Thursday, October 7, 2010

Damaso

Last week, Carlos Celdran was arrested by the police when he disrupted a mass at the Manila Cathedral by bearing a sign with the word "Damaso" and shouting "Stop getting involved in politics." While I am guilty of using contraceptives myself to prevent unwanted pregnancy because my wife and I cannot afford a big family, I do not support the RH bill and I believe Carlos' show of protest is out of context. A mass is a sacred ceremony celebrated by Christians, he should know it himself as he is Catholic. The message may be right, but the forum is wrong.

He should not have overstepped boundaries. I guess that's what happens when you go protesting alone and no one seems to be noticing. Considering what Carlos has done, I think he is just a lonely, unappreciated man who gets his high on being the center of attraction. Totally inappropriate and uncalled for. Hindi nakakabilib. Kitang-kita ang conceit at sobrang pagkabilib sa sarili. And he even has the courage to lie in a live interview that he went inside because it started to rain. Kulang ka lang sa atensyon Carlos.Add Image
Anyway, here is my version of his protest sign.

How Virtual Activist came to life

While walking to work one day along Ayala Avenue, I got the idea of designing protest signs based on the protests currently being made around the world and especially here in the Philippines. While Filipino protesters use simple signs placed on cheap cardboard materials, I imagined a world where the protest signs are stylistic and feature good illustration and made not only to present a message but to present artistry. Since I will be posting the designs online, I decided to call it virtual activist.

Please note, I do not necessarily endorse what the signs say. I just wanted to explore illustration styles as a creative exercise.