Members of the artist-activist group Dakila on Monday planted a Philippine flag in the West Philippine Sea off the coast of Liwa, Zambales to mark Independence Day and assert the country’s sovereignty over waters being claimed by China.
The activists planted the flag fixed on a bamboo pole in a spot off Liwa beach amid strong waves and sang the Philippine National Anthem, according to the group’s Facebook post. The activists then paddled out and let the flag float in the sea.
“This symbolic gesture is an expression of our nationalism and our pledge in the continuous struggle for freedom,” Micheline Rama, Dakila’s Executive Director, said in a Facebook post.
Rama said there is true independence only when Filipinos attain comfort, brotherhood and generosity, which is not yet the case as “many in our nation are still living in abject poverty, caught in the crossfire in conflict zones, immersed in a culture of hate and violence, and deprived of their civil liberties and human rights”.
The planting of the flag in the West Philippine Sea is the culmination of the group’s event called Kamp Kalayaan that started on June 10. During the three-day event, Dakila artists participated in mural painting, spoken word, and acoustic performances, film screenings, coastal clean-ups, climate talks and discussion sessions on pressing issues about freedom and human rights in the Philippines.
photo credit: Dakila
