MORATO, Gabriel Romeo A.

Philippine History

2-ALT January 31, 2020

The Artifact (World of Text):

Ferdinand Marcos Head Wood Sculpture

 estimated to have existed in the year 1975

Internal Criticism

 Measurement: 10 inches, 25.4cm

 Made from Basswood
 The wooden sculpture is already brittle in some parts including the eyebrows,
nose, cheeks and ears.
 There are holes on the back of the head because of weather conditions.
 Wood sand can be heard inside the sculpture
 The sculpture was made in Bicol Region by Miguel Ayo (A family relative) who
hobbies wood sculpting who learned it from his father Lorenzo Ayo when they
were living in Laguna years before.
 Paete, Laguna is really proud about their wood carvings. Paete, whose name
was derived after a chisel or paet, is a small town on the northeastern part of
Laguna. It is famous for its finely made woodcraft that it was declared the
Carving Capital of the Philippines on March 15, 2005.
External Criticism

 Date and Provenance: Ferdinand Marcos Head Wood Sculpture was carved in
1975 (in the middle of Martial Law, Marcos Regime)
 Miguel Ayo (A family relative) gave it to my father, Ramon Alphonsus D. Morato
on March 17, 1986 as birthday gift for the sake of finding the irony of Marcos
smiling amidst what happened a month prior to it (which is EDSA Revolution)
 Lorenzo Ayo (father of the sculptor) was a victim of the Marcos Regime

Place of Discovery

 Ferdinand Marcos Head Wood Sculpture was found inside our old house in
Mambugan, Antipolo where my grandfather retrieved it before our house was to
be reconstructed. He then gave it to his son (my father).

Sociofact (World Behind The Text)

 In 1975 President Ferdinand Marcos took initiatives in both domestic and foreign
policies that were evidently designed to consolidate his regime. The domestic
moves began with a referendum in which voters were asked to express their
opinions of the martial law regime and of two schemes for restructuring local
governments.
 About 70,000 people were imprisoned and 34,000 tortured, according to
Amnesty International, while 3,240 were killed from 1972 to 1981. (Lorenzo Ayo
was a victim). During this dark chapter of Philippine history, thousands of people
were subject to various forms of torture. Prisoners were electrocuted, beaten up,
and strangled. They were burned with a flat iron or cigars. Water was poured
down their throats, then forced out by beating. Women were stripped naked and
raped, various objects forced into their genitals.
 The popularity of Manila Sound was further supported by Memorandum Order
No. 75-31 of the Broadcast Media Council in 1975, which required all radio
stations to play at least one Filipino composition every hour, a number that
increased to three by 1977. Even though the memorandum came from the same
government that declared Martial Law, it created “a semblance of an
atmosphere of freedom for artists even as summary executions, unlawful
detentions, food blockades and other violent measures continued to be imposed
on the populace by the mailed fist of the dictatorship”.
 Popular anti-Marcos sentiment existed for the duration of Martial Law. According
to David Wurfel, there were three paramount types of opposition to martial law
during the 1970s: reformist opposition, revolutionary opposition, and religious
opposition.
  19th Century Colonial History and Revolution--artists drew parallels between the
revolution against the Spanish colonizers in the nineteenth century, and the
struggle against the Marcos dictatorship. Both portrayed similarities in the history
against oppressive powers and themes of national identity.

Exegesis: Miguel Ayo’s father was a victim of the Marcos Regime. In those days, art
flourished to make a political statement. This was Mid-Martial Law which can be
called as one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history. Amidst Lorenzo Ayo’s
death from the forces of Marcos thus can say that it was more than just art, it is
politics.

Mentifact (World Before The Text)

 The Marcos Regime had made an impact in the people of the Philippines as of
the future leaders:

Arroyo Administration:

 On December 4, 2009, through Proclamation No. 1959, President Gloria

Macapagal Arroyo officially placed Maguindanao province under a state of
martial law, thereby suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the step was taken in order to avert the
escalation of "lawless" violence in the province and pave the way for the swift
arrest of the suspects in the massacre.

Duterte Administration:

 Proclamation Number 216 declaring martial law in Mindanao.

 Amid the escalation of conflicts in Mindanao and recent clashes in Marawi City
related to the Maute Group, incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte placed
Mindanao and its nearby islands under martial law at 10:00 p.m. (UTC+8) on
May 23, 2017. This was announced during a briefing held in Moscow, where
President Duterte was on an official visit, and will be in effect for 60 days.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the declaration was possible
given the "existence of rebellion," while Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano
explained that the step was taken with of "the safety, the lives and property of
people of Mindanao" in mind. Implementation is to be pursuant to the 1987
Constitution, which provides for a maximum 60 day-state of martial law without
Congress approval for extension, the continuation of government functions, and
 the safeguard of individual freedoms. However, President Duterte insisted that it
will not be any different from martial law under President Marcos.

 While the declaration does not currently affect citizens and government units in
Luzon or the Visayas, President Duterte suggested that he might extend martial
law to the entire country if needed to “protect the people.”

Eisegesis: The sculpture represents itself as an irony to what Filipinos have known
Marcos for. Miguel Ayo presents a smiling Ferdinand Marcos head sculpture as he
smiles watching all his countrymen fall from his dictatorship. The sculpture could be
interpreted that with that smile and even at death, Ferdinand Marcos influence
continues to serve our leaders.
References:

 Noble, L. G. (1976). Philippines 1975: Consolidating the regime. Asian Survey,

16(2), 178-185.
 Maceda, “Problematizing the Popular”, 396
 David Wurfel, Filipino Politics: Development and Decay (Quezon City: Ateneo de
Manila University Press, 1988), 204.
 Memory, truth telling, and the pursuit of justice : A Conference on the Legacies of
the Marcos Dictatorship. [Quezon City]: Published and exclusively distributed by
the Office of Research and Publications, Ateneo de Manila University. 2001.
ISBN 978-9715503730. OCLC 48517053

Online References:

 https://web.archive.org/web/20091207090214/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakin
gnews/nation/view/20091205-240233/Martial-law-declared-in-Maguindanao
 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/178582/full-text-arroyo-s-
declaration-of-martial-law-in-maguindanao/story/
 "Duterte declares martial law in Mindanao". Rappler.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/170745-philippines-duterte-declares-martial-law-
mindanao. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
 "Duterte says his martial law to be similar to Marcos time".
https://www.rappler.com/nation/170759-duterte-martial-law-no-different-marcos.
Rappler. Retrieved 2017-05-24.