Defending the Earth

A Day of Protest Songs and Anti-Imperialist Art

An Earth Day concert and exhibit in Quezon City featured artists protesting the destruction of the environment by U.S. wars of aggression.

BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO 
Bulatlat.com

I got to the Quezon City Hall grounds too early for the concert; it would be a good two hours before it would start. But the photo exhibit was already set up. A few minutes later, a group of children from Payatas would arrive, accompanied by some elders, carrying pictures they had painted. 

The photo exhibit and the concert, as well as the Payatas children’s paintings, which were exhibited near the stage, were all part of a multimedia presentation last April 22 in commemoration of Earth Day. It was sponsored by the Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment, the Center for Environmental Concerns, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, and Artists 4 Peace. The theme for the presentation was “Defend the Earth, Stop U.S. Imperialist War!” 

Exhibits: Not for the weak of stomach 

The photo exhibit dwelt on the use of environmentally destructive substances by the U.S. in the wars it has waged, as well as its storage of such substances in its military bases.  The images from the wars in Vietnam and Iraq and the former military bases in the Philippines were not for the weak of stomach. In these images, the mutilation of the human body—and the mutation of the human genetic structure—flaunted all their ugliness. The pictures showed the loss of limbs and the scorching of the flesh experienced by the victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam and depleted uranium in Iraq, and the genetic defects of the children of those who were involved, including sons and daughters of American soldiers, as well as the sufferings of those who had to live in an environment contaminated by toxic waste from the former military bases. 

The paintings of the Payatas children, it would later be revealed, were produced during an on-the-spot painting contest. They showed bombs dropping from planes and destroying fields and homes. 

Concert: diverse music, single message  

The concert, hosted by Anthony Ian Cruz of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and Joel Garduce of the Amado V. Hernandez Resource Center, featured artists from diverse musical backgrounds: Filipino ethnic music and American protest folk music, rock and reggae, and even classical music came together in protest of the destruction of the environment by U.S. wars. 

Song numbers were delivered by Layag, Josie and Bong Chavez, Pete Velasquez, Narda, Butong Pakwan, Agaw-Agimat, Musikang Bayan, The Jerks, and The Wuds. Members of SinagBayan and Sining Bugkos gave interpretive dance numbers to the tune of songs by Buklod and original anti-imperialist poems accompanied by music. 

In one, Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Professor of Physics at the University of the Philippines and National Chairperson of the militant scientists’ group Agham, and an Agham-Youth member named Erika went into a question-and-answer session on the war in Iraq. Dr. Tapang said that the U.S. could not claim victory in Iraq with the ouster of the Hussein regime, as almost every day the Iraqi people are staging protest rallies against the U.S. presence in their country. He also criticized the U.S. for failing to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, despite the fact that the supposed purpose of the war in the first place was to disarm Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction. 

In another intermission, the children from Payatas recited a poem by Joey Papa — a more militant version of the Panatang Makabayan (nationalist pledge). 

At various points in the concert, video and PowerPoint presentations of the wars in Mindanao and Iraq were shown on stage. 

Public reception 

All in all, the public reception of this Earth Day Activity was positive. An estimated 400 people came to watch the concert and had a look at the photographs and paintings. People viewing the photo exhibit could be overheard discussing its subject. 

Even the guards at the City Hall could not help but leave their posts every now and then to watch the performances. Bulatlat.com

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