MANILA, Philippines -- From a termite and a vulture to a ?mananangal? and ?kapit-tuko? who just won't let go of Malacañang, she has graced protests past as a creature from both folklore and the animal kingdom.
On President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's final State of the Nation Address, her larger-than-life likeness again promises to turn heads and prompt howls when it parades down Commonwealth Avenue as a ?rotting? chief executive.
Capturing eight years of discontent in papier mache, Ugatlahi artists' collective will unveil its largest Arroyo effigy yet in Monday?s anti-SONA rally, this time portraying the President as a ?decaying? leader riding a bulldozer to demolish the Constitution through Charter- change.
?After eight years of her rule, sinusuka na siya ng mga tao because of her lopsided policies and laws... We wanted to portray her as a rotting, decaying President,? said Iggy Rodriguez, one of the militant artists who have been making SONA effigies since Ms Arroyo came to power in 2001.
Complete with the unmistakable left-cheek mole, the ?Gloria Forever? effigy was inspired by Ms Arroyo's ?persistent attempts to stay in power,? said the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the militant umbrella organization that has been burning effigies of the President as a highlight of anti-SONA protests.
Rodriguez said ?rotting Arroyo? portrays the President on a throne mounted on a bulldozer, the artists' rendering of Charter change, the most prominent issue facing the administration in its final few months.
?The bulldozer symbolizes Charger change, that she wants to maintain power through Cha-cha.... She wants to derail rights, everything we are fighting for,? Rodriguez said on Saturday. ?Hopefully, it will her last effigy.?
Under construction at the Bayan headquarters in Quezon City since Monday, the ?Gloria Forever? effigy stands all of 12-feet, is around 11 feet long and 10 feet wide, becoming the ?bulkiest? Ugatlahi has made of Ms Arroyo.
As in previous effigies, the 2009 artwork used recycled paper, processed clay and an eight-year-old steel platform the artists' group has been using annually as mount for its protest centerpieces.
?All our ideas for the effigy is a collective process every year... and they all come from our experiences with her,? said Rodriguez.
For instance, he said, Ugatlahi created the ?Gloria Hitler? effigy in 2007 to portray the President's less-than-favorable human rights record and the passage of the much-criticized Human Security Act.
Two years earlier, the artists built ?Gloria Kapit-Tuko,? taking off from Ms Arroyo's stay in power despite ouster calls amid allegations of election fraud (2005).
?The effigy is a component so that people will be able to visualize the issues.... It's not just a way to dress up a mobilization,? Rodriguez said.
?For artists, it's a form of expression and if it's effective, then that's our reward. But at the same time, we are able to broadcast a message as part of a mass movement,? he added.
Police expect some 25,000 protesters -- roughly 15,000 from Bayan -- to march outside the Batasan Complex on Monday as Ms Arroyo delivers her final report to the nation.
The National Capital Region Police Office will raise its alert level to full status Sunday morning as it prepares to deploy some 10,000 policemen from Metro Manila and nearby provinces for crowd control, traffic management, and overall security inside and around Congress on SONA day.
Police to be deployed as part of civil disturbance management (CDM) teams on Monday are to undergo a crash course on human rights on Sunday in Camp Karingal, Quezon City.
?This undertaking is a concrete manifestation of the PNP?s commitment to protect human rights. This lecture also sets to reinforce the knowledge of our CDM personnel especially in situations dealing with the people?s exercise of freedom of expression and assembly,? PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa said in a statement on Saturday.
