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One Piece Straw Hat Jolly Roger flags had become common fixtures during the recent anti-corruption rallies. The mass actions are closely linked with the flood control corruption scandal that revolves around the diversion of billions of public funds to a network of favored contractors, lawmakers, and officials tied to flood control projects over the past three years.
Despite the reported completion of 5,500 flood control projects, many are either substandard or entirely non-existent.
The anti-corruption rallies over the weekend coincided with the Martial Law anniversary.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. signed Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972, marking the beginning of a 14-year period of dictatorial rule, which effectively lasted until he was exiled from the country on February 25, 1986.
Corruption under the Marcos dictatorial regime ranged from theft of foreign and military aid to the domestic system of crony capitalism.
Political, economic, and social conditions coalesced to create a volatile political environment in the early 1980βs. As the crony-run corporations collapsed and Marcosβs associates fled abroad with their assets, the financial situation deteriorated. Continuous mass actions led to his eventual downfall in 1986.
Five decades later, corruption issues also plagued the administration of his son, President Ferdinand, Jr. βBong Bongβ Marcos.
I saw several One Piece flags during the September 21 rally in Luneta and the march towards Mendiola.
The One Piece Straw Hat Jolly Roger flag gained popularity as a tool of political expression and defiance in protests in Asia like Nepal, Indonesia and now the Philippines.
The flag depicts a cartoonish skull with two crossbones and a straw hat.
It is one of the pirate flags featured in the Japanese One Piece manga, which was first published in 1997 as a manga by Eiichiro Oda. The manga has sold more than 520 million copies while the TV series has run for more than 1,100 episodes, making it one of the most popular franchises in the world.
The flag is associated with the series’ protagonists Straw Hat Pirates who often fight for liberation of oppressed people.
The flagβs anti-authoritarian usage is a reference to a major storyline involving the fictional World Government, which controls most of the mangaβs locations, and the Straw Hat Piratesβ struggles to fight back while subsequently hunting for the titular treasure.
Luffyβs quintessential straw hat and his trademark beaming smile has become a global protest emblem for the fight for freedom.
There was a video of a One Piece flag bearer accompanying Miss Universe Catriona Gray as she marched towards the People Power Monument.
The contingent from the University of the Philippines carried banners demanding higher education funding, linking the fight against corruption to the chronic underfunding of schools and universities.
The formal program in Mendiola ended at around 3:30pm and organizers requested for a peaceful dispersal.
I was only a few meters away when violent clashes erupted as some masked individuals hurled stones, plastic bottles, sticks, and Molotov cocktails at police who stood as a barricade between the crowd and MalacaΓ±ang,
I went back and started documenting the commotion including a One Piece flag bearer who stood firm amidst the crowd while being bombarded by water cannon and teargas.
The riots at Ayala Bridge, Recto, and Mendiola left scores of protesters and police injured, toppled steel posts, a motel ransacked and a trailer on fire at the foot of Ayala Bridge.
At least 216 were arrested following the riots, including 95 minors.
No one is sure who these masked men are or to what group they are affiliated with.
Social media was flooded with divergent reactions. Some called them several names: βBatang hamog, Tambay, Salot, hiphop gangstersβ.
A lawyer wrote: βThey were an organized bunch. The fact that they wore a uniform black showed that they were coordinated and deployed by nefarious elements out to destabilize the State.β
Photographer Ezra Acayan said: “They werenβt part of any groups β they were just ordinary Filipinos: teens, students, teachers, workers β angry and fed up with the government. And so I wrote βFilipinosβ for my captions.β
Award winning journalist Jamel Alindogan posted: βMaynila ang isa sa mga lungsod na may pinakamalaking konsentrasyon ng maralita. Karamihan, isinilang na gutom ang sikmura, salat sa pagmamahal, at biktima ng sistemang matagal nang walang malasakit sa kanila. Malalim ang hidwaan. May atraso ang Bayan sa kanila dahil pinabayaan sila. At ito ang kailangang pag-usapan. Palalimin pa natin ang diskurso.β
The September 21 rallies will not be the last time that we will see the One Piece flags.
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