Yesterday, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) hosted a public forum on the ongoing Kulȏ exhibition, which includes the highly controversial installation Poleteismo by Mideo Cruz. Some Catholic groups have demanded that, owing to the offensive content on display, the installation be removed and/or the exhibition closed.

The moderator, Precious Leaño, was careful to state at the outset that the forum was not intended to be a debate, but a venue to surface issues for the CCP Board to consider and act upon. The result, then, was not really a dialogue, but the airing of talking points and (inevitably) broadsides.

While I intend to write a longer piece on the matter, below are some preliminary notes.

• It was obvious that speakers from both sides of the issue did not understand each other, and underscored the need for research and critical thought about art history and Catholicism in the Philippines. I agree with Ed Cabagnot, Officer-in-Charge of the CCP Visual, Literary and Media Arts (VLMA) Department, when he said at one point that more nuance was needed in the discussion.
• The Main Gallery was completely packed, and in a way it was exhilarating to realize that everyone had gathered for the purpose of talking about art, which doesn’t happen very often in these islands. Several people said as much, though it is also sad that art has to be scandalous in order for the public to discuss it.
• The legal aspect of the issue was heavily emphasized by representatives of the Ang Kapatiran party, and, in my opinion, smacked of the intention to intimidate. Should any action be brought against the CCP, it will be interesting to see how the judiciary will interpret, among others, Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidential Decree No. 15.
• The message of Cruz’s work, as far as I am concerned, has been said previously and elsewhere. Poleteismo has also been exhibited previously and elsewhere, including the Vargas Museum, another state-sponsored space. What has changed are the conditions of reception, which led one ill-informed woman to rave about a conspiracy between the CCP and proponents of the RH bill. The recent takedown of the Philippine Volcanoes billboards and other billboards also cast a strange light on the issue.
• Perhaps the most horrifying statement made during that afternoon was from Yolly Eileen Gamutan, who said she represented the Catholic Youth League of the Philippines: “If we have here an insult for the Islamic religion, I am sure there would be a bomb already exploding here.”
• As a Filipino and as a Catholic, I resent that anyone—anyone—would presume to think, speak, and act for me.