‘Martial law. Now’ propaganda video taken down amid criticisms
The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) has taken down a propaganda video aimed at shoring up support for martial law to combat “extremism.”
The video came out as government forces continued battling the terrorist gunmen belonging to the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group who besieged the predominantly Muslim city of Marawi.
The siege prompted President Duterte to declare martial law in the whole of Mindanao early last week.
The 36-second animation shows a distressed boy being surrounded by menacing black silhouettes of armed men labeled as “extremists.”
The boy fends them off using a shield emblazoned with the words “martial law” which appears to have stopped them dead on their tracks.
Ominous background music plays while a male voice says: “In the free society, there are groups who don’t want to give independence. They are adamant on detaining peaceful spirits. They are distressing feelings with fears. Let us not allow them to terrify us. We will all fight in unity. Martial law should be the rule of the land. Martial law. Now.”
The video was deleted from the PCOO’s various social media accounts on Wednesday night.
Criticisms
Social media users derided both the form and content of the government propaganda, from the poor quality of the animation to the message it tried to convey.
chie @chieyori: @PresidentialCom who’s the kindergartener who drew this
makaw @sailorboi88: @PresidentialCom Tragic graphics. Horrible message
jamie @rVdikal: @PresidentialCom wala ba kayong pambayad ng mas magaling na animators
Mychael Miravite @myke_thompson: Wanted: Graphic Artist Send your resumes to @PresidentialCom Bring back the ‘ganda’ in ‘propaganda’
Squandered taxes?
Some Twitter users felt that their taxes were being squandered by the PCOO in producing the video.
jœy @thejoeyboy: @PresidentialCom i pay taxes for this?!!!
Grace Charm @GraceCharm107: @PresidentialCom We want our taxes back!
Chiki @chikinonymous: @PresidentialCom Nice to know my taxes go to fund trash propaganda pieces like this.
Content concern
Others expressed concern about its content.
Your Lawyer Says @YourLawyerSays: @PresidentialCom This is dangerous propaganda. This is highly misleading, illogical, fearmongering, and uninformative.
Mme Press Secretary @noelledeg: @PresidentialCom ALSO ANG PANGIT PANGIT NG COPY NINYO PURO GRAMMATICAL ERROR
‘Extremists resembled troops’
Netizens also said the “extremists” depicted resembled government troops rather than terrorists.
Luigerl @dquickwhitefox: @PresidentialCom Baket mukhang sundalo ang extremists? Ganyan lang ba kasimple ang animation nyo?
mk @earthtomikay: @PresidentialCom yung gobyerno ba yan?
JMCruz @s0mnambul1st: @PresidentialCom The extremists look like soldiers.
Memes, parodies
Netizens were quick to create memes and parodies of government propaganda.
Anj @anjpessumal tbh. #DefendRepublic pic.twitter.com/9aeR44gLEE
Anj @anjpessumal: hey @PresidentialCom, I noticed an error in your video. Fixed it for you. #DefendRepublic
The Corpus Juris @thecorpusjuris: Fixed it. You’re welcome @PresidentialCom! #DefendRepublic
meg @likelyerin: fixed it @PresidentialCom #DefendRepublic
Jom Lorenzo @JOMpingjacks: @PresidentialCom you vs. the girl he tells you not to worry about
No explanation
The PCOO gave no immediate explanation for taking it down and it is unclear if it planned to release similarly themed content in the future.
The propaganda video also was criticized by several senators who were keenly aware of the abuses under the martial rule of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, whose father was jailed twice for opposing the Marcos dictatorship, said it was wrong “to call on the people to want martial law as the new normal.”
“So that is a wrong message … and it’s good (that the video had been taken down),” Pimentel said.
He said Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar should “cleanse his office of misguided spirits and incompetent people.”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, a student leader during the Marcos regime, said the video was “disturbing” and reminded him of the “garbage churned out by government media during the Marcos regime on the New Society and martial law.”
Another former activist, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, said it was right to take down the “ugly” video that campaigned for martial law.
“We are against this and we will act to unmask or reveal the real face of martial law to the people,” Hontiveros said. —WITH A REPORT FROM CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO
