Thu 25 Feb 2010
Monumental Mediocrity
Posted by Jun Alday under Landmarks, Monuments
[8] Comments
Back in the generally squalid and chaotic ambiance of Manila after a forthnight of refreshing trip abroad, I passed by the newly erected monument to Cory Aquino. What I found was horrendous to say the least. This monument was personally financed by the gun-tooting and aesthetically-deficient, Mayor Alfredo Lim after the Aquino family rebuffed the ingratiating attempt of the reviled president to put up a memorial to Cory at the Rizal Park. The newly constructed monument was placed side by side with the existing monument to Ninoy Aquino at the corner of P. Burgos St. and Roxas Boulevard.
Nobody but nobody is going to criticize something that is a tribute to “santa” Cory Aquino as it will be construed as heresy or worse, apostasy by the members of the Cory Aquino cult. Nobody will also dare to criticize the work of Eduardo Castrillo who is in line to be proclaimed as another so called a “national artist,” for the sheer number of his distorted national erections. But be that as it may, I have taken it upon myself to do so. One does not really need a high artistic qualification to realize how these suppose works of art are atrociously modeled or sculpted and installed. One simply has to see not just look.
As the cliche goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” so I am sharing here the pictures I took of the conjugal monuments to Ninoy and Cory Aquino. This picture was taken from my vehicle while I was waiting for the go signal. I thought the palm trees planted around the monuments are inappropriate as they will grow tall in no time and obscure the monuments. There is a reason for this as I discovered later. The statue of Cory looks ridiculous as the head, hands and feet are all out of proportion to the body. The statue of Ninoy Aquino seems alright from a distance until closer inspection. A closer shot of the statue showing two versions. The original on the left and the one I retouched on the right. As you can see, the head of the touched up version is more proportionate to the body. Surely, Cory is not that brainless to have such a shrunken head! The diminutive hands and feets were not retouched. Note that Cory Aquino is standing on a sloping base which does not look stable. In feng shui terms this is very unpropitious. It reminds me of the 'falling down the stairs' statue of Ninoy which was unceremoniously taken away from Ayala Ave. and relocated in Tarlac because it did not augur well to the feng shui-minded business people of Makati. Is this the icon that will bring good luck to Noynoy's presidential campaign? I doubt it. Is this anywhere near like Cory's visage? The hand and fingers are all out of proportion. The over done pedestal is too busy as if someone is trying to make a statement and compete with the statue. It failed to consider the commemorative plaque which will be placed upon it. Clearly, the plaque seems to be an after thought as it is not fitted against the column. The brass wording Pres. Corazon C Aquino above the plaque is really superflous. Make no mistake about it. There is nothing patriotic about the underwriting of Cory's monument by Alfredo Lim. It is nothing but a shrewd political move as evidenced from his name in the first sentence of the plaque. I am glad he did not etch his name on the it! If Cory Aquino's statue is one thing, Ninoy's is another. I don't know who did his statue but since I took a closer look at it, there are details that I find awfully awkward. Note the right hand of Ninoy. It is as if he is going to claw somebody. Is this an icon of crab mentality? It is the most unnatural position of a hand. Try it yourself and you will realize that it takes some doing to spread the fingers like what is depicted here. How undignified! And what is his left hand holding? What is the significance of those papers? It reminds me of Ninoy's son Noynoy in the campaign trail who cannot talk to his audience without holding on to his notes. The trite quote from Ninoy is etched on one side of his pedestal. The plaque is also ill-fitted. Behind the palm plants lies an empty pool filled with rubbish. I now understand why they put those palm plants instead of a low flowering hedge which is more appropriate. It is a lame attempt to hide this eyesore. I cannot understand why after spending so much for the monuments nobody thought of cleaning up the place or filling it with earth for ornamental plants. This is so typical pinoy, beautifying only the front and not minding what is behind. Juxtoposed with the trash and the trashy monuments of Cory and Ninoy is the Legaspi and Urdaneta monument. Erected in 1912, it could be considered one of the finest historical monuments in the country. Sadly, this classical work of art has been vandalized and looted as many of the bronze decorative elements on the four sides of the monument are now missing. Even the commemorative plaque has been stolen. It appears the National Historical Institute (NHI), who is incharge of all monuments in the country, does not care about the pathetic state of this fine monument. If the government does not care for the preservation of such monuments, who will? No wonder Filipinos in general does not seem to have much historical appreciation. Without historical appriciation and perspective, a country and its people are bound to fail. Shame on Ambeth Ocampo, the NHI chairman, who would rather tag along at Gloria Arroyo's unconscionable foreign junkets than take care of something like this. 
