ARTISTS and cultural activists in Quezon City will unveil a provocative protest effigy depicting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a grotesque sewer rat on Monday, October 20, ahead of a broad anti-corruption rally at Liwasang Bonifacio the following day.
In an emailed statement from the Public Information Department of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), the installation, titled “Dagang MandaramBongBong: Hari ng BurukRATa Kapitalismo,” is a life-size effigy made from papier-mâché, wood, and found materials.
It portrays Marcos Jr. as an oversized, bloated rat ensnared in a giant trap — a biting symbol of corruption, greed, and moral decay.
The work is created by Surian ng Sining (SUSI) in collaboration with Tambisan sa Sining and Sining Lila, three progressive artist collectives known for their politically charged performances and protest art.
“The rat represents the festering corruption of bureaucrat capitalism — the kind that thrives on the people’s labor and taxes,” Danielle Madrid, SUSI secretary general said.
Madrid added that the effigy is a “mirror to a system that rewards greed while ordinary Filipinos struggle to survive.”
Surrounding the main figure are four smaller rats — caricatures of Vice President Sara Duterte, political cronies, oligarchs, and heirs of political dynasties.
The base of the trap is lined with fake peso bills, symbolizing what organizers call “a web of deceit and plunder.”
“This effigy lays bare how corruption and dynasty feed off the people’s suffering. Art, in this context, becomes both a weapon and a witness,” said Jo Tanierla, national chair for Tambisan sa Sining.
The effigy will be publicly unveiled at 10 am Monday, October 20, at the Erythrina Building, located at 1 Maaralin corner Matatag Street, Quezon City.
It will then be paraded on Tuesday, October 21, during the “Baha sa Liwasang Bonifacio” anti-corruption demonstrations led by farmers, peasant women, fisherfolk, and indigenous groups.
Kilusang Mayo Uno said the protest aims to highlight “the deepening crisis of corruption, dynastic rule, and bureaucratic exploitation” in the Philippines.
“We want to remind the public that no amount of propaganda can deodorize the stench of corruption. This effigy is a call to action — to resist decay and reclaim dignity,” said David Perez, secretary of KMU’s Public Information Department.
