Today marks the 38th anniversary of the EDSA People Power revolt that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who was replaced by Corazon Aquino of the landlord class. The Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government did not bother to declare today as an official holiday.
This performance by Chickoy Pura of The Jerks and Renato Reyes Jr. of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan was performed in a Benigno Aquino ouster rally in March 20, 2015. The song warns against blindly placing one’s hopes for social change in members of the ruling elite.
There have been two Marcoses and two Aquinos as presidents.
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pinoy.jpg7691080Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-02-25 10:49:332024-02-25 10:50:16[KODAO KLASIK] 'Sayaw sa Bubog' by Chickoy Pura of The Jerks, Nato Reyes of BAYAN
Ipinanganak ako sa panahon ng Martial Law. Ang diktador na si Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. na ang kinagisnan kong presidente hanggang sa mapatalsik ito ng mamamayang Pilipino noong 1986 Edsa People Power. Isang event at petsa na minemorya lang ang Martial Law. Sa madaling salita, buong formative at elementary years ko ay lansakang mga kasinungalingan na ng ‘golden years’, ‘peace and order’ at maayos na pamumuhay ang tinuro sa paaralan.
Kung dati si Maricel Soriano lang alam kong ka-birthday ko, mula nang 1986 ay lagi nang may tambal na Edsa at komemorasyon.
May mga kalat-kalat akong alaala bilang bata bago mag People Power. Tumatak sa akin ang matinding kagutuman ng mga sacada ng Negros, at dahil ito sa makapangyarihang larawan ng batang malnourished na kalaunan ay namatay. Naririnig ko ang usapan ng mga matatanda sa bahay – mataas na presyo ng langis, bilihin, maraming gutom – na hindi ko pa intindi. Ang naging intindi ko lang ay ganito rin ang sasapitin namin kaya inipon ko ilang natirang barya mula sa baon, pumunta sa sari-sari store at bumili ng mga tsitsiriang Oishi at Kirei prawn crackers para may pagkain kami. Nilagay ko pa ito sa cabinet at sinabi sa Nanay ko. Natawa sya.
Noong 1983 ng pinapatay ng diktador na si Marcos ang dating Senador Benigno Aquino, naiyak ang aking Nanay. Hindi ko unawa bakit.
Bago mapatalsik ang mga Marcos at patapos na ko ng elementarya, ang isa kong Tita naman ay nagpakilala sa akin ng akda ni Renato Constantino na “The Miseducation of the Filipino”. Nagsikap akong unti-unting basahin at unawain sa abot ng makakaya – na napakasalat. Ngunit dito ang simula ng unawa ko ng kolonyalismo at paggamit ng edukasyon para isulong ang interes ng mananakop. [Sa pagtanda na ang unawa sa papel ng ruling elite sa pananatili nito at ng imperyalismong US.]
Noong Edsa 1986, nakisali lang ako sa mga matatanda sa bahay sa pagmonitor ng balita; hindi nagtagumpay makalabas ng bahay ang Nanay ko dahil sa higpit ng lolo ko. Pero ng sumunod na taon, sinama ako ng Nanay ko sa Edsa para gunitain ito. Masaya ang atmosphere.
Kung kaya malaki ang pagpapasalamat ko sa aking Nanay at aking Tita na hindi pulos boladas ng rehimeng US-Marcos ang natanim sa akin bilang bata. Ang mga magulang ko ay kapwa mga kabataang aktibista noong dekada sitenta. Turing kong badge of honor na luwal ako ng mga kabataang mulat at kumilos sa partikular na sirkumstansya nila noon.
Pinatalsik ang mga baseng militar ng US sa huling taon ko high school – marginal lang sya sa akin habang nagkukumahog pumasa sa NCEE (eto pa dati) at college entrance exams. Ngunit sa Catholic high school nasimulang mabuo ang diwa ng paglilingkod sa kapwa, bagaman wala pa sa lente ng makauring pagsusuri.
Sa pagpasok ko ng kolehiyo, unti-unting mas nasistematisa ang unawa sa lipunang Pilipino lalo sa ilalim ng diktadurya – ang pangangayupapa sa US sa neoliberal na mga patakaran (para manatiling bansot, atrasadong agraryo, pre-industrial ang ekonomiya) at mga malalaki nitong base militar, burukrata kapitalismo na crony capitalism ni Marcos, pandarambong, at talamak na human rights violations.
At ano ang partikuar na kalagayan noong 1983 na nag-Oishi panic buying ako? Kasagsagan ng foreign debt borrowing binge ni Marcos na may kaakibat na austerity measures na lalong nagpahirap sa ordinaryong mamamayan. Sa tindi ng pangungutang ng diktador, Pilipinas lang ang tanging bansang bansa sa Asya na kumaharap ng debt crisis.
Sa tuwirang pakikisalamuha at pakikisangkot sa isyung masa mas luminaw ang lagim ng diktadurya – lalo na ng makilala at makasamang kumilos ang mga biktima nito gaya nila Ka Satur Ocampo, Crispin Beltran at napakarami pang iba.
Hindi hugot sa hangin ang tala ng Amnesty International na mula 1971 hanggang 1981, nasa 72,00 ang nakulong; 34,000 ang tinortyur at 3,240 ang pinatay. Ang mga pangalan ng martir ng Martial Law, kabilang ang nagsulong ng armadong pakikibaka para labanan ang diktaduryang US-Marcos, ay nasa Bantayog ng mga Bayani.
Isang ‘shining moment’ sa ating kasaysayan ang Edsa People Power na nagsilbing inspirasyon sa buong mundo. Akumulasyon ito ng mahabang panahong paglaban ng mga mamamayan sa matinding pahirap ng rehimen, bunsod pangunahin ng napakalalang krisis pangekonomiya.
Subalit hindi nito binago ang pundamental na karakter ng lipunang Pilipino na malakolonyal at malapyudal; ang paghahari at pagsasamantala ng iilan sa mayoryang naghihirap na mamamayan; at ang kontrol ng imperyalismong US. Wala namang ilusyon na sa isang iglap ay maisasakatuparan ang pambansang demokratikong interes at kahilingan ng batayang masa na hindi nababago sa saligan ang moda ng produksyon.
Ngunit maraming aral ang Edsa na mahalaga. Ang sama-samang pagkilos ng mamamayan laban sa tiraniya at diktadurya para sa demokrasya. Ang maninidigan para sa interes ng mga mahirap at api, na ubod ng Kristiyanong panananampalataya na ‘love thy neighbor’ o ‘serve the people’ sa aktibistang turan. Lalo ngayon, ang labanan sa abot ng ating kayanin na huwag manumbalik ang mga Marcos sa Malacanang at manatili ang copycat Duterte sa poder sa pamamagitan ng anak. Ang pabulaanan ang malawakang historical revisionism at distortion na aktibong ginagawa ng mga Marcos.
Sinuka, pinatalsik na ng bayan ang pamilyang Marcos. Nasa kasaysayan maging ng buong mundo ang pandarambong, pagpatay at pagpapasasa sa nakaw na yaman. Hindi na sila dapat manumbalik pa at bagkus, dapat papanagutin sa mga krimen at kasalanan sa mamamayang Pilipino.
Tatlumpung-anim na taon matapos ang Edsa People Power, malayo na inabot ng unawa mula sa petiburges, musmos Oishi panic-buying ng dekada otsenta. Dapat namang may pagkatandaan. Ngunit mas marami pang aral na hahalawin sa praktika at teorya – kabilang ang mula sa mga nakakatandang naghahawan ng landas, gumagabay sa susunod na mga henerasyon. Lalo sa pagdiin ng ating abang mortalidad sa panahon ng pandemya, mahalaga ang legacy na iiwan.
Sa aking sariling salinlahi na lumaking mulat at may pagmamahal sa bayan, at mga nakababatang naging kasama na naimpluwensiyahan kahit papaano sa iba’t-ibang kapasidad at paraan, gaano man kamunti – may assurance na may magpapatuloy ng laban. The kids are alright, ika nga. Maligaya sa pagtanda, still.
Never Again. Never Forget.
No to Another Marcos in Malacanang!
= = = =
Ang may akda ay nagdiwang ng kanyang kaarawan sa EDSA People Power Monument kahapon, Pebrero 25. Hindi alam ng Kodao kung ilang taon na siya.
Sa paggunita ng ika-35 anibersaryo ng EDSA People Power, inihahandog ng Kodao Productions, People’s Chorale, mga lider mula sa Simbahan, Makabayan, Bayan, Magsasaka, Kabataan, organisasyong masa at mga aktibista ang awiting Bayan Ko.
Ang kasaysayan ng patriyotikong awit na “Bayan Ko” ay malalandas pabalik sa pakikibaka laban sa pananakop ng Amerika. Sinulat ni Jose Alejandrino, Pilipinong heneral at propagandista ang tulang “Nuestra Patria,” na tatlong dekada makalipas ay isasalin sa Tagalog ni Jose Corazon de Jesus at lalapatan ng musika ni Constancio de Guzman.
Magiit ang presensya ng “Bayan Ko” sa lahat ng yugto ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Naging popular din ito sa mga Pilipino noong okupasyon ng mga Hapon. Noong 1970, tinampok ang “Bayan Ko” sa muling pagtatanghal ng sarswelang “Walang Sugat” ni Severino de los Reyes. Inawit sa mga protesta kontra sa diktaduryang Marcos ang “Bayan Ko,” at sa ilang pagkakataon ay ginawan ng modipikasyon ang liriko nito. At ganoon na lamang ang popularidad ng awit sa mamamayan kaya itinuring na sedisyoso nang ideklara ang Batas Militar. Pero paano ba masusupil ng baril ang isang awit?
Patuloy na naging bahagi ng pagpapataas ng diwang palaban ng mamamayan ang “Bayan Ko” – inaawit ng kilusang masa sa maraming larangan, hanggang sa maging awit ng malawak na alyansang tuluyang nagpatalsik sa diktador noong Pebrero 25, 1986.
Tatlumpu’t limang taon makaraan ay nanatiling panawagan ng pagkakaisa at pakikibaka ang awit na ito. Hindi kailanman nawalan ng bisa ng “Bayan Ko,” lalo lamang umiigting sa harap ng nanumbalik na diktardurya.
Muli natin itong aawitin bilang paggunita at pagpapatuloy sa diwa ng EDSA. Alalahaning nasa ating kamay ang katapusan ng pasista, korap, pabaya, utu-uto sa dayuhan at pahirap sa mamamayang presidente at kanyang mga alipores. Alalahaning hindi lang minsan nating nagawa na sama-samang itindig ang demokrasya.
—
Maraming salamat sa lahat na nagbahagi at nakiisa sa panawagan
Andre Bisenio para sa intrumentation ng awiting Bayan Ko Maki De la Rosa para sa introdukstion ng bidyo Nene Mosqueda, Music Consultant
Lider Simbahan Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Diocese of San Carlos Mother Mary John Mananzan, OSB Msgr. Erwin D. Magnanao, Diocese of San Carlos. Sr. Judith Diaz, OSB Fr. Almer Forrosuelo, Diocese of San Carlos Sr, Jeane Amar, SAMIN Brother Armin Altamirano Luistro, FSC Sr. Lisa Ruedas, DC Bishop Solito Toquero, UMC Rev. Irma Mepico Balaba Bishop Jerome Barris, UCCP EVJA Deaconness, Rubylin Litao Fr. Mario Quince, IFI Very Revd. Christopher Ablon, IFI
Makabayan Bloc Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, BM Rep. Ferdinand Gaite, BM Rep. Sarah Elago, Kabataan Former Rep. Antonio Tinio, ACT Agnes Mesina, Makabayan-Cagayan Valley Deo Montesclaros, BM-CV Walter Villegas, Kabataan PL-CV
Lider Masa Dr. Carol Araullo, Bayan Prof. Judy Taguiwalo Ka Paeng Mariano, KMP Prof. Sarah Raymundo Renato Reyes, Bayan Prof. Rommel Linatoc Kej Andres, SCM
Dr. Geneve Rivera, Reyes, HEAD Robert Mendoza, AHW Vicky Aquino, AHW
Nanay Lore Benedicto, Rise Up for Life and for Rights Isabelo Adviento, Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon-CV Ferdinand Valdez, UMA-Isabela Matthew Santiago, ACT Region III Rosanilla Consad, ACT Region XIII Kenneth Cadiang, SOS-CARAGA Nonoy Espina, NUJP
Cita Managuelod, SENTRA-CV Xandra Casambre-Bisenio, IBON and Kapatid Clarice Palce, Gabriela Youth Dania Reyes, ILPS-Philippines Paul Belisario, IPMSDL
Bugsy Nolasco Dessa Ilagan Lou Mendez Jessie Barcelona Romie Malonzo Patricia Marleni Malonzo Justine Nicole Malonzo
Bayan, PCPR, ACT
Sambayanang Pilipino —
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Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) scored the motorcade on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) Thursday morning urging Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to file her candidacy in next year’s presidential elections.
BAYAN secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said it is “strangely ironic” that the motorcade was held on the 35th anniversary of the 1986 uprising that brought down the 14-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
“While it is their right to hold an event, the timing is tone deaf and seems oblivious to the pandemic and the worsening economic crisis,” Reyes said.
In many ways, the motorcade was inappropriate and tended to insult those who fought against the Marcos dictatorship, Reyes added.
A group calling itself the Alyansa ni Inday Movement (AIM) held a “Run Sara Run” motorcade along EDSA that stopped over at the People Power Monument as various groups and the Quezon City government alternately held commemorative programs.
Some of the group’s placards claimed the Davao City mayor is the “NEW FACE of People Power.”
Reyes said it is strangely ironic that some groups would use the uprising’s anniversary to call for the perpetuation of one family in power that is both “a dictatorship and a dynasty.”
“These are the more pressing matters that need attention, not early campaigning or electioneering,” Reyes said.
Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the incumbent president, has in the past downplayed the uprising’s importance in the country’s history.
“I find it hard to understand why this bloodless revolution has become the standard definition of freedom for our country and this standard is forced down our throats by a certain group of individuals who think they are better than everyone else,” Duterte-Carpio said in a response to Archbishop Socrates Villegas in 2017.
Villegas criticized the Duterte administration as a shame to the spirit of EDSA because of its human rights record.
Duterte-Carpio had also had been repeatedly accused of being pro-Marcos, evidenced by her close friendship with Senator Imee Marcos.
President Duterte himself is believed to be a Marcos supporter.
President Duterte has repeatedly denied that her daughter is a presidential candidate while the mayor herself said she has no plans for the presidency. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1-2.jpg10801440Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2021-02-26 11:52:532021-02-26 11:52:55Tone deaf and ironic: BAYAN slams ‘Run Sara Run’ motorcade
The Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) chided government officials for telling lies about the violent dispersal of protesting and hungry residents of Sitio San Roque in Barangay Bagong Pag-Asa in Quezon City Tuesday morning, April 1.
The urban poor group slammed interior and local government undersecretary Jonathan Malaya for alleging that Kadamay instigated the protest action along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue when the protesters were in fact members of a different group called the Sandigan ng Maralitang Nagkakaisa (SaMaNa).
“Saan naman galing ang impormasyon ni Malaya? Napakabilis naman niyang magimbento ng kuwento,” Kadamay chairperson Gloria Arellano said in a statement. (Where did Malaya get his information? He is so quick in inventing stories.)
Kadamay said Malaya accused the group of “fooling the residents to merely dramatize issues and make the government look bad as part of Leftist propaganda.”
But Arellano said Malaya’s allegation is false and is an attempt to misdirect the issue of hunger among urban poor communities during the government’s enhanced community quarantine order due to the corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Ang usapin dito, kagutuman at panganib sa kalusugan ng mahihirap habang abusado ang sundalo, pulis at emergency powers ni Duterte, kaya inaresto sila at di tinulungan,” Arellano said. (The issue here is hunger and the danger to people’s health, while the military, police and President Rodrigo Duterte’s emergency powers are abusive. That is why the victims were arrested, instead of being helped.)
Arellano also rebuked Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy chief Guillermo Eleazar who hinted at the possibility that the action was spurred by Kadamay members from Pandi, Bulacan “looking to incite chaos.”
“Paano naman makakarating ng Quezon City ang mga taga Bulacan sa ganitong panahon?” Arellano asked. (How can those from Bulacan reach Quezon City at this time?)
Kadamay said Tuesday’s protest action was a spontaneous act by hungry residents demanding food and social services promised by President Duterte when he ordered the lockdown last March 15.
The urban poor group said that mass arrests and the gross lack of social services has been the defining feature of how the administration has handled the COVID 19 pandemic.
As of March 30, the PNP has tallied around 17,000 arrests while only 3,000 Filipinos have been tested for the virus.
“Simula pa lamang ng pandemic, dahas, aksyong military at tila martial law na ang naging tugon ng administrasyong Duterte. Hindi nakakagulat kung bakit biglaang kumikilos ang tao pagkat hindi na nila matiis ang gutom na hindi pinapansin ng mga nasa Malacañang,” Arellano said. (Since the pandemic start, violence, militarism and virtual martial law characterized the Duterte administration’s actions. We are not surprised that spontaneous actions are being held by hungry residents who are being ignored by the Palace.)
Arellano also stressed that the Duterte government should stop delaying and immediately release the social assistance it promised to low income families who are subjected to risks posed by the virus. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/feature-image-scaled.jpeg17072560Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2020-04-01 19:30:432020-04-01 19:41:41Kadamay chides officials for telling lies about hungry protesters
I
was supposed to be in San Juan for work at around 2 pm. I left my house at noon
like I always do because, oftentimes, that two-hour allowance is enough. But
with the infernal Metro Manila traffic, expect the worst to happen.
I
checked my phone. 3:57 pm. And I was still in Kamuning, far from where I was
supposed to be. In an act of surrender, I told my editor a minute after that I
won’t be pushing through with my coverage today. What should have been moments
of productivity became time wasted on the road. I got off the bus, but then
came a heavy downpour. I spent an hour in a fastfood restaurant to wait for the
skies to clear and then I went out to wait for a ride home.
But
then it was past five, and many people were trying to go home. To see buses
jampacked with passengers was both frustrating and discouraging: frustrating
because we don’t deserve this; discouraging because I wasn’t sure if I could
get on a bus in this area with many people also waiting. So I chose to do the
40-minute walk to Philcoa. From there, I finally found a jeepney ride home.
This
is the harsh reality many of us face where workers and students have no choice
but to wake up a bit earlier in order to avoid the morning rush, only to find
themselves still waiting for hours. Some say that the metro traffic is the
great equalizer, but I call this bull—-. To say that is to be devoid of class
analysis.
When
the powerful and the influential romanticize the plight of the ordinary people
by telling us that our daily sacrifice is the very definition of Filipino
resilience and perseverance I don’t smile in gratitude, I rage. For our
struggle is not a story of inspiration, but rather of gross neglect and plain
arrogance, one where the grievances of the citizenry are easily ignored by
those who should be listening and taking action.
Standing
in the middle of an overcrowded bus while passengers still try to shove their
way in is not a metaphor, so are burning railroads and dysfunctional trains.
This is the reality of the masses, a never-ending cycle of waking up early and
going home late while losing hope in the process. With these difficult
circumstances, we have fallen into compromise; we don’t care anymore about
safety and inconvenience, if the vehicle is too cramped, if the aircon is not
working, because we all just want to go home.
It
isn’t surprising to know that this denial of a mass transport crisis by the administration
has earned the ire of the citizenry. Recently we learned about goverment
officials telling us to be more “creative” when commuting, or that Superman is
the only one who can save the day. When people shrug off their statements as
comical relief instead of recognizing its plain insensitivity, this only
manifests how much hypocrisy and incompetence we are willing to tolerate as a
society just because we keep hoping change will happen. This is them not doing
their mandate, and us willingly accepting that.
What
government officials say is a reflection of the principles they hold in shaping
public policy. For example, do we really expect a leader who catcalls female
journalists and jokes about rape to strengthen laws regarding sexual
harassment? Or an elected official who steals agricultural lands for profit to
genuinely advocate for farmers? Go figure.
To
the rich and the powerful, to hell with you and your uncalled-for sense of
superiority. Your oppressing kind has the gall to tell us to hang in there as you
look outside from your comfortable seats? Please. Our struggle is not a
spectacle. ??????
????????????,
??????
??????????
?????????.
We don’t need your condescension; we need you to wake the hell up.
And
to us who keep enduring hell, we have no other option but to carry on. We wake
up early and go home late for we have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and dreams
to fulfill. As we brave the metro traffic again, may we always remind ourselves
that we should never settle for less, because we deserve more. But as we all
know by now, we don’t wait for the world to change. We take action, rage on. #
(The
author is a sports journalist. He has contributed stories to Kodao since his
student days.)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/4-2.jpg563750Jola Mamangunhttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngJola Mamangun2019-10-17 13:54:442019-10-17 13:54:45Our struggle is not a spectacle
Various groups commemorated the 33rd anniversary of EDSA People Power 1 in a protest action last February 23.
The “Tayo ang EDSA, Tayo ang Pag-asa” rally was attended by progressive groups, opposition leaders and religious sectors who unanimously remarked that a new tyranny has descended on the Filipino people once more.
BAYAN said that the rotten social system remained 33 years after EDSA that the country is still confronted with gross human rights violations.
BAYAN warned that the people will not allow and will resist a repeat of the Marcos dictatorship under the signboard of “Duterte”. (Video by: Maricon Montajes and Carlo Francisco)
“Tayo ang EDSA! Tayo ang pag-asa, ang totoo at ang pinakamakapangyarihang pwersa laban sa diktatura!“–Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. during a commemoration of the first People Power Uprising at EDSA last Saturday, 23 January.
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Progressive organizations marched to EDSA to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the first EDSA People Power uprising that deposed the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
While they recalled the horrors that many suffered under Marcos’ Martial Law, they said genuine change has yet to happen.
The group did not join the pro-Aquino or the pro-Duterte activities which were held separately yesterday. Read more
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THE FIRST PEOPLE POWER uprising gave Filipinos a phenomenon that, ironically, is a symptom of its failures. The ouster of the strongman Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 gave rise to local political comedy that burst out from the gates with the likes of the IBC 13’s Sic O’clock News and ABS-CBN’s Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata. For the first time in many years, comedians may make fun of politicians and their shenanigans. It was such a fresh whiff of air and the Filipinos breathed it in by the lungful.
Jon Santos was a product of those tumultuous, albeit sometimes funny, times. He cut his teeth under veteran comedians Tessie Tomas and Willie Nepumuceno and has never stopped looking back since. As the country commemorates the 30th anniversary of Edsa 1 this year, Santos stages his funny-sad tribute to People Power and all the political craziness and crazies it spawned with an hour and a half comedy show entitled Hugot Your Vote: WTF (Wala Talagang Forever…sa Malacañang) at Resorts World Manila.
Last March 5, Santos performed before a capacity crowd at the Marriot Grand Ballroom. Drawing from international pop star Madonna’s recent concert in Manila, he emerged onstage with a “Vogue” number that sings and dances about the Filipino’s current travails—elections, traffic, a strong-arming China, moralizing bishops, and others. The opening segment was obviously an attempt to be current, although Madonna was as 80s throwback as anyone. A receptive audience was generous with its chortles.
Santos was just warming up though. What really got the audience in stitches were two of his standards—his exemplifications of Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joseph Estrada. Although the characters now talk about the senator’s second presidential bid and her famous pick-up lines, as well as the mayor’s new “Eraptions” none of the jokes really sounded new. But Santos was so funny the audience could not help but applaud in between laughs.
Election-themed and staged during yet another campaign period Santos’s show included an exemplification of Grace Poe, a candidate to be the next president of the Philippines. As amply suggested by the jokes, Poe is a unique product of our post-Edsa times. While finding political fame after the Marcos era the jokes could not help but refer to her family’s loyalty to the dictator, even rumors about her biological links with the late dictator. It was also as much Poe’s fault that Santos had to deliver many of her character’s lines ala-FPJ.
If the show had a low point, it was Santos’ exemplification of Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III. This was when the audience almost stopped laughing and the mood change was palpable. Despite the, err, headpiece, the yellow shirt, the high-waist pair of pants and the awkward gait, the character, as the person being characterized, just isn’t funny. The comedian here is tested to his thespian limits. Perhaps Santos would have better success impersonating Aquino’s anointed candidate Mar Roxas in future runs instead.
Santos’ exemplification of Mommy D is a direct contrast of his Aquino. The person is funny in her unique way in the first place. Her lines on the show however are new, referring to Congressman Emmanuel Pacquiao’s fairly recent tirade against same-sex marriage. Moreover, it is highly probable that Senate shall soon have its boxer in addition to basketballers and bowlers anyway.
As political jokes became funny again immediately post-Edsa, Santos’s WTF jokes are still funny thirty years later. One wishes though that the politicians and personalities that make our country a butt of jokes start becoming part of the past. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/d.jpg720960Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2016-03-08 03:44:212016-12-13 02:45:18REVIEW: Political comedy as symptomatic of what's wrong after EDSA
