After people poked fun at the government’s proposed logo for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, an individual managed to spin another concept for the design and named it “2018 Philippine Hunger Games.”
According to reports, the picture was shared by John Tan. People in a Facebook comments thread noted that it was originally shared in a graphic design community. It eventually made its way to different social media platforms.
SEA Games logo courtesy of DFA Sec. and chairman of the organizing committee Alan Peter Cayetano vs Philippine HUNGER Games logo courtesy of a genius. pic.twitter.com/zvWo38Do2v
— Mae Chatto (@MaeChatto) August 21, 2018
Writer Rolando Tolentino shared that foreign athletes and sports officials should be wary of setting foot in the country for the event, citing that it is a “war zone.”
An excerpt of his caption reads: “Nakamamatay at marami nang namatay dito. ‘Happy Hunger Games. May the odds be forever in your favor!'”
Socio-political landscape in ‘Hunger Games’
“The Hunger Games” is a trilogy about a group of young people forced by the government to kill each other in a televised game of survival.
The book depicts how violence is encouraged by the authorities and how it is used as a means to control society. It has been adapted into movies starring Jennifer Lawrence.
“The Hunger Games” has been acclaimed for its strong political undertones, specifically how it depicts a totalitarian community and how power is manipulated by the authorities to their own advantage.
In an interview with The Telegraph, children’s illustrator and left-wing supporter Michael Rosen shared that the books offered “plenty of clues of how power was enacted in this totalitarian future society.”
Huffington Post noted that the book teaches its readers that the “government cannot be trusted.”
Toronto Sun, meanwhile, described President Snow’s character as a “right-wing politician who resorts to brutal violence” and a fascist.
Philippines’ state-sanctioned violence
In the concept of the “2018 Philippine Hunger Games” logo, the individual used bullet holes to represent the country instead of circles found in the original artwork.
Reports quoted him writing: “Okay, kung ito rin ‘yung nararamdaman niyo. Save niyo, post niyo. Ikalat niyo. Sa inyo rin ‘yan. ‘Di ko aangkinin ‘yung nararamdaman niyo para sa bayan.”
The bullet holes were an allusion to the mass killings and violence that have become prevalent in the country ever since President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for a bloody approach in eliminating crime, corruption and drugs.
In September 2016, the chief executive likened himself to German dictator Adolf Hitler and said that he would be “happy to slaughter” millions of drug addicts.
Duterte has also encouraged policemen to use violence in their pursuit of criminals and threatened advocates of human rights who have criticized him.
He has also been called a “fascist” by Communist Party of the Philippines’ founding chairman Jose Maria Sison.
In an interview, Sison said, “Duterte is obsessed with establishing a fascist dictatorship a la (Ferdinand Marcos Sr.), his political idol, whose extrajudicial killings of around 3,500 over 14 years of autocratic rule he has already surpassed several times in only two years.”
Human Rights Watch reported that Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” has already claimed more than 120,000 lives.
Last week, some Filipinos on social media commemorated the anniversary of a teenager’s death from a one-time, big-time drug operation initiated by the police force. — Photo from John Tan via Rolando Tolentino
