BALIK TANAW 2023: The Cost of Philippine Democracy

BALIK TANAW 2023: The Cost of Philippine Democracy

PHSCI Directors with CMHR Director Frances Wellink. From left to right: Ning Upton, Czyrene Javier, Nico Alfafara, Frances Wellink, Reyna de Mesa and Jomay Amora-Dueck.

The Philippine Historical Society of Canada, Inc

By Nico Bryle Alfafara

The stories that make up history are connected by the choices that our ancestors made. It depicts the results and effects of these choices. What we observe in our society is a reflection of the combined choices made by those who lived before us, especially those in positions of power.

This year our organization, The Philippine Historical Society of Canada, Inc (PHSCI) hosted an interactive exhibit and performances last Thursday, September 21, 2023, at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) on 85 Israel Asper Way, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The event is the second installation of our “Balik-Tanaw Series” which startedlast September 23, 2022, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines. The “Balik-Tanaw: The Cost of Philippine Democracy” was a free public event that featured a martial law exhibit that would take you on a retrospective journey to an important point of Philippine history. The event featured a few of Winnipeg’s finest local artists such as Rein Caballero, Mervin Sison, and Johsa.

PHSCI organized this event to provide a chance to reconnect and reflect on a specific period of Philippine history, the horrors, and injustices during the Martial Law era. This event was significant since history is typically perceived as detached from today’s realities. This allowed those in positions of power with a significant potential to repeat the errors made by previous generations. Understanding this, we are given a guide in avoiding choices that result in grave injustices or, at the very least, warn us that history may repeat itself.

In this event, we wanted to focus on the factual results of Martial Law and how they affected today’s society. The walk-in exhibit gave guests a chance to consider their own personal understanding to martial law while visualizing the damage it has done to the victims. Through their retrospection, viewers got to connect history to their realities. It allowed everyone to learn to be more mindful of our own decisions and empathetic to the people who experienced injustices.

The first step in correcting mistakes in the past is to understand how interconnected we are as a society. Once we see these personal links and how they affect us, we get to make better decisions. Once we as a collective become more aware of the cost of these major decisions made by people in power, then we will have the initiative to hold them accountable.

As one of the co-founders and director of the Philippine Historical Society of Canada, Inc. I am excited to organize more events in the future that will showcase the Philippine community’s roots and history.

For more information, contact philippinehistoricalsociety@gmail.com

(PRESS RELEASE)