New Juana Change video defends animals from human slander

"Ang baboy!" Filipinos do have a nasty habit of referring to animals when describing human defects. Tables have been turned in a new Filipino-made animated video, "Animal," as the usual objects of derision remind humans of their hypocrisy. In this opus by reform advocate and satirist Juana Change, the snake complains about how people have branded her demonic since time immemorial. “Sa Bibliya pa lang, demonyo na ang tingin sa akin. Ni minsan, wala akong dinemonyo sa asawa, pera at pwesto (Even the bible casts me as the devil. Never have I tempted anyone with sex, wealth or power),” she hisses.  Juana Change is the alias of Mae Paner, a theater and commercial actress and activist who has been advocating honest governance since the Arroyo regime. She joined the Aquino campaign as a volunteer but had a falling out with some of its organizers.  Paner and her permutations are the public face of the Juana Change Movement, an advocacy group that attacks corruption and bad government. Paner voiced several roles in the "Animal" video, including Snow White, a socialite, and a corrupt congressman. She previously starred in a video taunting President Aquino for his Porsche (since sold).  The monkey cartoon character in "Animal" objects to the stereotype of his kind as scheming and cunning. "Naging tuso ang matsing nung naging tao (Monkeys became wily when they became human)," he says.   The pig character calls to mind a classic punchline from Nora Aunor’s “Minsan May Isang Gamu-Gamo” as he reminds Filipinos of the importance of conscience. “Mas malinis ako kesa sa konsensiya ng mas marami sa inyo (my body is cleaner than the conscience of many of you.). My brother is a pig and I’m proud, ” he said.When asked why they used animation for the video entitled “Animal,” Paner replied, "The animation team were introduced to us and we thought it might be a good idea to utilize a different form. Educating the youth on issues using this form might be more interesting to them." The video was produced by Flipbook Animation with Sean Erwin Santia as director. The creative team also included writers Raymond Lee and Rody Vera.