Against ‘epal’ … Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr (left) discusses a point with May Paner, aka Juana Change, and tourist guide Carlos Celdran on the sidelines of a forum on the anti-epal (against credit-grabbers) movement on Monday. – Picture by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/Inquirer
MANILA: Anti-Epal activists,
led by Mae Paner dressed as the popular character Juana Change, trooped to the
Comelec to join the thousands of political candidates to file their
certificates of candidacy on the first day of filing for the May 2013
elections.
The last day of filing their
certificates of candidacy was on Friday, October 5.
“I am here today to file my
certificate of candidacy for the Epaliticians’ Party List, or EPaL, along with
my family members who are also running for political office,” declared Paner as
Juana Change.
“I have with me my Auntie Sen
Change, husband Don Juan Change IV, my sister Yoko Change, my son Juan Change
V, and my granddaughter Juanita ‘Luce’ Change.
“We call her ‘Bariya’. We are
here to continue the legacy of Change that my late great grandfather started in
1898.
"In Philippine politics, Change is
inevitable.
“My father and mother are here
to witness the continuation of the Change legacy. Even my great grandfather is
here, but he’s in an urn,” added Paner wryly, tongue firmly in cheek.”
Members of the No More Epal
Movement joined the real filers on the first day of filing to highlight what it
calls the “deeper problems of Philippine politics.”
In a press statement, the group
said that the problem of “epal”, “the habit of politicians to claim personal
credit for publicly funded projects and programs,” is only a symptom of the
deeper problems of patronage politics, family dynasties, and campaign finance,
among others.
“Many of our supporters have
asked if we are only focused on the problem of ‘epal.’
“Many have even suggested that
we should go beyond epal,” said Vincent Lazatin, founder of the No More Epal
Facebook page.
“We are here today to start a
deepening of the discussion of our politics. Epal is merely a symptom of our
rotten politics. We must direct our campaign to the real issues.”
Paner was accompanied by
theater actors and members of Dakila, as the character Tita Sen Change, and
other performance artists filling in the roles of Juana Change’s relatives.
“It may seem ridiculous to come
here with members of the Change family all of whom intend to file their
certificates of candidacy, but this is what our politics has become – a family
business,” said Kate Lim from the artist group DAKILA.
“Look around and you will see
mother, daughter, husband, son, brother, sister all running for various
positions in politics. It’s crazy.
“We are here today to highlight
just this one aspect of our politics, but there are so many other problems as
well.
The No More Epal Campaign,
which has been surprisingly popular, is really only an entry point to discuss
the poor state of our politics and political institutions,” Lim added.
The anti-epal movement has
gained a lot of popularity in recent months as an online campaign has caught
the popular imagination.
Aside from online campaigns on
the popular social networking site Facebook, there are websites and blogs that
have taken up the anti-epal campaign.
Some public officials such as
Mayors Alfredo Lim and Herbert Bautista of Manila and Quezon City,
respectively, have ordered signs and billboards bearing their names and images
taken down.
Both Mayors Lim and Bautista
have separately said that the signs and billboards have been put up without
their approval by their supporters. – PR
Anti-Epal activists, led by
Paner dressed as the popular character Juana Change, trooped to the Comelec
during the first day of the filing of certificates of candidacy for those
running in next year's elections. – Photo contribution
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