Art panels installed in front of GV Florida to remember fatal crash removed

DAKILA’S art installation, “Every Bus is a Bus Full of Dreamers,” features six of the 15 passengers who died in the GV Florida bus accident in Bontoc, Mountain Province, in February. Dakila, an artists group cofounded by one of the victims, Arvin “Tado” Jimenez (fourth from left), was forced to take down the artwork after victims’ families reported receiving grave threats. JOVIC YEE

MANILA, Philippines — “Grave threats” to the families and survivors of the GV Florida Transport accident prompted an artists group to take down art panels it installed in Sampaloc, Manila, last week.

In a statement, Dakila executive director Leni Velasco said they took down the panels Thursday “to avoid any untoward incident that may be brought by people who do not understand what these artworks are about.”

She, however, declined to explain the contents of the anonymous letter so as not to put in further risk the families of the victims and survivors.

Velasco said Dakila, a group of artists, students and individuals advocating social consciousness formation, created the artwork Sunday last week as “an expression of grief and loss, of longing and missing, and of finding meaning for the families of the victims and the survivors. It was also an expression of desire for change.”

In February, a Florida bus fell off a ravine in Bontoc, Mountain Province, killing 14 passengers, including comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez, a co-founder of Dakila.

The group first installed the art panels last month on M. Earnshaw Street, Sampaloc, Manila, in front of GV Florida’s bus station. It was stolen three days after.

Velasco said that the artwork, “Every Bus is a Bus Full of Dreamers,” symbolized “who we are and who are riding our buses.” It featured six of the 15 victims who died in the crash, namely, Solar News creative head Giovani Morillo, visual artist Gerard Baja, musician and painter Andrew David Sicam, Jimenez, videographer Christian “Mylo” Cabardo and tattoo artist Marcial Baranda Jr.

Dakila is currently looking for another venue to install the panels.

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