Effigy 5 times President Arroyo’s size to grace SONA protests

MANILA, Philippines — When President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivers her State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the halls of Congress on Monday, an effigy five times her size will be gracing protest actions along a road leading to the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City. Leftist groups spearheading a parallel SONA program outside the Batasan said the 21-foot tall effigy being made by the cultural group Ugat Lahi will feature the hull of a sinking ship and Arroyo flying away on board a plane. In a press statement, Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), said the mega-effigy of Arroyo was based on the observation of various opposition groups that the current state of the nation is a “sinking sea vessel with the captain of the ship even robbing the passengers." Reyes said the giant protest art is also a reference to Arroyo’s US trip in the aftermath of a terrible storm and sea tragedy. “The ship will be called MV Pilipinas, a vessel battered by weekly oil price increases, rice crisis, oppressive taxes and tidal waves of repression. It is a stark commentary on what the country has become seven years under the rotten Arroyo regime," said Reyes. The “sinking ship" effigy would be the highlight of the Bayan march along Commonwealth Avenue and the broad “People’s SONA" near Ever Gotesto, also along Commonwealth Avenue. The People’s SONA will include various opposition and anti-Arroyo groups. Reyes said the Ugat Lahi artists are working non-stop to complete the effigy in time for the big event. Ever since Congress reopened in 1987, the SONA has been a much-awaited occasion both for the administration and political activists. It is an occasion for the President to outline the administration’s achievements in the past year and priorities in the coming year. For those opposed, it is an occasion to expose the administration’s failures. It has also become an occasion for artists to display their creative talents. Ugat Lahi’s 21-foot creation this year will be its eighth, according to head artist Max Santiago, whose group works as a volunteer for Bayan. He said many of the materials used in the production of the effigy are recycled or solicited from friends. “Our artists wish that this would be the last Gloria effigy we make. We do hope that her regime would soon come to an end. No other president since Marcos could claim to have been portrayed in so many different ways. It’s shameful really," Santiago said. He said their previous creations include the 2001 Gloria Arroyo “jack in the box" effigy which was made in the aftermath of EDSA 2, or the popular uprising that toppled President Joseph Estrada and propelled Arroyo to the presidency. For 2002, Ugat Lahi created the Gloria “Termite" in reference to remarks made by Arroyo against some critics who she described as anay. In 2003, the group mounted the “Running Glo’" effigy as a commentary on Arroyo’s decision to run in the 2004 elections after initially saying she has decided not to seek a six-year term. In 2005, the effigy took the form of a vulture and a fighter plane, to highlight Arroyo’s support for the US invasion of Iraq. In 2006, at the height of extrajudicial killings and after the declaration of a state of emergency, Ugat Lahi mounted the “Gloria Hitler" effigy. Santiago said last year’s effigy was that of the mythical manananggal, a mythical creature that terrorizes people in the countryside as it was the year when the anti-terror law, or Human Security Act, was implemented. “As in the past SONA’s, the Gloria effigy will be burned. However, we will not burn the sinking ship because there’s still hope we can ‘raise it’ from the waters. Our country can still be rescued from the clutches of plunderers and exploiters in the Arroyo regime," Santiago said. GMANews.TV