“No Honor for a Dictator”: Cordillera Group slams Marcos Sr. portrait in Benguet Mural

Tabuk City, Kalinga – A Cordilleran cultural organization has questioned the inclusion of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in a newly inaugurated mural along the Aspiras-Palispis Highway in Tuba, Benguet, saying the depiction risks distorting the region’s historical memory.

The mural was inaugurated on March 9 near the Badiwan Rockshed Tunnel along Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet.

In a statement posted on its social media page on the same day, Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera (DKK) criticized the portrayal of Marcos, stressing that the former dictator deserves neither honor nor heroism.

“We at the DKK are extremely disturbed by the inauguration of a mural that depicts the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. If the goal of the mural is to honor Marcos Sr., then we declare: there is no honor or heroism to be accorded to the late, unlamented fascist dictator,” the statement read.

DKK is an alliance of cultural organizations and individuals in the Cordillera that advocates for the safeguarding of cultural heritage and the defense of land, life, and resources of the Cordillera people.

The group also recalled several controversial projects during the Marcos era, including the Chico River dam project and the killing of Kalinga elder Macli-ing Dulag, which they said had significant impacts on Cordillera communities, particularly in Kalinga and Mountain Province.

According to the organization, if the intention of the mural was to highlight the history of the highway, it would have been more appropriate to feature Ben Palispis, Benguet’s first governor, after whom the highway was later renamed.

“Marcos Sr. had to evict Ibaloy families residing in Taloy Sur, Tuba, Benguet. If the goal is to honor the highway, then a portrait of Ben Palispis, the first governor of Benguet after whom the highway was renamed, would have been more appropriate than painting a portrait of the dictator,” the group stated.

DKK concluded by reiterating its opposition to historical revisionism and reminding the public of the experiences of Cordillera communities during the Marcos regime.

“It may be just a mere mural to some, but every artwork sends important political messages that shape the hearts and minds of the people. In this case, it sends a message of honoring a fascist dictator and a plunderer. This is nothing short of distorting our history. In the arts, historical distortion has no place. Historical revisionism in the arts is a gross misrepresentation of the people’s will and collective trauma. The North remembers! Marcos, saan a banwar!”