Artista ng Bayan: "Stop censoring mass media"

Indeed @dissentisgood , this reminds us of Voltes V. Statement from @artistangbayan here: https://t.co/jcinn4rKOG pic.twitter.com/1n0NrMllch

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) November 17, 2018

[Statement from Concerned Artists of the Philippines]

PNP, DILG have no right to meddle in Ang Probinsyano: 
Stop censoring mass media, attacking freedom of expression!

We from the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) condemn the remarks of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde on the portrayal of the Philippine police in the primetime action drama series Ang Probinsyano, which currently explores the fictional plot of Presidential destabilization attempts in connivance in police forces.

Año has suggested that legal action should be taken if the series refuses to change its story and continues to supposedly portray the PNP in a negative and “demoralizing” light while Abayalde is seeking action from the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTCRB) and the producers.

Attack on freedom of expression, laying the grounds for crony media

These PNP and DILG officials have no right to meddle in the content and direction of mass media and other cultural productions. They should stick to cleaning up their own ranks of real-life destabilizers, human rights violators, and other shady suspect characters if they really want to project an image of credibility to the Filipino people.

We express our grave concern over such statements of Año and Albayalde because, first, these are attacks on freedom of expression. Their attempts to intervene and dictate the narrative in favor of the PNP are tantamount to censorship and suppression of creative freedom. This conveys a chilling message to all TV producers, writers, and directors: do not criticize us or cast us in an unflattering light, or risk retaliation in various means.

In September 2018, filmmakers and other initiators of film screenings on Martial Law and human rights were similarly accused by the AFP of fanning destabilization attempts. Their outrageous scenario of a “Red October” fizzled out; their bid to extend its narrative to December and beyond is laughable at best. The statements by Año and Albayalde, however, indicate that the DILG, AFP, and PNP are now targetting not only film but also television productions.

In the case of Ang Probinsyano, its main character and protagonist, Cardo (Coco Martin), is cast as a good cop who champions the service and patriotism of the police force and fights the bad cops, contradicting their very claims. Why are Año and Albayalde then so concerned over the latter’s representation? Is it because this is the more accurate mirror of the truth?

The real-life conditions which lead to unrest over the Duterte government—such as rising economic hardship, political repression, and contempt for the people’s rights—must be addressed on the ground and not through simply asking scripts and plot arcs to be changed.

We are worried over how the nonstop assaults of the Duterte administration against freedom of expression are laying the grounds for the establishment of a crony media, similar to the days under the fascist Marcos dictatorship. Remember that Pres. Duterte and his minions have already initiated various moves against mass media institutions critical of the administration’s policies and actions, such as the threat of non-renewal for media franchises and banning of certain outlets from official coverage.

Sec. Ano’s record of rights transgressions: from the military to the DILG

Secondly, the DILG Secretary is certainly in no position to be calling out creatives and media to revise productions that will essentially whitewash the PNP and AFP’s real historical record of human rights violations.

It was under Año’s watch where several high-profile violations happened. He was the head of the AFP’s Intelligence Security Group operating with the 56th Infantry Battalion (IB) during the abduction and enforced disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos on April 28, 2007 in Quezon City, which was later traced to the 56th IB in Bulacan.

Burgos is the son of the late journalist and press freedom icon Jose Burgos Jr. He remains missing until today. In 2011, His mother, Edith Burgos, filed criminal cases against Año, Col. Melquiades Feliciano and Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr. Despite these, Año was promoted to chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) from 2012 to 2014.

It was during his stint as commander of the 10th Infantry Division (ID) in 2015 when the Paquibato massacre happened in Davao City: where three lumad leaders were killed for being suspected as rebels by the 69th IB which was then under the oversight of the 10th ID.

In late 2016, Año was appointed by Pres. Duterte as the new AFP Chief of Staff and later on as the officer-in-charge and undersecretary to the DILG. He is currently among the former military and police officials appointed to key cabinet posts, heading institutions such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Transportation Office, Philippine Sweepstakes and Charity Office, National Food Authority, National Irrigation Administration, National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Commision, and the Bureau of Customs.

Now that he is in the civilian bureaucracy as head of the DILG, Año continues to rack up a record of impunity and threat to human rights which resonates with his bloody human rights record and reputation as a military official. But no amount of censorship and whitewashing can cover up the stink of misdeeds and abominable actions of the past.

We laud and encourage other fellow artists and cultural workers to continue calling out these attacks on freedom of expression, the suppression of truth, and human rights violations. Let us continue uniting and strengthening our ranks against a renewed wave of assaults. ###


#StopTheAttacks #DefendPeoplesRights