The cry of Pugad Baboy

While everybody is busy commemorating “The Cry of Pugad Lawin (a.k.a Cry of Balintawak), I think it worthwhile to write about a lesser-known movement I dub as “The Cry of Pugad Baboy.”

Unlike lambs meekly walking to their slaughter, the residents of Pugad Baboy have begun to squeal like pigs confronted with efforts to pen them up and silence them. Although Pugad Baboy is but a title of a “cartoon strip,” it has acquired a life of its own and a following that are appreciative of the risqué and satirical style that dare to call attention to the abuse, excess or indifference of individuals and institutions in Philippine society.

From far right to far left, from the obese to the anorexic, the annoyingly intelligent to the unbelievably stupid, Pugad Baboy has at one time or another poked fun with a purpose or cut the arrogant, the clueless and the indifferent into bite size pieces. Directly or indirectly Pugad Baboy has at least once stepped on our toes the same way pigs do when you get in their way. It’s messy, it’s dirty, but if you had stayed well out of their path, you would not be stepped upon, would you?

Very recently, Pol Medina, the creator of Pugad Baboy got into a heap of trouble for tackling lesbianism in his strip where a lesbian challenged and accused a “Christian” of hypocrisy and being judgmental because private schools were packed full of lesbians with girlfriends. This inspired piece of social reflection clearly comes from the growing annoyance of the public with people using their sexual orientation and choices as marketing and promotions tools.

By itself this issue can be contentious and certainly attracts enough flies, but the match that caused the blast was when the lesbian character referred to “St. Scho” as chock full of lesbians with their girlfriends.

Feeling they were the specific subject or institution mentioned, the administrators of St. Scholastica School threatened to file suit. Going into warp speed, we quickly hear two sides to the story. After apologizing to St. Scho, Pol Medina’s employers allegedly suspended the cartoonist who responded by resigning from the paper. The other version is that Pol Medina’s employers fired him. Either way, the cartoon strip has officially left the page.

While the protagonists probably want to end it there, the readers and “residents” of Pugad Baboy are now clamoring for the return of their much loved source of entertainment and outlet of frustration. There is even an online campaign in support of Pugad Baboy’s return. Ironically, the real issue was about religious hypocrisy and lesbianism related to the fact that some people have been making such a big deal or riding on lesbian identity in order to get media mileage. Blundered as he may have, I doubt that Pol Medina has an axe to grind with St. Scho except perhaps if they had rejected an improbable application for enrollment from Pol.

So instead of tackling the issue of religious people being judgmental and the excess of the “Loud and the Proud” merely wanting attention, we are now wading knee deep in resentment, judgment and hypocrisy, while the residents of Pugad Baboy wallow in uncertainty.  

From my perspective, I find the whole thing unfortunate on several levels.

1: Historically, Catholic schools such as “St. Scho” and Pugad Baboy have a shared past as “freedom fighters,” enemies of Martial Law, failed Presidents, politicians as well as being co-critics of avarice and abuse. However, this incident has effectively led to one freedom fighter cancelling out the other over a “slur.” While this may all be a short-term matter, the removal or departure of Pugad Baboy from its box is equal to imprisonment, or figurative death of another “Journalist.”

We are now momentarily one less in the battle against the wicked.

2: From the biblical perspective and Christian representation, it is clear that we still have to emphasize the teachings of Christ and the apostles where in this case, we are admonished not to take our brothers or sisters before the judge or engage in lawsuits against each other. I’m no Bible scholar but I have yet to find the word “lawyer” in reference to settling differences and disputes.

What I do know is if there is an offense, go to the offending party and privately discuss the matter. If that doesn’t work then get a third party, and if that still doesn’t work, then get the people tasked and authorized to deal with such matters who are actually church leaders. In the matter involving Pugad Baboy, that would be the Sisters, or a priest or Bishop overseeing them, not a lawyer.

Imagine how amusing for St. Scho, and probably very uncomfortable for Pol Medina and his Pugad Baboy clan, if they had been invited by the St. Scho Mother Superior to come to the school and confess or explain himself before the sisters. Imagine Pugad Baboy being made to kneel on salt or mongo beans while reciting the Act of Contrition and praying the rosary!

3: In all seriousness, the Sisters missed a golden opportunity to minister kind correction upon Pol Medina on this one. By opting to take the legal or lawyer stance on this one, St. Scho effectively “cast their pearls upon the pigs.”

I’m sure the gravity of the matter did not come to Pol until after the threat of a lawsuit came. Generally, newspapers have multiple checkpoints that would eventually send off an alarm if there were any suspicion of possible libel, inaccuracy, or conflict of interest or possible injury to a third party particularly advertisers.

To suddenly find all the fingers pointed at you is nothing short of feeling betrayed, and I know this because my dad was in the very same spot, abandoned when the very President of the Philippines Cory Aquino, sued him for libel. How differently would the outcome been had both sides managed to talk.

4. If we satisfy ourselves with just causes and justice and forget the very reason and causes of the conflict, if we completely forget about the issue of lesbianism and hypocrisy in our midst, then we become nothing more than pawns of the devil who has distracted and misled us.

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