The history of the martial law era and the activism of Filipinos who struggled against oppression both in the Philippines and United States continues to be relevant today. Far from being an event that can be relegated to the past, echoes of martial law remain in recent Philippine policy. A significant instance is former president Rodrigo Duterte’s “War on Drugs,” which has caused thousands of extrajudicial killings carried out by police and vigilantes (1). Other human rights violations that have occurred under the administrations of Duterte and successor Bongbong Marcos (son of Ferdinand Marcos) are the “red-tagging,” or targeted labeling, of political opponents and suppression of journalists, issues not dissimilar from those that took place during the martial law era (2).
In responses similar to their 1970s and 1980s counterparts, Filipino American activists today continue to maintain a transnational orientation in their organizing strategies. Organizations such as BAYAN USA, arguably part of the same activist tradition as the KDP, have a broad, anti-imperial outlook that considers how issues in both the United States and Philippines are connected, as well as link the current struggle to past actions taken against the Marcos regime (3). Whether on social media, at protests, or through other channels, political art continues to be one way that Filipino American activists respond to pressing global issues (4).
In this context, the political art of the past becomes an important record that situates contemporary movements within a tradition of resistance, as well as carries the history of a time period that is especially pertinent today.
BAYAN USA, @bayan_usa, Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/bayan_usa?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==.
The Instagram account of BAYAN USA illustrates the transnational outlook of their activism, demonstrating not only concern with Philippine-U.S. issues but also solidarity with other movements, such as Palestinian resistance. Infographics, arguably a form of political art, feature prominently in their posts.
“Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs,’” Human Rights Watch, accessed August 27, 2024, https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-drugs; Mike Corder, "Thousands died in the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs.’ An international probe will now go ahead," Associated Press, July 18, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/philippines-icc-war-on-drugs-duterte-investigation-d636b2f9ef40e768008bc6ab74bbab3f.
Carlos Conde, “Continuing Human Rights Violations Under President Marcos,” Human Rights Watch, September 7, 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/09/07/continuing-human-rights-violations-under-president-marcos; Jim Gomez, “UN expert says more needs to be done to address human rights abuses in the Philippines,” PBS News, February 2, 2024, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/un-expert-says-more-needs-to-be-done-to-address-human-rights-abuses-in-the-philippines.
"About," BAYAN USA, accessed August 27, 2024, https://www.bayanusa.org/about.
Joy N. Sales, “#NeverAgainToMartialLaw: Transnational Filipino American Activism in the Shadow of Marcos and Age of Duterte,” Amerasia Journal 45, no. 3 (2019): 299-315, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00447471.2019.1715702.