This is outrageous!
Mabasa said he doesn’t want the press to be “politicized”. But what he did, bowing to the will of Gloria Arroyo’s paetorian guards, was political. A despicable kind of politics.
Media must be politically sensitive and responsive. Media should be an agent of liberation, not for idiotization.
by TJ Burgonio
Inquirer
A group of artists is outraged at the “bastardization” of its mural on press freedom at the National Press Club, and is accusing the NPC of “censorship.”
“Isn’t it ironic that an institution such as the NPC would cause the censorship of a work that they themselves commissioned purportedly to promote press freedom?” the Neo-Angono Artists Collective rued in a statement posted on its website.
“Isn’t the freedom of expression of the artist bound up with the very press freedom that they supposedly uphold?” it said.
The 8-foot by 32-foot mural—depicting a man reading a newspaper in the middle of a crowd on a busy street as press freedom icons mill around him—was unveiled by President Macapagal-Arroyo during the NPC’s 55th founding anniversary on Oct. 26.
It was installed two days earlier in the Headline Restaurant on the fourth floor of the NPC building in Manila.
NPC director Joel Sy Egco said members of the Presidential Security Group had inspected the mural and noted certain “leftist marks.” But the PSG chief, Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, denied that his men had anything to do with the “censorship.”
What has angered the artists the most is that the International Federation of Journalists’ statement on the right-hand page of the newspaper being held up by the central figure had been painted over with a “hideous bird-monster in a cage.”
The statement was about the effects on press freedom of the Human Security Act, or the antiterror law.
“That’s the most terrible [alteration] because it involved the central image of the mural,” Richard Gappi, president of the Neo-Angono Artists Collective, told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Friday night.
“We were commissioned to visually express press freedom, and these people bastardized our work. Even if they paid us, it just wasn’t right,” Gappi said.
The group’s chair, Wire Tuazon, yesterday aired a similar statement: “They violated the rights of the group. They did not treat it as a work of art. They went ahead with the alterations without our consent. It was disappointing.”
1st commissioned work
Late in July, the NPC commissioned the Neo-Angono Artists Collective—composed of 60 multimedia artists based in Angono (Rizal), Metro Manila and abroad—to do a mural on the history of press freedom in the Philippines.
For two months, more than 20 members of the collective, including researchers, sketchers and visual artists, worked on the mural in their studio in Angono and completed it in time for the unveiling.
It was the first commissioned work for the four-year-old group, which was paid P900,000 for it.
Gappi pointed out that if the NPC had disagreed with the way the mural was done, it should not have unveiled the work at all, thus retaining its integrity.
NPC president Roy Mabasa proposed that the artists meet with the board officers for a dialogue.
“They could have just sat down with us, and retouched it,” Mabasa told the Inquirer Saturday. “We’re willing to sit down with them.”
Egco denied that the work had been bastardized and said the changes were “temporary” and done in “good faith.” He said the artists were free to make permanent corrections any time.
‘Political’ piece
Mabasa said the NPC had commissioned the artists to project in the mural threats to the press—such as killings and libel suits—but the latter produced a “political” piece.
“We don’t want to be politicized; they went overboard,” he said. “We don’t want to be associated with the Left or Right. The club is apolitical; it can stand on its own.”
Egco said he was initially shocked by the changes and even boycotted the unveiling of the mural in anger. But in the end, he said, he realized that Mabasa had meant no harm to the artists by ordering the “minor changes.”
“We are sorry for the mistake,” he said. “It was not meant to hurt them or us. It was done in good faith, but in the wrong manner.”
He added that the NPC had paid for the mural and was responsible for it.
On Oct. 25, or a day before the unveiling, Gappi said Egco called him to say that the mural had been inspected by PSG personnel.
Egco confirmed this: “They (the guards) went there for a final inspection. They noticed the leftist marks, like the alibata K. And they said, ‘Aren’t those leftist marks?’ So we called the artists to fix it.”
Mabasa denied that the PSG was involved: “We can’t be swayed by anybody. I don’t know where [that story] came from. The PSG will not meddle in these things.”
The alibata is the native Filipino alphabet derived from Arabic.
Security only
Reached by phone Saturday, the PSG’s Prestoza denied that his men had told the NPC to alter anything in the mural.
“My men didn’t report anything relative to that. The PSG has nothing to do with alterations, if any, in the painting,” Prestoza said, explaining that it was “routine” for the elite guards to inspect ahead of time the facilities to be visited by Ms Arroyo.
He added: “We’re only concerned with the security aspect, not the event itself. It’s not our job to interfere with things like [depictions in a mural].”
Egco confirmed this in another interview late Saturday. He said it was Mabasa who had ordered that changes be made because the latter wanted the mural to depict the state of the Philippine press.
“There was this initial perception that the painting had [a leftist theme],” Egco said. “Mabasa said we should not leave any impression that the NPC leans toward the Left or Right or Center; it should only reflect the state of the Philippine press when it was commissioned.”
Unnamed artist
Egco said that during his phone conversation with Gappi, he told the latter that some changes had to be done on Mabasa’s instruction.
He said he requested that the collective send three artists to make the alterations. “We gave them due courtesy. When they didn’t show up, Roy was forced to make the changes.”
Egco said he did not know the name of the artist who retouched the mural overnight on Oct. 25. Mabasa also declined to identify the artist, “out of courtesy.”
Gappi said the collective could not send the three artists requested because it was too late. He said the artists who had collaborated on the mural were resting or had previous commitments.
“We worked on this for two months. And we gave them three weeks to look at the production process before the unveiling, as spelled out in the contract. They failed. They can’t just ask us to go there on short notice,” Gappi said.
Besides, he said, any alteration had to be mutually agreed upon.
Gappi pointed out that according to the contract, the artists had “free rein” to paint the mural based on the theme of press freedom, and the NPC was supposed to monitor its progress.
Said Egco: “True, Roy failed to see the work beforehand. But he thought they would be lenient [toward] changes. It was a misunderstanding.”
He said he also informed the group once the alterations were made.
Those “slipshod” alterations, according to the artists, were:
The headline of the newspaper that Jose Rizal is holding, “Press Freedom Fighter’s Son Abducted,” was replaced with “Press Freedom Fight Is On,” and the pictures of Edita Burgos and her missing activist son Jonas were defaced.
The alibata K tattoo on Andres Bonifacio’s left arm was replaced with a red heart pierced by an arrow.
The hair of columnist Randy David was lengthened.
The name of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines was erased from the banners of the demonstrators.
A beard and a mustache were painted on the face of the man selling quail eggs and balut (depicted as columnist Juan Mercado) and the change of the hair color from white to black.
The artists said they were shocked to hear about the alterations from Egco, and more so when they trooped to the NPC on Oct. 28 to document these.
They later submitted their documentation to the Intellectual Property Office in Makati City. They have yet to lodge a formal complaint with the IPO, or decide whether to file a case against the NPC.
“Aren’t these alterations a clear violation of the rights of authors/artists protected by the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines?” they said in their statement posted on neo-angono.com on Oct. 31.
No compromise
Egco said the NPC recognized the artists’ right to correct the “temporary alterations.”
“We give the Neo-Angono the freedom to make the necessary correction. They can go there any time of the day or night. No one is prohibiting them from making the necessary corrections,” he said, adding:
“I know how hard it was for the artists because I’ve been with them since Day 1. I respected them and admired them. I really trusted them … that they could do the work.”
But Wire Tuazon said: “Our position is not to change anything. There will be no compromise. There’s no point in restoring [the mural] to its original state.”
Gappi said he and his colleagues had not sought a dialogue with, nor demanded an explanation from, the NPC because they felt it would be useless.
“We just want to drumbeat the issue so the other artists would know that we were treated like this,” he said.
This is the statement of the Neo Artists Collective:
What Press Freedom?
Around three months ago, the National Press Club commissioned us to do an 8×32 foot-mural on the history of press freedom in the Philippines. A lot of problems were encountered during the production phase mainly because of the delays in the schedule of payment on their part, as stipulated in the contract we signed. Still, through the commitment and dedication shown by the members of our group, the mural was completed in time for the unveiling scheduled on October 26. Finally, we would be able to sleep a lot more easily.
Or so we thought.
We were shocked to be informed by one of their board of directors that changes were made in the mural without our knowledge.
We, the Neo-Angono Artists Collective, would like to express our outrage, revulsion and protest against the total lack of respect of the NPC for the integrity of the commissioned artwork, as shown by the slipshod alterations they caused in several parts of the said mural, to wit:
For the full text, click to http://www.neo-angono.com/festival/protest.html
You can also see more photos of the mural on that page.The “before” and “after” photos speak of blatant distortion of reality.
Hi Ellen,
I-email ko na lang sana ito pero di ko kasi makita ang iyong email address. Out of topic kasi. Ilang mungkahi lang:
1. baka naman pwede nang tanggalin yong “Impt. note: We’ve purged the old User database during the last WordPress upgrade. You need to register again. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Ang tagal na nito – di na yata aplikable.
2. Dina-download ko regularly ang iyong postings via RSS feed using Newz Crawler, kaya lang summary lang (lead paragraph) ang lumilitaw. pwede kayang paki-fix/reconfigure para lumitaw yong buong article?
Tenks and more power!
Thanks for the suggestion, Lumina.
I’ll send your request to my administrator.
Artists have two kinds of rights, moral rights and economic rights, according to the Copyright Law. The NPC grossly violated the rights of the artists to the integrity of their work. Even if NPC bought the mural, they did not buy the intellectual property rights of the artists, and most certainly did not buy the corresponding moral rights. Even a so-called “temporary change” is an interference with the message of the artists. And for what? to show GMA that they are not “political”?
Censorship is even worse when conducted, not by the State, but by groveling political wanna-bes disguised as journalists.
Now that even the Freedom mural is being defiled, the bastardization of everything just to please goria walang dangal continues. It will be interesting to watch how media and freedom of press exponents will react to this. We wonder if their reaction will exceed the outrage arising from the racial slur in the Desperate Housewives. This clear curtailment of press freedom has a more valid reason to initiate and wage a protest from the said group.
nagsisimula na si glueria sa kanyang taktika na maibaba ang martial law, i believe, ito yung pinaka unang bahagi ng kanyang plano, parang nagsisimula ng kumulo ang mainit na tubig na nakasalang, pag nagkaroon ng malawakang protesta laban sa pag-baboy sa karapatan ng ating mga artists, natural, isang hakbang ito para pakilusin ni glueria ang militar para simulan ang kanilang maruming hangarin.
Hindi ko ma-take yung sabihin pa na leftist and alibata. Does that mean pakukulong natin yung mga Mangyan at mga Tagbanua na hanggang ngayon ay ginagamit pa ang pagsusulat na yon?
Everything seem to be tailored to the tiyanak’s liking or at least to her “aliporeses'” tastes. This is now the norm in the Philippines, so it seems. Art is a window of ones soul. If altered, it is a violation of the artists’ expession. Ganito na ba talaga sa Pilipinas? This mural was vandalized! Artists know every stroke of their brush. That is why Michaelangelo, Van Gogh and Picasso and the other famous artists became famous because of their inherent unique style. Altering even a minute detail of the mural has compromised the piece. To the artists, it is a violation of their expression!
What is more condemnable is the acquiesence of the National Press Club officials to the desecration of the mural. Allowing themselves to be used by Gloria to distort reality. They are paid hacks!
The fact that they invited Gloria Arroyo as their guests mean that they are kowtowing to her. Don’t they know that Arroyo is an enemy of press freedom?
“They were the best of us, & they were the worst of us.”
Joseph Estrada:“On September 12, 2007, the Sandiganbayan finally gave its decision, finding Joseph Estrada not guilty on his perjury case and guilty of plunder “beyond reasonable doubt.” He was sentenced to Reclusión perpetua.”(Wikipedia)
Ferdinand Marcos:“Many despised Ferdinand Marcos’ regime, his silencing the free press, his dictatorial control, the imprisonment, torture, murder and disappearance of thousands and his shameless plunder of the nation’s treasury.”(Wikipedia)
How will history judge Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?
As I hope we all agreed, the unano is the worst unelected leader our country will ever have.
Wow! After comparing the before and after pictures, I got speechless. The after pictures represents another bastardization of freedom into art-form. Hanggang dito pa naman nagiinfiltrate si bogus-president rito. She’s so pathetic…
Talagang outrageous, di ba?
One has to be blind not to see the altercations! If the NPC officials allowed Unano’s men to bastardize this mural, could money or threats or favors in whatever art be behind these?
Glory to Hell is beyond redemption!
as an artist myself, there is often an unspoken ethics among artists not to tamper with works and/or creations of other artists. Those who apparently bastardize this important work of art didn’t know any better. If in literature or journalism, it is like an expose or masterpiece trivialized and edited with careless words. Worse, I think even. Buti na lang there is a usual habit of documentation works kaya basing on this talagang may prueba ang mga Angono artists! Nasira yata ang image ng “independent” NPC ngayon. The NPC has an explanation that compares with that of the Samar governor on the bribery case—sorry forgot his name…:-). It is not in me to recall names of those who give out inane alibis. My form of maintaining my sanity.
MBW, in the journalism community, the National Press Club is no longer highly regarded. I have long ceased to be a member of NPC.
NPC is dominated by Manila Bulletin reporters.
The more respected journalists groups are the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR).
Grabe!!! ginawa pang hippies si Gat Andres Bonifacio.
One of the crimes of dictatorships is defacing works of art.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban began each day with prayer and then one morning blasted ancient Buddhist statues along the silk route with artillery and painted over all the human figures in the artwork that was still in their national museum.
But things of this nature are now happening right here!What does it say about the Philippines?
The NPC has several anomalous dealings the past few years.
The same Mabasa group was sued by the GSIS for misappropriating a mural by the Nationa Artist Vicente Manansala located in the NPC dining hall. They (Mabasa group) sold it for 10Million without informing the general membership.
So, no surprises there that this same Mabasa group can bastardize another mural. It’s just normal for these evil men to do this and justify their evil act.
thanks Ellen for the info. I really don’t read the Manila Bulletin except for clipping its Sunday crossword puzzle :-). Now it all makes sense! Sorry for my ignorance in these things like alliances and organizations. I learn a lot because of your blog (and commenters) as well as the independent others’…! When I saw the link of the Angono artists with the tampered details of the mural, I was simply enraged and disgusted. I know the likes of Mabasa and company—tsk-tsk! They’re quite stereotypical of the term “trapo” and “lick ass.”
You are correct in likening Mabasa’s vague explanation to the justification of Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone of the cash handouts in Malacanang.
BTW, Evardone was a Malaya reporter in the mid-80’s, during Marcos time. Kinakahiya ko siya ngayon.
Money talks, Evardone do the walk???
One can’t appreciate what one can’t comprehend.
Any work of art is a labor of love. Desecration can only mean incapacity to appreciate its historic and cultural significance.
Sayang. Ang ganda ng pagkagawa.
If we are already in hell, Glueria is truly a masterpiece in her own right.
ellen,
hindi ko alam na ganito pala kalubha ang diperensya sa kaisipan o pag-iisip nitong opisyales ng NPC.
sa pag-utos nila na palitan ang mga importanteng bahagi ng mural na walang pahintulot mula sa mga pintor, mas lalo lamang nilang pinatunayan ang tunay na kalagayan ng pamamahayag sa bansa; hindi ito malaya sa pangka-lahatan, at
sunod-sunuran ito sa kung sino ang may kumakalansing at malalim na bulsa.
huwag ng ipilit ng mga pintor na ibalik sa orihinal at dating anyo ang kanilang obra, dahil mas epektibong kabal-balan ang ginawa ng NPC para patunayan ang malungkot at nakakaiyak na lagay ng mga bagay na may kinalaman hindi limitado lamang sa ‘press’.
Any right-minded journalist should get out of the NPC before their name is with its bad reputation.
Just call it MBPC (Manila Bulletin Press club).
sa mga dakilang pintor ng Angono,
hayaan ninyong ibaling ko ang inyong pansin kay Diego Rivera, isang bantog na muralist-artist-revolutionary ng bansang Mehiko, na hindi pumapayag yurakan o palitan ang kanyang sining kapalit ang kalansing ng salapi bagama’t kumakalam ang sariling sikmura.
ang tunay na alagad ng sining ay may obligasyon hindi lamang sa kanilang sarili’t patron` bagkus napakahalaga ng inyong ginagampang papel sa isang lipunan–maging tulay sana kayo sa pagbuo ng katatagan at pagkakapit-bisig ng mga mamamayang naghahanap ng matiwasay na bukas !
disowning the defiled mural is one positive step and i would definitely support such an impassioned move by any artisan.
I rather see the NPC as protagonists for Press Freedom, instead of cohorts of its Suppressor. Just like the Governance of the country, the same reform should also be instilled with the NPC. Or it has joined the Game?
Billy Joel once said that his songs are his children. Totoo nga, because they come from deep within you. So if they are mangled, para mong na-disfigure ang anak ng composer o pintor.
But people who only feign excellence (dino-doctor ang economic stats) cannot comprehend the passion of those who do strive for excellence.
Paanong makakaunawa ng musika ang bingi?
Paanong mauunawaan ng isang mukhang pera ang bagay na hindi kayang bilhin ng pera?
ROY MABASA & company
“The Law Concerning Art Preservation and Artists’ Rights” in America states that no person, with the exception of the artist, has a right to deface or alter a work of fine art.
”Droit morale,” a legal concept meaning ”moral rights” is the cornerstone of the law. In this case, ‘droit morale’ is the concept that art work is more than a commercial product.
An artist’s reputation and career is dependent upon the works of art he or she creates. Each work of art has the artist’s signature on it, literally and figuratively.
The droit morale essentially says the owner of a work of art does not have the right to alter, deface or destroy the work of art.
The work of art is something that belongs to society as a whole.
The morons don’t even know that the Alibata character for “K” was a main fixture in Katipunan symbology. Painting it over with a kitschy heart is an insult to the memory of Bonifacio and an affront to all patriots.
Baboy talaga ang administrasyon na to.
They better bone up on their history because pretty soon they, and their president, will be history.
Nakakahiya kayo.
It appears that the National Press Club is an extension propaganda arm of Malacanang. The subdued press freedom mural is total revision of historical events. Gloria Arroyo is best remembered as the suppressor of civil liberties in the Philippines.
NPC has been plagued with financial woes and very much disorganized. I attended once its fund raising campaign held at Manila Hotel. Which gave credence to Ellen’s remarks that NPC is dominated by Manila Bulletin’s scribes. I would like to think that Mabasa and company got also some cash gifts from Malacanang to bail them out and organized somehow to show semblance of media support to gloria walang dangal. Ano ba naman yong sabihing, ‘may milyones ang NPC basta support me!’ It’s one compelling reason why they’re now kowtowing to Malacanang. Aruy!
Ito’y may kaugnayan sa naganap na pagsabog sa Glorieta2,Inihayag ng mga eksperto kuno sa bomba na ang naganap na pagsabog at isang kapabayaan na sinangayunan naman ng ilang kasapakat sa awtoridad na kaabayaan nga daw.Subalit ipinaliwanag ni Jaime Ayala, Presidente ng ALI na nag hire din sila ng eksperto sa syensa ng pasabog na hindi kapabayaan ng naganap, at humhiling sila ng ibayo pang pagsusuri.
Papayag na lang ba tayo na ito nga ay isang kapabayaan? Paano kung ito ay isang uri nga ng terorismo? Ok lang ba na habang komportable tayo natutulog ay mga nagtatawa naman sa ating likuran at pinagsasabihan tayo ng “MGA GUNGONG”..
Leave it be, the mural with all the alterations intact. Let the obra, commissioned to depict the history of Philippine Press, stay as it is – a living monument to the anabated abuse of our society in one of the country’s darkest days.
What better evidence would have been available to depict the same wanton disregard, not only for civil rights in general but towards press freedom in particular, as this despicable act of “defacing history” right in its own walls?
Succeeding generations will see for themselves the blatant perversion of the Fourth Estate from the Guardians of the Truth to its decadence as mercenaries and prostitutes of liars, thieves, cheats, and murderers.
This portrait DOES paint a thousand words.
Kumita pala ang mga gago ha. So i-demanda ng daños, para mawala ang kanilang pinag-kaputahan (prostituted) ng prinsipyo.
Puwedeng kumubra ng malaki sa exemplary (punitive) damages. Tapos, ibigay sa mahirap, o gawing scholarship funds para sa magaling sumulat na bata. Sa gayon, ang masama ay nagawang mabuti.
You got broken eggs, make some omelette. Umpisahan sa yag-balls ng mga taga NPC.
That bastardized painting should serve as a monument of corruption and lack of principle in media.
I have a reporter friend and he said all the matitino na journalists are not members of NPC. Negosyante ang mga nandoon.
tapos, sila ang inaalagaan ni Gloria Arroyo. naglolokohan lang sila.
They can paint whatever they want, unless they agree to take 900,000 pesos for it and sign a contract that says the customer can have them make any changes to it. This is isn’t about ART. It’s about commercial contracts. Like an architect or any other artisan, the customer is always right. This isn’t the soviet union or red china folks. 900,000 was not a license for them to sell the ideas of the Utrecht Space Station, take it or leave it. It was to do a painting on Press Freedom not its slow silent subversion with propaganda.
Face it, whether Manila Bulletin or PDI, tabloid or broadsheet, the whole main stream media is one big commercial enterprise with its own sacred cows and paid hacks. That is the reason why you never get bad headlines about Globe or PLDT. 75% of all their incomes are from selling telecomm load. So let’s not be hypocritical about it. They are all prostitutes, one way or another. (No disrespect meant to whores, btw.) Everyone has to make a living. Who of you can say any different? Who of you are “pure” artists? Who of you will cast the first stone? (Oops there were 34 already when I got here, yecch!)
Has anybody bothered to even read the IFJ press release that got airbrushed out and replaced with a “hideous bird in a cage.” Between that screed, which proves IFJ never even clapped its eyes on the Terrorists Bill of Rights called the Human Security Act, I prefer the Bird, which at least depicts the theme of Press Freedom, not propaganda.
Just because some members allow themselves to corrupted, it doesn’t mean we just take it meekly and not protest.
Ellen, Minguita’s “Dangal” article in Malaya seems incomplete.
“They can paint whatever they want, unless they agree to take 900,000 pesos for it and sign a contract that says the customer can have them make any changes to it. This is isn’t about ART. It’s about commercial contracts DJBRizalist”
The Dean:
“The Law Concerning Art Preservation and Artists’ Rights” in America states that no person, with the exception of the artist, has a right to deface or alter a work of fine art.
”Droit morale,” a legal concept meaning ”moral rights” is the cornerstone of the law. In this case, ‘droit morale’ is the concept that art work is more than a commercial product.
An artist’s reputation and career is dependent upon the works of art he or she creates. Each work of art has the artist’s signature on it, literally and figuratively.
The droit morale essentially says the owner of a work of art does not have the right to alter, deface or destroy the work of art.
The work of art is something that belongs to society as a whole.
Your Student
as a self proclaimed artist myself, I will not allow any of my works be ripped, nor edited without my consent. If the costumer would want to change it, ask the artist first and let them change it for you, its called respect, artist has its own perception and uses his work to express that.
Now as to the issue of propaganda, I think NPC is correct in pointing out that the mural should not be politicized. Art as expected will last a long time, it should be balanced and it should not invoke the ideas of the left. They should not single out their idea on Human Security Act kasi hindi lahat ng Pinoy naniniwala sa panig nila. Press freedom should not be synonymous to propaganda.
Tongue, re Minguita’s Dangal article in Malaya, I’ll check with the desk.
DJB, just like in submitting articles for publication, I would welcome being edited, but I would not allow the contents of my article tob e cahnged. If they don’t agree with the substance of the article, I’d rather that it be rejected.
From Eugene Garma in Illinois:
It was indeed presumptuous for anyone to have ordered the hackwork on the freedom mural. The shameful act only shows lack of respect for the artists on the part of NPC to desperately please a decadent regime.
I am not a lawyer but whoever runs NPC, I thought that was an egregious violation of intellectual property rights. Of what use is NPC then if it tramples on the very same freedom of people that it is supposed to defend?
To the National Press Club
ROY MABASA c/o Manila Daily Bulletin
On the main corridor of the National Press Club of America are carved in granite the words of Walter Williams:
Ethics
Walter William’s Journalist’s Creed
This creed was written by Walter Williams (1864-1935), the man who founded the world’s first school of journalism at the University of Missouri and perhaps contributed more toward the promotion of professional journalism than any other person of his time.
1) I believe in the profession of Journalism.
2)I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is a betrayal of this trust.
3)I believe that clear thinking, clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.
4)I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true. I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.
5) I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one’s own pocket book is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another’s instructions or another’s dividends.
6) I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public ser vice.
7)I believe that the journalism which succeeds the best-and best deserves success-fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent; unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of the privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance, and as far as law, an honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world-comradeship, is a journalism of humanity, of and for today’s world.
:This is isn’t about ART. It’s about commercial contracts.”
****************
Dahil bayad, hindi daw art. This definition covers the Sistine Chapel.
Artwork is different from other commercial property. It is covered by the Copyright Law. And if the contract does not indicate that the moral right (the right to be credited with one’s work and the right to the integrity of the artwork) has been sold then the artists have every right to be angry. What the NPC officers did is illegal.
Furthermore, it isnt about a simple contract rescission anymore. The breach of the NPC officers is in overstepping their bounds. They own the work, but not the right to alter, deface or destroy.
What may have escaped the attention of some iconoclast-wannabees here is that the NPC was well aware of the contents of the mural long before the unveiling. They only chose to “temporarily alter” the images in the mural because they were worried that the Madame would not be satisfied with previous displays of obsequiousness.
I don’t know about you guys, but that bird monster in a cage was a lot better than the IFJ manifesto. At least it was a picture and not a manifesto, susmaryosep!
a reader(s) may have missed the significance of atty36252 last comment:
the famed Michaelangelo’s frescoes adorn the ceilings of Sistine chapel in Vatican.
he was commissioned to do the job—‘binayaran’.
Yes, and it’s a work of art. A masterpiece.
Actually, I don’t find Mona Lisa, the model not the painting, attractive.
If I have the money, I’ll buy the painting for DJB then maybe, he’ll enhance her tits! Hahaha!
The idiots did it again! They commissioned a group to paint history, then they change it.
That sure is a good measure of the credibility of these, er, journalists!
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Suggestion: Next time, hang the Arroyo family portrait instead.
Makikiraan nga po at gusto ko lang po sanang magpahayag ng aking kuro-kuro tungkol sa lathalaing ito. May mga nag-komento na ang ipininta raw ng grupong Neo-Angono sa NPC ay propaganda, mapulitika, at maka-kaliwa raw. Unang tanong – Ano ang hindi tama sa pahayag ng IFJ tungkol sa press freedom sa Pilipinas? Hindi ba ang mismong New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) at Paris based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) ang nagpahayag na ang Pilipinas ang “the 2nd most dangerous place for journalists after Iraq?” Ibig sabihin pala ang CPJ at RSF ay propaganda, mapulitaka at makakaliwa rin? Pangalawang tanong – Ang pagka-tangay ba kay Jonas Burgos ay isa ring propaganda, mapulitika at maka-kaliwa rin? Di ba totoo namang tinangay siya, kaya paanong magiging propaganda ito? Iyon bang kanyang ina ay tinutulungan ng pamahalaan para hanapin si Jonas? Pangatlong tanong – Iyon namang alibatang K na nakatatak kay Bonifacio, ito ba ay propaganda, mapulitika at makakaliwa rin? Palibhasa ginawa lang simbolo ng Magdalo propaganda na. Paano kung ang ginawang simbolo ay letrang intsik, hapon o arabik, propaganda at makakaliwa pa rin ba ito? Kawawang Gat Andres, ginawa pang kasapi ng oxo, sigue-sigue o bng. Doon sa iba pang pinalitan, bahala na po kayong humusga. Ang problema sa atin, maraming marunong umintindi pero hindi marunong umunawa.
Roy Mabasa’s explanation sent to Yuko:
Thank you for your concern. The Inquirer stories only presented one side
of the coin. I’m not surprised.
Now, for the club’s stand. We dont want a mural that has an inverted
Philippine flag on it and various signs and ideologies of the left
splattered all over the painting. We don’t need a propaganda mural
inside the halls of NPC because the club is merely an organization of
lowly newsmen and not a political group. I have nothing against the
left, don’t get me wrong. I just cannot accept a mural that does not
represent the objectives of the organization that I represent.
These young artists were under strict guidelines on what to do and they
agreed on it, in the first place. We had several meetings with them and
they cannot deny our conditions even before they formally signed a
service contract. They cannot impose on us something that we did not ask
for.
When we COMMISSIONED them, we clearly agreed on what should appear in
the mural. We told them to reflect the ONLY the two major problems of
the Philippine media today – killings and libel.No identifiable faces
and no politics. That was made clear to them. Snipets sent to me via
e-mail as a sort of progress reports were seemed to be okay but not
after I saw the finish product.
At the last minute, we pleaded on our bended knees to these ten
“propagandists” to come to the club and do minor revisions, even
offered to them all the comforts that they need, but to no avail. Not
even one of them showed up to attend to our plea. Where is their concern
and professionalism, then?
At one point, they even intentionlly delayed their work as well as the
delivery and installatioin of the finish product just because we cannot
immediately come up with the money they need. Few hours of waiting time
for the clearing of a check was a big deal to these so-called
“artists.”
There is no censorship involved here. They offered their services to us
and we paid for it. This is a commissioned work and not solicited for
free. Unfortunately as customers, we did not get what we want. We were
deceived by these bunch of propagandists. Instead of sitting down with
us to settle our minor disagreement, they chose to go to the Inquirer
and spread their spins. Why? What’s the agenda here? Not at the expense
of the NPC, please.
We are not out there to please anbody. The presence of a president of
the Republic in any of the club’s major events is but a tradition that
must be followed.
I hope I made my point.
Thank you for being there.. Mabuhay!
ART IMITATES LIFE…
“We dont want a mural that has an inverted Philippine flag on it and various signs and ideologies of the left splattered all over the painting.”
*******************
What is so leftist about a clean-cut look, that you had to make Randy David look like Limahong?
What is so leftist about the Katipunan symbol, that you had to change Andres Bonifacio’s tattoo? Ginawa niyo pang bakla yung mandirigma.
What is so leftist about a news item? “Press Freedom Fighter’s Son Abducted” Talaga namang na-abduct si Jonas di ba?
His father was honored with the International Journalism Award in 1986, precisely for his fight for press freedom against Marcos. Leftist ba yang award na yan?
Other awardees include Danielle Miterrand (1991) first lady of France, Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1996), UN Sec Gen, Juan Somavia (1999), Dir Gen of the ILO, and Kofi Annan (2006), UN Sec Gen. Kaliwa ba yang mga taong yan?
What is so kaliwa about “The Philippines Today” and so mainstream about “NPC Digest”?
Ni hindi man balita yung pinalit niyo “Press Freedom Fight is on”. It looks more like a slogan.
In what way is that bird connected to “Letters to the Editor”? Wala coherence ang pinalit, kaya mapakla sa panlasa ng orihinal na nagpinta.
Anong klaseng ibon ba yan? Parang parrot na nakadamit babae. Haliparot maybe. Ganyan ang mga peryodistang nagbebenta ng prinsipyo.
Anong klaseng ibon ba yan? Parang parrot na nakadamit babae. Haliparot maybe. – atty36252
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hahahaha! good one!
Korek ka dyan, Atty.
can somebody please tell this bloke cum NPC chief roy mabasa that commissioning muralists/artists to render a piece is entirely different to that of a commissioned media ops.
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a lovely, stinging rejoinder from atty36252.
tinamaan ang haliparot!
Siguro si Two-disc Bunye ang may pakana ang bastardized press freedom mural. Halatang Bunyeta style ang slogan-“Press Freedom Fight is on”.
Malacanang’s propaganda lines:
It’s time to move forward.
We are winning the war against corruption.
Our economy is on the upswing.
What is wrong in being a leftist?
karamihan daw ng mga nationalist ay makakaliwa.
di ba ang puso ay nasa kaliwa din?
norpil – di ba ang puso ay nasa kaliwa din?
Mali, and puso ay nasa gitna, sa kaliwa lang tumitibok, the left ventricle kung hindi ako nagkakamali.
The artists are free to create the mural again, in its original form. As a matter of fact, they are free to create any mural.
So what violations of freedom of expression are they talking about?
If they just limited their complaints on the quality and the artistry of the alterations, then i’ll understand. Pumangit naman talaga ang finished product.
Pero, “a clear violation of the rights of authors/artists protected by the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines?”
Oh please.
CCP Upholds Rights of Neo-Angono Artists
November 9, 2007
All societies that aspire to freedom and development regard their artists with deep respect. The alteration of an artwork without its artist’s explicit consent is a violation of the artist’s right to free expression and a desecration of the artwork. Even in commissioned projects involving various parties working towards an agreed vision, the limits to intervention must be negotiated without sacrificing artistic integrity.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) issues this position paper in light of the unfortunate controversy surrounding the mural commissioned by the National Press Club (NPC) from the Neo-Angono Artists collective; so that the public may be guided accordingly, and the integrity of artworks and artistic practice be upheld.
The CCP strongly condemns the utter disregard for the artists’ intellectual rights over their work, which was explicit in the actions taken and comments given by the NPC management. Recognizing the valuable partnership between Filipino journalists and artists, and in our common commitment to uphold freedom of expression in our country, we wish to view this event as the result of a misguided few rather than the sentiment of the entire NPC. The CCP commends the Neo-Angono Artists Collective for standing up for their rights, and enjoins the rest of the artistic community to do the same.
Uy, si Sid! My ex-classmate. The total artist. The architect, painter, musician, poet, what else… Heheh! Nice to know you’re very much alive and doin’ us 79ers mighty proud.
Good for CCP they have you, Sid, in there at least we are assured there’s one less institution that will be enslaved to the whims of the forces of corruption. Carry on and more power!