Let us look at how Aquino was portrayed in effigies through the years starting his first term as president.
PNoy Salamangkero
In July 2010, barely two months after President Benigmo Simeon Aquino III was proclaimed President of the Republic of the Philippines, progressive artist group UGATLahi Artist Collective constructed “PNoy Salamangkero” depicting the new Chief Executive as an illusionist tricking the people. Early on, progressive groups expressed doubt the Aquino regime would usher in genuine change because of his haciendero roots and pro-American stance. Aquino had gallant slogans in his June 2010 proclamation speech: “walang wangwang,” “tuwid na daan” and “kayo ang boss ko” were only some lines the people would hear him say repeatedly, even if as early as September 2010 the spate of violent and inhuman demolitions in urban poor communities started.
This was the first and only effigy that wasn’t burned during the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) as his true character was yet to fully unfold.
PNoy ‘Bugok’ (Rotten Egg)
In 2011, progressive groups unveiled Aquino’s effigy resembling a rotten egg atop a military Humvee. Failing to fulfill campaign promises of change, human rights abuses persisted as Aquino’s counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan went on full swing.
The whole process in making the 2011 effigy:
PNoy ‘Two-face’
In 2012, Aquino was portrayed as a two-faced President;with one hand carrying a wilted flower to symbolize failed promises and an iron fist wielding a deadly metal ball on the other to represent continuing human rights violations. By September 2012, there were 123 activists and peace consultants abducted and jailed on trumped-up charges, usually heinous crimes like kidnapping, murder, etc. There were 116 killed in just two years since Aquino came into office.
PNoy ‘Piging’
In 2013, President Aquino was portrayed as a 13-feet high giant feasting on a banquet, or “piging” in Filipino. Unlike the traditional fiesta, where hospitality, generosity and goodwill were encouraged among the whole community, PNoy’s banquet is depicted as a lavishly sumptuous feast for a small circle of guests—his KKKK (Kapamilya, Kaibigan, Kaklase, Kabarilan), biggest business compradors and his US imperialist boss as the people wait for crumbs falling from the table.
Billionaires benefited most from Aquino’s flagship Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program. Based on a report from IBON Databank, the wealth of the 10 richest Filipinos has more than tripled at 250% from Php650 billion in 2010 to Php2.2 trillion in 2015.
PNoy ‘Pork Barrel King’
In 2014, the Supreme court Aquino was labeled “Pork Barrel King” for his staunch defense of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and his creation of what critics labeled as a more sinister and “legalized form of government corruption” Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP). Both lump sum allocations were declared illegal by the Supreme Court.
According to Kabataan Partylist, Aquino himself has a whopping P1.3 trillion as Presidential pork. He got for himself the largest amount of presidential pork barrel in Philippine history.
There are other notable Aquino effigies that were crafted for various protest actions:
PNoy ‘Wrecking Ball’
Artists from Southern Tagalog region created this effigy of Aquino as a wrecking ball. Demolition of urban poor communities was rampant during the Aquino adminstration, paving the way for commercial endeavors benefitting billionaires under the Public Private Partnership scheme.
PNoy ‘Tuta ng Kano’
During US President Barack Obama’s two-day visit in the Philippines, Aquino was portrayed as a lapdog of the American government. Progressive groups slammed the passage of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA, as it clearly violates the nation’s sovereignty. The EDCA, despite not being a treaty, intends to open up all military bases for the “temporary” use of an unsaid number of American soldier and for which, the Philippine government will shoulder all costs of their operations in the country in exchange for “transfer of technology”, training and other said benefits.
PNoy ‘Grim Reaper’
Aquino was ominously portrayed as the grim reaper during this year’s International Labor Day commemoration. Despite being considered illegal by labor laws, contractualization thrived during Aquino’s term, which was highlighted by protests by workers from Lucio Tan-owned Tanduay distillery and media giant GMA-7, Silver Star bus drivers and workers among many others. .
Thirteen days after Labor Day, no less than 72 workers perished in a fire that was deemed the single deadliest factory fire in Philippine history. Not a single person has been jailed despite charges filed against government officials and Kentex owners deemed responsible for the blaze. The gruesome death of more than 70 contractual, overworked and underpaid workers in the Kentex factory was another national tragedy.
In this year’s SONA, Aquino is portrayed as a grotesque figure on top of a dilapidated LRT/MRT train. Marred with anomalies involving Aquino’s partymates and kin, the train system earned the ire of the urban populace due to its tortuous long queues, constant mechanical glitches, injurious accidents and spiraling fare hikes.
The LRT/MRT has thus become the fitting symbol of Aquino’s true legacy: a failure to the Filipino people, a derailed and deadly “tuwid na daan”.
Click here to read more about the 2015 effigy
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Photos courtesy of Arkibong Bayan, Ugatlahi Artist Collective and Tudla Productions.
PNoy ‘Rotten Egg’ video courtesy of Piya Constantino.
UPDATED: July 28,2015
