Katrina Stuart Santiago

which is not to say that nothing else is happening in nation, as it is to say that sometimes what happens in popular culture is what pervades our everyday, a measure of how TV and social media bombardment sometimes takes over, and we can barely even catch up, or prepare for it.

the piolo predicament hit a record number of shares for gmanewsonline, but they’ve lost the numbers and it started from scratch again. it hit 90k shares before they lost it, a crazy number really. to even think of that many people reading it and thinking to share it, i don’t even care if they agreed. happy enough that people are reading.

the unravelling of rhian and mo‘s being read too, which is interesting and heartening: in my dream of a world this is the kind of thing we can talk about seriously, without judgments or someone invoking moral high ground, but ah, maybe that remains a dream.

of course the pieces on the Manila Intl Lit Fest 2011, and the Towns and Cities heritage conference were written at around the same time as the two above, and have gotten a low number of shares if we are comparing them at all. but the lit fest one hit over a thousand before the numbers got messed up again, and well, the heritage conference has been at just 200. as my Kuya says: so sad.

and then you know, no one comments on a blog entry on cultural worker and activist Ericson Acosta’s hunger strike.

the breadth and scope of the crisis in arts and culture right here.

Ninoy Aquino and Ericson Acosta might seem light years away from each other, and yet i’d like to think that more than what makes them different, what carries weight here is what makes them the same.

illegal detention, trumped up charges, a military blinded by getting some “big fish” and not getting enough of the red scare, being forced to face your accusers everyday, being removed from and having limited access to the outside world, being treated like some dangerous criminal, in the process making you feel less and less like yourself.

look at the timeline of Ninoy’s detention here and here, and the timeline of Ericson’s detention here.

now the hunger strike.

in April 1975, Ninoy went on a hunger strike, and in a letter addressed to Cory, his mother, his children, his sisters and supporters, explained why. Ninoy’s said:

<…> “when the Military Commission suddenly made a complete turn-about and forced me, against my will, to be present in proceedings which are not only clearly illegal but unjust, I said I shall have no other alternative but to go on a hunger strike in protest against a procedure that is intended to humiliate and dehumanize me, considering that all they wanted was for me to be identified as a common criminal, and not only for myself but on behalf of the many other victims of today’s oppression and injustices.”

on December 3 2011, Ericson began his hunger strike. detained artist since February 13 2011, Ericson was arrested without a warrant by the military in San Jorge Samar, at 10AM. he has been kept in the Calbayog Jail since then, on the false charge of illegal possession of explosive – a hand grenade which was planted on him and which the military says he attempted to take out of his pocket (in broad daylight?!?) during his arrest.

From February 13 to February 16, Ericson was not allowed to contact his family or his lawyers, and in those four days, he was not only illegally detained, he was also moved from military detachment to PNP headquarters to the hospital to the Calbayog Hall of Justice. for four days no one knew what was going on with Ericson.

for the past 10 months he’s been in jail. Ericson says:

<…> “it is utterly baseless to undergo a full-blown trial for this trumped-up charge <…> instead, i should have the right to charge the state elements responsible for violating my human rights.”

his hunger strike is also a demand for the

<…> “pull out of the highly irregular if not illegal presence of a squad of military men near Ericson’s place of detention. A platoon of soldiers from the 87th IB were first deployed in the nearby barrio in July on the pretext of military operations, but it has become apparent that the soldiers are there to “guard” Acosta.”

it goes without saying that Ericson’s hunger strike is also his demand for immediate release.

and lest you think I am dreaming here, what PNoy said last year resonates for Ericson’s case:

“We recognize that their right to due process was denied them. As a government that is committed to the rule of law and the rights of man, this cannot stand. Therefore, I have ordered the DOJ to withdraw the informations filed before the court.”

his then Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa Jr. also said “questions raised on the legality of their arrest justify their release.”

PNoy was talking about the Morong 43. also illegally detained, also with trumped up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, also denied due process. last year, PNoy ordered all of them released in time for Christmas. he also said:

“Let this be a concrete example of how our administration is working in the broad light of day to build a country where the law protects us equally. The culture of silence, injustice and impunity that once reigned is now a thing of the past.”

and lest this isn’t enough to justify the release of Ericson, the voice of Ninoy might help. he was after all also political detainee, turned gaunt and sick by a hunger strike that was not just a demand for his release, but the release of so many others like him, as it was about shining a light on the system of warrantless arrests and impunity.

“But peace and order without freedom is nothing more than slavery. Discipline without justice is merely another name for oppression. I believe we can have lasting peace and prosperity only if we build a social order based on freedom and justice.” – Ninoy’s letter to the military commission, August 1975, in Ninoy Letters.

“I believe that freedom of the individual is all-important and ranks above everything else.” – Ninoy, “A Christian Democratic Vision” in Testament from a Prison Cell.

i cannot claim to be friends with Ericson, but i can claim to be a fan: in my undergrad years in U.P., his was a voice that was always loud and clear, but also very human and grounded, intelligent and creative. i never thought about his freedom because i presumed he would always have it. when he lost it, i found that his illegal detention meant a palpable silence to me, no matter that he’s been blogging and singing (here and here), no matter that i had lost touch anyway with the work he was doing after U.P.

now on his hunger strike, Ericson’s struggle as cultural worker turned political prisoner shines a light on the fact that all this time, since his detention, what was always on the line was not just his life. it’s also always been our freedoms — as writers and journalists, as cultural worker of any kind.

it seems to me really, that we owe it to freedom to demand for Ericson’s release.

if you look at the comments section of the bad vibes for NAIA 1 rehab piece, it’s easy to see how pouncing on the Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda team became the order of the day. especially after the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture (PRBoA) released a statement questioning the three’s reputation and credibility vis a vis their “right” to even be working on the NAIA 1 project.

yesterday, the PRBoA issued this disclaimer:

it’s bad enough that we totally missed the point when we decided to pounce on the team that was doing work pro bono, with government, and the MIAA 1 officials — everything transparent and above ground. but to have used a statement from the PRBoA, one that has now been recalled? what happens now to those words mean and nasty and ultimately unfair and unjust?

and given the disclaimer, one can’t help but wonder: what — or whose — invisible hand is at work here?

I believe you were trying to be funny and witty, your followers will say ah, it was satire. But truth to tell there was nothing here that could be taken as constructive criticism really, and therefore there was no reason, there is no justification, for the kind of homophobia, the kind of discrimination, that was in that piece you call the NAIA Mess. And since those words you used couldn’t function as satire, in the end it’s all just literal, it’s all just you and what you think. Ah and what a revelation that is.

For one thing, you reveal yourself as someone who didn’t do your research yes? Bloggers weren’t the only ones complaining about the NAIA 1 airport, we all were. And in fact the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) planned that renovation of NAIA 1 before those international surveys pointed to what we’ve known all along: it is the worst airport ever.

And I’m not gay, but it’s just wrong that there are no proper toilets at the airport. And I’m sorry but I’m not rich enough to go straight to the hotel after the airport, and if you’re a backpacker or middle class traveler, you’d know that the airport is a space for staying and waiting around, and not one that we pass through to go to the next five star hotel. And unlike you, I care that all of the airport works, and that includes not being ashamed of it when I ask tourists to come and visit the country. That includes not dreading having to leave the country because I have to pass through and hang around the worst airport in the world.

Ah, but I guess you don’t know about staying in airports sir, because you are the Teddy Boy Locsin. Konyo par excellence! This is what you reveal yourself to be here. Which allows you to not care about the rest of us, which is not surprising as far as konyos are concerned, but goodness gracious you were once a government official, yes? And now you’re on cable TV news? Que horror. What must the world think of us.

What must it think, seeing as the world judged the NAIA 1 airport and found it wanting, and you’ve called all of them homeless gays. And then you say that they do blowjobs in public bathrooms. Wow oh wow. I don’t care that you think this really, and I’m not surprised, but to have used a space that’s supposed to be about credibility and intelligent thinking to actually articulate this? To have even thought to say it out loud and on television? I believe you need a filter, Mr. Locsin. Like seriously.

Because there is nothing here that will justify your homophobia. And in fact there was no reason at all to delve into talking about homosexuality vis a vis the NAIA 1 renovation plan. Ah, but then you reveal yourself with that line, “The 3 designers fingered but did not name Cabinet members with no connection to DOTC or the airport.” Wow, you began with the presumption that the designers were gay eh? And you were on a roll from there? And you just couldn’t get enough of the idea of kabaklaan and so you just pretended you were doing otherwise by hiding behind the cloak of wit and humor?

In the process of course you reveal yourself ill-informed and just plain wrong about the NAIA 1 rehabilitation plan. The team of Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda were working closely in those eight months – EIGHT MONTHS – with the Manila International Airport Authority and the NAIA office itself. In fact this plan was presented to the cabinet and even the President, and it was met with approval. In fact, your beloved DOTC Secretary was out of the loop because he had yet to be appointed to the position. Or maybe he had yet to care. But that doesn’t mean the work that was being done was unsolicited, or was done based on false promises or unofficial negotiations with government.

Ser, alam ko konyo ka, pero magbasa ka naman. Or hire a researcher.

Because if you did you would find that that there was no garden paradise in that proposal of Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda, as there was a fully functional and multi-functional garden, waiting area, reception area, for those waiting to leave and waiting to pick a relative up. That space exists at this point too, it’s just ugly and horribly inconvenient.

Oh, but you wouldn’t know that yes? You’d most probably go to NAIA 1 and pass through some VIP entrance.

This is what you were going to lose really, the distance you and your social class and stature have always kept between yourself and the masses who use the same airport that you do. You were so going to lose this with the Cobonpue-Pineda-Layug design, and you didn’t want that, did you?

Nor does your favorite DOTC Secretary Mar. Oh you celebrate him Mr. Locsin, for being transparent! But of course what you both fail to see is that your transparencies have revealed you both quite arrogant about this issue, and just uncaring and insensitive to the more creative among us. Mar did it by asserting, consistently and unapologetically, that the proposed design was all aesthetic and beautification and did not take into consideration architecture and engineering concerns. Of course he was wrong: the NAIA’s own team of architects and engineers were working with the Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda team the past eight months.

Oh but you agreed with Mar, and that doesn’t just make you wrong, it also revealed how you both belittle the creativity of certain artists not of your choosing, how you look down on the kind of work that Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda do. And pray tell why?

Why say that all that Layug is is a “pioneer in postmodern furniture,” instead of an interior designer and architect, in fact the first Filipino to open a showroom in the US? Why say that Pineda “has his admirers” instead of acknowledging that he is an architect with an impressive international portfolio? Why say that all Cobonpue did is design “Angelina Jolie’s baby’s bassinet” when he has won awards for this country and is celebrated all over the world other than here?

Pray tell Mr. Locsin, what would you call Josie Natori? Fernando Zobel? Jeannie Javelosa? Emily Abrera? Along with Cobonpue Layug and Pineda, these people were invited by, and volunteered with, the NCC, too.

Tell us what you think with all the sarcasm you can muster, Mr. Locsin, and watch us lose all respect. Watch yourself unravel into the macho konyo that you are.

The NAIA mess? No, Mr. Locsin. You’re the mess.

Guillermo Luz Statement on the NAIA 1 Project

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this briefing on the NAIA project.

This is really about a dream, a vision, for creating a better image of the country through a series of projects, within which people could participate and relive the spirit of Bayanihan. One of these projects was the rehabilitation of the NAIA.

People were invited to participate in this project and work alongside government, and today we will talk about the results of the work that’s been done so far. In this briefing we will touch on the chronology of events and circumstances leading up to this point. It needs to be reiterated that we have only drawn up a plan: a plan that still needs other pieces to complete, that needs to be bid out, and which needs to be implemented.

We undertook this project under the auspices of the National Competitiveness Council or NCC, of which I am co-chairman for the private sector. The NCC, reorganized in April of this year, is a public-private sector advisory council set up to address the improvement of the country’s competitiveness from the bottom third of competitiveness rankings to the top third by 2016. The public sector members of the NCC are the Secretary of Trade and Industry (who serves as co-chairman), Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Tourism, Secretary of Education, and NEDA Secretary.

Sometime in mid-March of this year, I was asked by some members of the Economic Cluster of the Cabinet to host a meeting to brainstorm for ideas we could pursue to project a new image for the country. That meeting took place on March 20, a Sunday, with some members of the Cabinet – Secretary Cesar Purisima, Secretary Greg Domingo, Secretary Butch Abad, Secretary Alberto Lim, and Secretary Ricky Carandang – and people from the private sector, among them Josie Natori, Emily Abrera, Fernando Zobel, Kenneth Cobonpue, Budji Layug, Royal Pineda, Brian Tenorio, Junie del Mundo, and Jeannie Javelosa.

At that meeting we talked about the qualities of the country that we could emphasize and project to the world, such as the warmth and hospitality of our people, the creativity of Filipinos, and the natural beauty of the Philippines. We also discussed how we had to convey this message visually and experientially, with a unified voice, and through different channels and venues where people gather or congregate.

Among the ideas we discussed, two projects were identified: (1) the creation of a new country brand and (2) the renovation of the NAIA and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Both were seen as a means of conveying a new message about the country – one that would capture our attributes and qualities, at the same time that it would symbolize progress and development. It would also respond to a specific need while becoming a symbol of change. This, the Country Brand was supposed to communicate visually. The NAIA-Mactan airport project was supposed to communicate it experientially.

We closed that March 20 meeting with an agreement to meet one week later to continue the discussion. We met again on March 25 to discuss both projects, during which we also decided to create two groups – one for the Country Brand and one for the NAIA and Mactan Airport project.

Budji, Royal, and Kenneth were invited to join the NAIA and Mactan Airport group while others were invited to the Country Brand group. Both groups worked on a pro-bono basis for months to help the country. I was assigned to head both groups. Each group started work in early April and I am happy to announce that both groups achieved important milestones.

On April 6, our first meeting at the NAIA, the team of Budji, Royal and Kenneth began research and design work on the NAIA, in partnership with its staff. We learned that the four terminals that make up the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) were running at near full capacity, with NAIA running at over its rated capacity. From our discussions, we concluded that all terminals needed to remain in operations even as the government was studying ways to fully operate Terminal 3 and exploring the feasibility of making Clark a new international gateway.

Concurrently, we started exploring the needs of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The team travelled to Cebu on several occasions at its own expense to meet with the airport’s General Manager who walked us through the airport and explained to us their plans. Following a few exploratory trips, it was decided that we needed to first concentrate on NAIA before embarking on the Mactan-Cebu Airport project.

Since NAIA would need to continue its operations, it was important to introduce improvements in the flow of operations and services to enhance passenger or customer experience. However, because the building is 30 years old, it was necessary to move carefully so as not to adversely affect the structural integrity of the building. We were informed that MIAA had contracted an engineering firm, P-Square, to undertake this structural integrity check. Its findings have been submitted to NAIA.

In the meantime, discussions on design were started based on NAIA’s own plan to renovate the airport section by section. A decision was made to hold off on any renovation until a full plan could be drawn up. Even the redesign and renovation of Duty Free Philippines, to be done on its own expense, was timed to coincide with NAIA’s overall plan, making sure it would fit into the larger design. A review of office structures, procedures and flows, including the locations of conveyor systems, terminal fee booths, passport control, security screening, immigration booths, and baggage claim areas was also undertaken. As the design process progressed, discussions also included lighting systems, air conditioning requirements, and even the retail mix and locations for specific types of concessionaires.

Another decision made was to differentiate the services available within the airport system, so a review of the staff’s service delivery was also started. For this purpose, the hotel staff of the AIM Conference Center was invited to design a training program for the service staff. They held their own meetings separate from the design group. Plans for inviting Filipino designers to create new uniform designs for the different staff positions, as well as getting curators to manage art installations within the airport terminal were also discussed.

As all these discussions inevitably led to the question of budget limitations, we also talked about possible funding sources that MIAA could tap into to finance the project.

In all of this, the design team fully engaged in discussions with the NAIA staff. Presentations of the design concept were made to the MIAA Management Committee on May 24 and the Economic Cluster on May 25. The team also made a presentation to the MIAA Board on May 26, which adopted the project subject to the availability of funds and formally created a Project Management Office (PMO) and an organizational structure for the project.

During the entire design process, the NAIA PMO and its own team of in-house architects and engineers prepared the detailed architectural drawings under the guidance of the Budji Layug + Royal Pineda firm as the pro-bono consultants. In this way, all technical drawings would automatically be owned and be kept in the possession of NAIA for its own implementation. All the plans and material specifications were used by the PMO for cost estimates as it prepared the bid documents and Invitations to Bid, all of which would be needed for any work to proceed. All architectural perspectives, floor plans, and detailed technical drawings remain with NAIA for its own use.

The concept design went through a long process of discussions, taking into account the need for the structural integrity review. From the beginning, the goal was always one of functionality and ease of use for the airport’s customers and passengers; it was about a melding of both form and function. It was ultimately a plan for a NAIA 1 that we could all take pride in, not just because of how it looks, but more importantly because of how it serves us and the world better.

In the last eight months, I personally witnessed the dedication of this design team and the NAIA PMO, as I chaired almost every major meeting that took place with regards this project. In light of this, I can only be thankful to the designers, the NAIA PMO, all the volunteers who work on the 10 other Working Groups of the NCC, and the Country Brand group. They all give their professionalism, time and effort to unselfishly help the country in our goal to become globally competitive. This Bayanihan spirit, which I see and experience on a daily basis, is what keeps me hopeful and optimistic about our ability as a nation to move forward.