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PI{iLIPPINE JOURNALISM RIVIEW

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IITOR'S NOTE

BRIGHTSPOT
1\ TONOY MARCELO was that rare breed in I \ | Philippine journalism, a cartoonistwith defiI \ nite ideas about Philippine society, politics and culture. As a result, he usually had a take on the most current developments,of which he was an
avid observer.
Most Philippine editors expect the cartoonist to be no more than an illustrator of their ideas. With a few notable exceptions this has indeed been the case,not becausecartoonists are somehow lacking in ideas, but because long years of practice have sanctioned their waiting to be told what to draw. Nonoy Marcelo would have none of that, and he often struck out on patfu of his own when doing a cartoon for an editorial page-or when doing covers for the Philippine lournalism Rwiew. It was just as well. His imagination knew no bounds, and would more often than not think up an angle totally unexpected. It was Nonoy Marcelo who dared name Ferdinand Marcos "Macoy," for example-and in a government-approved publication too, where he did a strip called "The Real Macoy" and managed to get away with it. His art thrived because of the element of surprise, )nd, perhaps because his barbs were cloaked in humor, provoked laughter, but seldom serious efforts at censorship. The political cartoon of which Marcelo was a brilliant practitioner has had a long history in the Philippines, as Hector Bryant L. Macale's "The political cartoon's checkered past" points out on page 35-38. Marcelo's place in that history P/R documents in this.issue through Pepper .Marcelo's (no relation) " Nonoy Marcelo: A breed apart" ground press/ cartoonists parodied such puffery as the New Republic and Imelda Marcos' fondness for jewelry and pomp. During the tumultuous weeks before, during and after the Estrada impeachment trial, the cartoonists contributed to the government's being laughed out of office by satirizing, among others, Estrada's fondness for multiple families and palatial houses. Estrada caricatured-beer belly, pompadour, mustache and all*promises to go down in Philippine journalism hiitory as among the high points of a craft that today continues to deflate pomposity and to satirize wrong doing in furtherance of the journalistic mandate to afflict the comfortable even as it comforts the afflicted. Between the martial law period and Estrada's downfall, the intervening governments of Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos were equally targeted not only through the printed word but through the pointed cartoon as well. The Arroyo government is no exception to what has become the rule: that ifs fair game not only for the editorial writers and the columnists, but for the cartoonists as well. The political cartoon is one bright spot in Philippine journalism, a beacon of hope in a profession that too often invites the darkest cvnicism.

(pp.16-1e).
From the eve of the Revolution at the turn of the century to the present when the editorial cartoon and even the strips in the comics pages are often more barbed in their criticism than the columns and editorials, the political cartoon has thrived in the Philippines. Despite its potential and actual capacity to deflate the pretensions of the powerful, and to expose official absurdity, wrong doing, and perfidy, the political cartoon has largely escaped the censorship thaf during the Spanistr, Americary and martial law periods, had been the lot of the printed word. One suspects that those in authority tend to look at the cartoon as non-threatening - an assumption they entertain at their own peril, the history of the world being replete with numerous cases of governments being laughed out of office. Certainly Philippine history has had its own examples. The wellknown propensity of Filipinos to laugh at their predicaments was at work during the martial law period, for example, when, in both the above ground as well as under-

LUIS V. TEODORO Editor

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2002 | P}|lLlPPlt{E REYIEW J0URl{AtlSt'l I December

Cartoons liftedfrom Phitippine cartoons.' Political caricature of the American era: 790O-1947 by Alfred McCoy andAlfredo Roces. City: Vera-Reyes Inc.,19g5. Quezon

Al',tERlCA fS?R'UD

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OF YOU I

Though most readersthink them to be recent phenomena,and as the products of a more liberal age, political cartoonshave a long history in the Philippine press. They appeared first in newspapersin the Philippines during the late Spanish era, and flourished in the reform oriented presson the eve of the Revolution. Their growth was inevitably hindered by the restrictionsAmerican conquestat the furn of the century brought. Despite these restrictions, however, the political cartoon survived the American colonial period long enough for it to emergeas an accepted part of newspapering. Political cartoonists in the Philippines have been more forfunate than their writing peers in that they have seldom incurred official anger. But political cartoonsdo depend on how free is the press,which in tum depends on how liberal the political atmosphereis. The fate of newspapers being dependent on libel and other threats as well as economicand political pressure, the survival of the political cartoonis! if only indirectly, has beenas problematic in the Philippine press as thai of reporters, columnists and editorial writers.

ByHector Bryant L.Macale

Birth of political cartoons

Political cartoons were already popular in other countries in the early 18s century. In England, three satiristswere credited for contributing greatly to the art of political and socialsatire:William Hogarth with his print Charactersand Caricatura (1745) and his seriesMariage ala Mode,A Harlot's Progress, and A Rake'sProgress; ThomasRowlindsonfor his innovative use of frames,captions,and balloonsin his pictorial narrative in strip form Looesof the Fox and the Badgerand CoalitionWedding;

LMOST Lrvl\.rD r EVERY .trv .trr( r newspaper you can name has has a cartoon that through huriror to-ments on a curfinent issue, andf or illustrates the paper/s editorial. Most cartoonsin the Philippine pres; tend to be political, now corrunenting on ihis goizernmentstatement/ decision or actiory now satirizing that politician or government official's views or-rnost recent gaffe.

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and JamesGillray. ' In the United States, BenjaminFranklin drew the first cartoon ever published in an American newspaper.This was his "Unite or Die," which appeared in the Pennsylztaon May 9, 1754. nia Gazette The early 19thcentury saw the rise of satirical journals and magazineswith political cartoonsin Western Europe/ among them La Caricature(1830), La Chariaari (1832), and Punch(1841). The Philippines was not too far behind. the last years of Spanishrule, In the 1880s, a group of weeklies commented on the then politically tensesituation in the country and caricaturedwell-known personaliarena. tiesin the polibical The first of these weeklies was La Elegante(The Elegant Week), Semana founded by Don Pedro Groizard and published on March 1, 1884.Although the paper becamethe forerunner of satire in tl're Philippine press,it was more known as a journal of literary satire rather than a political one. Manila Alegre (Gay Manila), which appearedon December6, 1885,tried to improve on La Semanaby caricafuring well-knowru powerful and wealthy per-

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popular arnongFilipinos, sons. It became convincing its caricaturists Ignacio Villar and Julian Aristegui to expand its pages from four to eight in two years' time. However, the paper merged with La Opinion, an anti-spanish paper, which eventually left the caricaturistsout of work. Undaunted, Villar and Aristegui founded in 1887Manililla, an eight-page weekly that devoted much of its spaceto political caricatures drawn by these two caricaturists.Other weeklies of the period that had political caricatureswere El Domingo(Sunday)first published in August (The GreenBird), 1890,and El PajaroVerde on September4, 1890. Theseweekliescaricaturedwell-known politicians of the period, and commented on the most important issuesduring the last years of the Spanishregime,especially the rising discontentof Filipinos. More than four months after the Battle of Manila between the United Statesand Spain in May 1898, more political satires came out, among them Con Leche(With (TheSnob). Milk) and El Chiflado the TreatY of On December 10, 1.898, Paris was signed between the United States

and Spain, and the country Passedto American rule. Not surprisingly,the political cartoonsin the extantjoumals widely commented on this event,

"Coca-Colanization"
More political cartoonsin the papers appearedduring the American rule despite threats of harassment,incarceration,or deportation to C {m or Hongkong of newspapers critical of the new regime. Generallyhowever, Americanpresscontrols were more flexible and lessharshcompared to the complete censorshipof the critical pressduring the Spanishperiod. This allowed the flowering, though still limited, of the Philippine press,especiallyafter U.S. Army censorshipended with the establishment of the American colonial civil govemment on July 4, 1901'. Two months later after the establishment of the civil government, the most influential among the nationalist newsPapersof the new colonial era, El Renacimiento (Rebirth), was born, along with its sharp political caricaturesagainst the new government. The only entirely satiricaljournal in the

2002 RtrtltlvI December 3 6 ltlrrrppltlt J0ttRltALlsl'l

history of the Philippine press, Lipang Kalabaut (namedafter a common plant),first appearedonJuly 27,1907or1906as a1,6page,magazine-sized weekly. Publishedin both Spanishand Filipino, LipangKalabaur cameout when libel suits were still considered a major threat by the publishers. This was onereasonwhy the real names of the paper's writers and cartoonistswere not published;their work appearedunder pen names. Flowever, the paper, known for its irrepressiblecartoons,closedbriefly on March 7,1908 after only 33 issuesbecauseof political pressures, only to come back on ApriI 4, 1908. The paper went through two more demise-resurrection cycles.It expired again in 1909,but was again revived on July 22, 1922-an issue that featured attacks against then Governor General Leonard Wood and Philippines FreePresspublisher McCullough
Dick. The journal again died inL924, and I also drew political cartoons inTelembang, reappeared or-r April 9, 1949, after indeunder the pen name Hajji Buto. ]

theme, although the editorial was usually milder compared to the usually irreverent cartoon. Forfunately for the cartoonists of the period however, the civil government was more lenient even towards the most defamatory of cartoons, compared with its severe stance against articles critical of American rule. The cartoons commented on such issues as corruption in governrnent, the Americanization of the Filipinos, the dving use of Spanish language in the country, the lending scandals at the Philippine National Bank, and the Filipinos'questfor freedom from American rule.

The intenegnum Japanese

When the Japanese conquered the Philippines during the World War II in1942, the new colonizers shut down press publications and radio stations. No publications except the TVT (Taliba-La Vanguardia-Tribune) newspapers were allowed. The then popular comic strip "Kenkoy" by Tony Velasquez was allowed, butwas only used for the propaganda activities of the Japanese government.

pendence. It was critical of the Quirino I

Atyplcalpoliticalcartoonoftheerawas

"set a high standard of satire and artistry that was never really equaled in the history of the press." The Philippines FreePress waslaunched by Americanjudge W.A. Kincaid on August29,1908 but latersold it to Dick, ,4-t(>. and became known for its hard-hit- q L,i ting polifical lampoonsright on its / )k front page.The Spanishand English 11 { 4:Z
weekly was thus among the pioneers that helped develop political

government, but died again that year. This appeared on the front page of the paper I time there was no resurrection. I and set the tone of the entire issue. A lead During its publication, Lipang Kalabaut editorial followed the cartoon on the same ]

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cartooning in the1920s.'rn""alril"i ,'f-f-E -'?'its cartoonists influenced laterphilip- ll. /" / pinecartoons. Despite its pro-Ameri lV"-a!*:Ss
can bias,the FreePress was an ar \r{.r1:l;, denicritic of comrplion in the Ameri- {,f; r.t''t-.' *\.lt-^._ can goverrrnent ,l/i!-n+^e rrr arlu and was vvqD rs4u read by t uy the tlrE 'Y -=3] emerging generation of Englishspeaking Filipjnosand by exparriate ffi qcru[d i
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zines with political cartoons appeared in the 1920s, among them Telembang(Bell), Pakakak(Horn), and the militant The Independent. Some of the most famous political cartoonists of the period were |ose Pereira, ]orge Pineda, Ireneo Miranda, Esmeraldo Izon, and the NationalArtistFemandoAmorsolo, . who became famous for his anticlerical and anti-Chinese political cartoons in The Independenf. Amorsolo

Pl|lLlPPlt{t RtYIEW 2002 37 J0URt{ALlJ}l I December

rf{lSrony
After the country's liberation from the japanese, the presslandscapebecamelivelier with the phenomenalgrowth of newspapers. However, editorial cartoons did not retum to the newspaper pagesimmediately. The first newspaperthat made use of political cartoonsafter the war was the in its November 1.,1945 Manila Chronicle editorial "One world... still full of bayonets." But, it was only by the Chronicle on April 12,1950,lessthan five years after the first postwar editorial cartoonappearedfor the first time in a newspaper, that papers were ableto regularly featurepolitical lampoons. Nevertheless,the postwar period becamethe "golden age" of Philippine cartoons. the more frequent subject of the cartoons being FerdinandMarcos. ties, government scandalsand social and economic issues,among others. Sources: and Batnag, Odina. Editorial cartoons publicopinion Unpublished undergraduate thesis: University of the PhilippinesDiliman College of Mass Communication, 1990. De Leon, Mariza Andrea L. A comparaof theeditorialcartoons of analysis tiuecontent the PhilippineDaily Inquirer and the PhilippineStar.Unpublished undergraduatethesis: University of the Philippines-Diliman Collegeof Mass Communication,1998. DoloricoruLeonilo. PersonalInterview. November 22,2002. clopedia Grolier Incorporated. TheEncy of America: Ameicana:vol. 21.United States 1988. McCoy, A1fred, Alfredo Roces.Philipof theAmeiPoliticalcancature pinecartoons: canera1900-1941. QuezonCity: Vera-Reyes Inc.,1985. Nabong, Rosario Y. Histoical detselopin thePhilippines.Unpubmentof cartooning lished undergraduate thesis:University of the Philippines-Diliman Institute of Mass Communication,1979. : Caicatures Pabico, JaderickP.Philippine of Philippine In celebration of the Centennial http:/ / lndependence. www.ics.uolb.edu. oh / -i pp / usa/ rctootrs / ,1.995-"1997. comic stip carPamelaR.Polittcal Pacete, a case toonistsin Metro Manila broadsheets: study.U npublished undergraduate thesis: University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Mass Communicatton,1992. Philippine-American War Centennial r.orsl Initiative.htto:/ / w w w.phil-am-wa 1998. cartoons.htm, Ramirez,JaimeB. Philippine lournalism Caloocan City: National BookHandbook. store,1989. Roxas,Cynthia, Joaquin Arevalo, Jr. A snd other History of Komiksof thePhilippines Islas Filipinas Publishing Inc., countries. 1985. Teodoro, Luis V., and RosaiindaV. Kabatay. MassMedia Lawsand Regulations City: Asian Media in thePhilippines.Pasig Information & Communication Centre, 2001. Victoriano, Marwin Owen A. Humor in as masscommunicators Truth: Cartoonists (based on thelifeof LarryAlcala).Unpublished undergraduate thesis: University of the Philippines-Diliman Collegeof MassCommunication. 1997.

(ensored cartoons

With Marcos' proclamation of Martial Law on September21,'1972,all forms of were closed media, including newspapers, and reopenedunder censorship.The total media organizationsclosedduring the period were 78 national and community and 20 newspapers, six televisionchannels, radio stationsand networks. Leading print and electronicjournalists of the era were arrested and detained. Editorial cartoons were banned during the first months of Martial Law, and only newspapersfriendly to Marcos and his administration were allowed. It was only in 1"973when editorial age Golden In the 1960s,there was a rapid growth cartooning was onceagain allowed by the ofpolitical cartooruasthe political and eco- martial law government. Since that period, editorial cartoons nomic crisis intensified. Some of the new kids on the political cartoonists'block were have ceasedbeing just illustrations for Corky Trinidad, Edgar Soller, Paulino newspapereditorials.Today a newspaper's GaIvez, Roni Santiago, Roddy Ragodon, editorial cartoon may not necessarily be Dengcoy Miel, Larry Alcala, and Nonoy on the sametheme as its editorial. Under martial law the irreverence of Marcelo. This new generationofcartoonists car- the political cartoons towards authority ried the acerbic political commentariesof declined,persistinguntil the end and even after the period of formal martial law, the cartoonists of the American era, with their caricatureof personalitiesand bolder which ended on January 17,1981, when and more colorful lampoons. In February Marcosproclaimed"The New Republic." In the tumultuous events of the last 1,8,1960,these cartoonists formed an organization of political and non-political car- years of Marcos rule, the highlight of of former toonists.The organization was named the which was the 1983assassination Societyof Philippine Illustrators and Car- senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., the toonists and the first president was the political cartoon was reborn. The critical anti-dictatorship press made political carPhilippines FreePress'Ezmeraldo lzon. Not much has been written about the toons critical of Marcos and his dictatornature of this first organization of cartoon- ship popular onceagain, and were eagerly ists in the country, and as far asUniversity welcomed by Filipino readers. of the Philippines fine arts professor and again political cartoonist Leonilo Doloricon Iree When democracywas restoredin 1986, knows, this organization does not exist the press and political cartoons became anymore. Another organization of cartoonists, even livelier. Sixteen years after the restoration of the SamahangKartunista ng Pilipinas ( S K P ) , e x i s t s , a l t h o u g h a c c o r d i n g t o democracy and free press in the country, Doloricon, who onceserved as SKPpresi- political cartoons continue to exist, in eident, it has not been very active. His fel- ther the major newspapers'front pagesor low UP professor, the late Larry Alcala, opinion-editorial sections. Despitetechnologicaladvancesin drawthe first SKP president, said that the SKP was formed "to raise the awarenessof the ing cartoons(unlike before when cartoonpublic and the Filipino cartoonists them- ists had no choicebut to draw cartoonsby pen) and the tumultuous eventsof the last selvesof the power of the medium." The Philippine press enjoyed minimal 30 years, Doloricon says that today's edipresscensorshipin the postwar yearsfrom torial cartoons basically touch the issues 1945to 1972.Prior to September1972,po- raised more than a century ago by earlier litical cartooning thrived, and it seemedthat political satirists- suchasthe political sysno one and thing was sacredto it, among tem, corruption, inept political personali-

3 I pHtttppttt RtttrEW 2002 J0ttRrAr.rstl I December