Maria Victoria Beltran: Filipino artist confronts Duterte on COVID-19 response
On April 19, three men showed up at Maria Victoria Beltran’s house to arrest her. She asked them to show her the arrest warrant. “The officers said the warrant was at the police station. They threatened to handcuff me if I refused to go with them,” Beltran told DW.
Just days before this incident, Edgardo Labella, the mayor of Cebu City in Central Philippines, had vowed to arrest Beltran for sharing a Facebook post describing her city as the epicenter of coronavirus infections “in the entire solar system.”
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It was a satirical post, albeit based on an alarming reality. More than 13,000 have reportedly been infected by the disease, and almost 850 people have died from it in the Philippines. The number of cases is on the rise in the Southeast Asian country, with local media reporting that an entire village near Cebu City was “presumed contaminated” because of the infection cluster there.
A new law to tackle the pandemic has given President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration emergency powers to crackdown on people who are using social media and other platforms to spread “false information” about the COVID-19 crisis.
Last month, the Philippine National Police (PNP) sued 24 people for spreading “false information” about the pandemic.
Read more: Opinion: Do not silence journalists during coronavirus pandemic
Crackdown on freedom of expression
The law has come under sharp criticism from human rights groups, but Harry Roque, a spokesman for Duterte, says that “freedom of expression is not absolute, it has limits.”
Rights groups say that Beltran’s arrest was another example of the government’s abuse of power to hide facts about its mishandling of the coronavirus crisis.
Read more: Rappler CEO Maria Ressa says arrests intended to shut up news site
“By arresting Beltran, the authorities wanted to threaten people who are critical of the government,” said Leni Velasco, co-founder of the DAKILA artist collective. “People now think twice [before saying anything critical] and tend to self-censor.”
Beltran was forced to pay $800 (€729) after being charged with violating the cybercrime law, spreading fake news and violating the law on mandatory reporting of certain diseases. After spending three days in police custody, she was released on April 21.
Beltran is an artist, filmmaker and a well-known figure in the Cebu artist community. Her restaurant, Kukuk’s Nest, is frequently visited by city’s intelligentsia. She was one of the 17 laureates from 14 countries who received the 2020 DW Freedom of Speech Award on May 3.
Beltran told DW that she had considered herself apolitical until President Rodrigo Duterte rose to power in 2016.
“I was appalled by Duterte’s way of talking,” Beltran said, adding that the president’s “brutal” campaign against drugs made her angry.
Duterte, a populist leader, still enjoys popularity among the masses, according to recent surveys.
Read more: Philippines: How women pay the price of pandemic-induced health care shortages
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Daunting challenge
Mimi Garcia holds the pictures of her son Richard and daughter-in-law Robilyn who were killed by masked vigilantes on motorbikes at their shanty home in Camarin, Caloocan city, on October 7, 2016. She faces the daunting responsibility of taking care of her two grandchildren while being jobless at the same time.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Brutal incidents
Andres Fernandez and his son Wesley rest at an altar inside the family home in Bagong Silang, Caloocan. On October 4, 2016, two armed men in masks went inside the Fernandez home and pointed a gun at Wesley. They made him kneel as Andres tried to help. They responded by shooting at Andres first before killing Wesley.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Suspicious killings
One of the children of alleged pusher Kenneth Trasmano lights a candle during the wake of his father in Manila. Kenneth was killed in a police undercover operation after allegedly fighting back on February 2, 2018. His family and neighbors claim the police forced them to leave their homes and get out of sight, and thereafter heard the gunshots.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Left alone
A child holds the pictures of her deceased father Joseph and grandfather Marcelo. Marcelo was killed in a police operation inside their home on July 22, 2016. Her father was rounded up and taken by the police. His lifeless body was later found “salvaged” along a roadside.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Last message
The picture shows letters written by children who have lost either one of their parents in the drug war, as part of their counselling session at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Camarin, Caloocan city.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Funeral march
Family and friends walk the funeral procession of Rogelio Gilbuena and his common law wife Jenny Royo, who were both found dead (several hours apart) in different locations in Navotas city, Manila. Prior to their death, the couple were taken from their house in Navotas by 10 men who introduced themselves as police.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Remembering the dead
Families of victims of drug-related extrajudicial killings offer flowers to their departed loved ones during the Holy Eucharistic Mass Action in Bagong Silang, Caloocan.
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Philippines’ war on drugs — Remembering the dead
Calling for justice
Her husband Luis and her son, Gabriel, were killed in September 2016. During their burial, she was stoic. The days after she had laid them to rest were different. “I began looking for them and could not stop crying.” MA nowadays attends protest rallies calling for a stop to drug-related killings and justice for those who have died. She hides her face as she doesn’t want to be identified.
Not backing down
Telling DW about her time in detention, Beltran said she was handcuffed to a chair and was later moved to a cell with other detainees. Health measures meant to curtail the COVID-19 spread were compromised during her detention, she added.
Beltran also wrote a poem entitled “The handcuffs” about her experience in the detention.
“She didn’t deserve to be treated that way for a sarcastic post,” Stella Monteno, an artist, told DW.
Monteno recalled how Beltran’s friends frantically searched for her after her arrest. “We were in a lockdown. Not being able to meet her and comfort her while she was in detention was painful for us.”
Beltran is once again sharing witty Facebook posts as a “joke of the day.” She has also filed a lawsuit against Mayor Labella.
“He [Labella] must be held accountable for my arbitrary arrest. It was just wrong,” she said.
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/maria-victoria-beltran-filipino-artist-confronts-duterte-on-covid-19-response/a-53524106?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf