KILLipinas and the DuterTRAIN: Protest art seen during SONA 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte's third State of the Nation Address not only spurred dissent, but also creativity among groups opposing his administration's policies.

At the anti-administration rally in front of St. Peter Parish on Commonwealth Avenue on Monday, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan brought the DuterTRAIN—a creation of graphic artists alliance Ugat Lahi symbolizing the effects of the government's tax reform law.

The DuterTRAIN was one of the protest effigies presented by militant groups on Commonwealth Avenue during President Rodrigo Duterte's State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 23, 2018. Photos: Joseph Tristan Roxas

The Artist's Circle Sorority of the University of the Philippines targeted Duterte's misogyny and disrespect for women in its float bluntly titled, "Mahiya ka sa puke ng ina mo."

The float shows a mother giving birth, a reminder of where all Filipinos, even Duterte, came from.

Below the float lay Duterte's head, surrounded by crayons, pens, and pencils symbolizing the other sectors of society whom the president has criticized.

"Layunin nito na mapataas ang dignidad ng mga babae sa lipunang may presidente na nag-aastang maangas sa pambabastos sa mga kababaihan pero sa totoo ay takot ito," the group said in a press statement.

Another alliance of artists, this time from Respond and Break the Silence Against the Killings (RESBAK), made "Litanya ng Katarungan" to emphasize the thousands of people who were victimized by the government's war on drugs.

A woman portraying "Inang Bayan" held a long sash bearing the names of slain drug suspects in the two years of the Duterte administration, while in front was placed a map of "KILLipinas" made of the prone bodies.

The Southern Tagalog Cultural Alliance took a different approach, using their own members as the canvas. They portrayed a gun-wielding Duterte and his harassment of farmers and religious groups, and his negligence of the rule of law.

"Duterte" also had the flags of the US and China on his torso, while presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is shown standing beside him ready to issue a statement.

Duterte delivered his third SONA on Monday, an event delayed by the sudden unseating of Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez as Speaker of the House, to be replaced by Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. — BM, GMA News