By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Three students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) were released on September 23, Monday, following their detention at the Manila Police District (MPD) Station 14 for participating in protest activities.
The students, identified as “PUP Three”, were making political graffiti on September 19 in Manila, when officers from the MPD Station 14 arrested them. Later on, they were charged with vandalism (City Ordinance No. 8609), malicious mischief (Article 327 of Revised Penal Code), and disobedience to a person in authority (Article 151 of Revised Penal Code).
“There is no solid basis for the charges filed by the police against the three artists of the people: Arjhei Gon Ryuki, Kayl Ven Rey, and Kei Lopez,” cultural group Panday Sining PUP said. “This incident is strong evidence of how narrow-minded and vicious the mindset of the Manila Police District is. It is a clear manifestation that they do not stand for the oppressed masses, but for the ruling class.”
Right after the arrest, youth groups from PUP and national formations conducted a series of protests in front of the MPD. The protests also coincided with the 52nd Martial Law commemoration.
“After the inquest, there is no clear evidence that can prove the claims of the police,” said Defend PUP.
“Despite the fabricated charges, it is clear to the youth that protesting through art is not only justifiable but necessary. Especially now, when we all know that the same Martial Law of the fascist dictatorship of Marcos Sr. has been inherited and is continued by his son, Marcos Jr., with his burdensome, incompetent, and fascist government. Resistance is not a crime!” they added.
This is not the first time that artists are met with trumped-up charges for participating in protest art activities. Just last year, progressives decried the apparent harassment suit filed against visual artist Max Santiago and three other John Does over the burning of the effigy of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the 2023 State of the Nation Address protest.
Later, in December 2023, Quezon City assistant prosecutor Nerissa Rhona V. Zamora-Amoroso dismissed the complaint due to insufficiency of evidence.
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Activists assert that protest art such as murals, graffiti, and installations is within the gambit of freedom of expression and guaranteed even by the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICPR), especially those that evoke social and political messages. (RTS)
