A SCHOOL teacher who bravely defended history and fought disinformation through his visual arts was gunned down last Saturday night in Barangay Pasandalan, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.
The victim identified as Benharl Capote Kahil, a licensed professional teacher and an award-winning editorial cartoonist, was murdered by still unidentified assailants.
Sympathizers quickly went to social media and attributed the senseless killing to Kahil’s principled artworks against injustices and rampant dissemination of fake news in society.
“Obviously, the redtaggers tag him,” wrote one a certain Lito Villegas who later removed his Facebook post.
Another one Hanz Bryan Ballad ranted: “Bakit kaya patuloy ang pag kitil sa buhay ng mga mamamahayag? Lalo na yung mga nag lalathala ng mga maruruming sistema o mga maduming kalakalan ng gobyerno, nakakatakot diba? Wala tayong kalayaan mag siwalat ng mga bagay na lumalabag sa ating karapatan. Wala silang pakialam sa ating karanasan at nararamdaman. Mahirap talaga makahanap ng lugar ang mga taong may prinsipyo at paninindigan sa bansang punong puno ng katiwalian.”
This, as the case, is still being investigated by the Lebak Municipal Police Station as of this posting.
“We cannot give further details yet, but we’re thoroughly investigating the case,” said Police Lt. Col. Julius R. Malcontento, the town police chief.
Malcontento said the victim was driving his scooter at past 10 in the evening on his way home when he was ambushed along a barangay road.
Kahil sustained bullet wounds to his head and to the different parts of his body that killed him on the spot.
Kahil, who served as Special Program in Arts coordinator at the Lebak Legislated National High School under the Department of Education, was a perennial winner in the cartoon contest of Pitik Bulag, a part of the #FactsFirstPH initiative which has committed to help curb disinformation by using visual arts, particularly comics and cartoons.
In extending its support and condolences to the victim’s family, Pitik Bulag acknowledged Kahil as an outstanding cartoonist with numerous awards to his name in the Pitik Bulag visual arts competition.
These include a first-place finish in the 1st Pitik Bulag Online Exhibition and Contest (Open Category) in 2020, third place in 1st Pitik Bulag Tagisan Editorial Cartoon Contest in 2021, first place in iChange Komiks (Girl and Women's Rights Category), 2nd Place in iChange Komiks (Children's Rights Category), and first place in 3rd Pitik Bulag Tagisan Editorial Cartoon Contest (Senior Category) all in the year 2022.
In July 2020 in time of the president’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), Pitik Bulag had this question to its featured participants including Kahil: Anong masasabi mo sa mga nagawa ng ating pangulo nitong nakaraang taon?
The talented Kahil answered with his winning masterpiece cartoon that portrays a long-haired blindfolded woman in a white dress, with a weighing scales of justice dangling her mouth, as she was flattened to the ground by a man ― fully-armed to the teeth ― riding on her back like a horse.
