras.

Bumalik sa Ulalim ang mga vendors para kunin ang mga gamit nilang
masasalba pa. Sa harap ng sakdal na lumulubog na araw sa Manila Bay,
wumasiwas ang mga baton ng demonyo (MMDA, walang ID)! Nangbugbog,
nanghampas ng silya, nambasag ng timba sa ulo ng mga taong kukuha ng
sarili nilang pagaari.

May ilan pa sana silang natago sa may baybay dagat. Di naman
sing-halaga ng batong diamante. Ito'y tulad lang ng ilang pirasong
butong (buko). Panawid sana sa mga susunod na araw na walang kita.
Pero nandyan si Commander Danao, Head Security ng CCP, para ituro sa
demonyo ang pinagtataguan at isama sa kumpiskado. "Sorry" parin ba ang
sagot dito?

Bakit demolisyon? Ang mga vendors daw ay "masakit sa mata."
Masmasakit ang magbulag-bulagan sa kahirapan, dahil asal hayop ang
magiging pagturing sa kapwa. Masakit ang maging mahirap, pero hindi
ito kriminal.

Bakit demolisyon? Ito daw ay sa ngalan ng pagunlad (development) .
Pagunlad para kanino? Para sa mga investors na malalaki at mayayaman?
Aba'y sobra-sobra na ang kanilang milyones hanggang sa ika-siyam na
buhay nila. Ang tunay na kaunlaran ay isang lipunang may oportunidad
makapag-hanapbuhay at mabuhay ng marangal ang mga mamamayan. At, isang
lipunang may kulturang kinikilala ito.

Hindi nagwawakas dito ang buhay na drama sa CCP dahil tuloy ang
pakikibaka ng vendors para sa kabuhayan. Ang lakas nila'y mula sa
sama-samang pagkilos at pagbubuklod sa ilalim ng Federation of CCP
Vendors and Bike Operators, Inc. Ang pagsulong ng pakikibakang ito ay
kasabay ng pakikibaka ng iba pang mga organisasyon para sa mga
saligang karapatang pantao. Isa kami, ang Concerned Artists of the
Philippines, sa nakikiisa sa pederasyon at iba pang maralita.

Tinatawagan namin ang mga opisyales ng CCP na respetuhin ang
kasunduang nilagdaan nila. Tinatawagan namin ang mga kapatid naming
alagad ng sining sa loob at labas ng CCP na suportahan ang isyus ng
CCP vendors at bike operators, ikundena ang karahasan ng mga ahente ng
Malacañang, at isulong ang isang CCP Master Development Plan na
maglilingkod sa lahat, mayaman man o maralita.

Ang pakikibaka para sa interes ng nakararami ay kasabay ng pagsulong
natin ng marangal na kabuhayan bilang mga alagad ng sining.

Ibalik ang kabuhayan ng CCP vendors at Bike Operators!
Tutulan ang "programang pangkaunlaran" na magsisilbi lang sa iilan!
Ibagsak ang kontra-mahirap na regimeng US-Arroyo!
Mabuhay ang makabayang artista!
Mabuhay ang mapagpalayang sining at kultura!

27 Pebrero 2007
Concerned Artists of the Philippines
Reference: Soc Jose, Secretary General

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