Young creatives commemorate the 51st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law through an interdisciplinary art exhibition entitled Paglaban sa Pagkalimot.
The show aims to counter the misconception, revisionism, and distortion of history while it sheds light on the atrocities and horrors during one of the darkest chapters in the country.
It is organized by the Center for Social Action (CSA) and the Benilde Arts Management (BeAM) of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).
The gallery includes Ang Tanda-Tanda Mo Na, Sinungaling Ka Pa Rin!, a collection of handsketched portraits of Martial Law victims by Fashion Design and Merchandising and Production Design students. They honed their freehand drawing skills under the tutelage of artist-educator RM de Leon.
The series immortalizes the many faces of those who were tortured or killed in their fight for freedom and disproves the statement of a former senator. They claimed that no one was executed during the Martial Law era other than suspected drug lord Lim Seng. They further stated no one was arrested because of their political or religious beliefs.
Also included are hard copies of Rekindled: Children’s Narratives, a 47-page e-book that aims to provide another window into the dictatorship through the lenses of the children and grandchildren of activists.
The book was co-produced by Benilde CSA and the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, Inc. (BBFI), a non-profit corporation that memorializes the Martial Law heroes and martyrs. It was designed and illustrated by the National Service Training Program (NSTP) 02 and Benilde Multimedia Arts and Animation Programs students. They were under the guidance of their NSTP professor Melvin Lebria.
The showcase also presents Miss Conception, an immersive website against misinformation.
Especially built for the younger generation of visual learners, the digital platform utilizes the power of graphics to counter the saturated pool of fake news and echo chambers on the Internet. It provides well-researched facts, numbers, and real-life accounts that highlight the abuse of power, economic downfall, and human rights violations during the Marcos regime. It was created by Benilde Multimedia Arts talents Jose Romualdo Babao, Zhaine Anna Marie Guiao, Miguel Angelo Gonda, and Kayla Joy Villar.
Also on view is Tatsulok, a 2023 musical short film that advocates for truth and justice. It was produced by Dulaang Filipino, the resident theater group of the college under the Benilde Culture and Arts Unit (CAU). It was directed by Francis Angelo Aven with cinematography by Karl Cedrick Marquez.
“Power without responsibility really is oppression, and power without accountability is impunity,” said human rights lawyer and BBFI chairperson Chel Diokno, who was the guest of honor at the opening of the exhibition. “When we regained our freedom in 1986, I never thought the day would come that we would have to face the same darkness again. To forget is something I can never do. To forget is something that our people should never do. Once we forget, we surrender.”
Paglaban sa Pagkalimot is free and open to the public. It runs until Sept. 29 at the Main Lobby of the Benilde Atrium Campus in Manila.
The traveling show will also be mounted at various Lasallian schools, including La Salle Green Hills, Benilde Antipolo, La Salle Lipa, and La Salle Academy.