The vandalized mural along Escario Street. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
IT’S not just on the streets that Marcos supporters tried to drown out the voices of protests raised against the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
A mural bearing the image of Marcos with the word “Diktador” capitalized and written in red at Escario Street, Cebu City, was allegedly co-opted by unidentified Marcos supporters who scrawled over it the words “Mindless, Mediocre Artists.”
Photos of the mural and the doodles written over it were circulated in Facebook yesterday morning, drawing ire from those who opposed the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The mural was painted by 15 members of the Cebuano artist group Andres-Sugbu whose political beliefs find expression in their paintings and murals.
In a statement, Andres-Sugbu said they painted the mural to voice their opposition to the Marcos burial and as a reminder that artists who opposed the Marcos regime were also killed.
“These artists revolted against the dictatorship using their best weapon — art. The artists of today are lucky to experience the freedom to express their views,” the group stated in their post.
“This not the first time this happened to our murals …. This does not benefit anyone. This does not benefit the growing artistry of Cebu City,” they said.
Niño Olayvar, chairperson of the militant group Anakbayan Cebu and one of 15 painters who joined the activity, said they will restore the Escario mural and plan to do more of them in Metro Cebu.