A netizen by the name of Anthony Comedia started an online furor earlier this week when he posted a photo of a group of people standing at a sidewalk holding a banner.
But what’s the fuss all about?
Well, these words were in print on the banner in Filipino: “We are not loiterers. We are just waiting for a jeepney. And if we are loiterers don’t jail us, hurt us, [or] kill us!”
The words are an obvious jab at the government, which started an anti-loitering drive upon the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte.
He called loiterers (or tambay in Filipino) as “potential trouble for the public.” Organization Human Rights Watch said the campaign could “increas[e] the likelihood of abuses,” while other critics have called it “unconstitutional.”
As of today, Comedia’s post has received more than 18,700 shares and has attracted both positive and negative reactions.
Wrote a netizen using the name Misha Mulder in Filipino: “This is OA [over acting].”
Wrote Melegrito Mae in Filipino: “Attention-seekers! Hahahaha.”
Another netizen thought it was a cool idea, however, and is thinking of doing the same. “We need a glow-in-the-dark type [of banner].”
Coconuts Media asked Comedia for an interview, but it turns out he isn’t on the photo — he just posted it.
The person who conceptualized the post and produced the shoot is his friend Albert Gamatero, who was game enough to answer questions about the polarizing Facebook post.
In our interview via Facebook Messenger, Gamatero, who works in the academe, said the photo “was a silent and non-violent way of making a statement — making a point!”
He doesn’t want to divulge too many details about the photo, as emotions can run high. He said in a mix of Filipino and English: “The people in the photo are my colleagues. But I’d rather not say where we work. For everyone’s safety.”
Gamatero said he and his colleagues decided to pose for a few minutes at an undisclosed location for the shot. They went to a sidewalk at 6:30pm after work.
“People there had no reaction. We were there for only a few minutes because if we stayed longer, authorities will think it’s a rally [protest march]. We don’t have a permit. We just wanted to take a picture with the intent of posting it on Facebook,” he said.
He’s pretty chill about the negative reactions, like the ones who said they were “attention-seekers.”
“Well, we are all entitled to our opinion,” he said. “It’s their right to speak, just like we did.”
Gamatero said that his family and friends are happy that the photo has gone viral, but they’re also concerned for their safety.
“Because there are so many critics!” he said. “But a friend, who’s a writer, advised me that bashers will bash, but what is important is that you were able to spread your stand to a bigger audience.”
In a way, he’s thankful for their critics. “Thanks to them, because they shared the post [smiley],” he wrote. “They said we were attention-seekers. So I guess: ‘Thank you for your attention.'”
When asked if he plans to do the same to comment on other social issues, he said: “Probably, but one step at a time. Contrary to what bashers say, we have jobs and we are busy people. But we also firmly believe that all of us have the moral responsibility to fight for what is right.”
He also added a clarification, no doubt aimed at critics who think that they’re being paid by politicians. “We were not funded [by] any political party,” he said. “We don’t have a multi-million budget.”
Hats off to you, sir.
