Protest art is not a crime

On July 1, Shinice Wacan, Ronald Valderama, and three other youth cultural workers—collectively known as “Imus 5”—were released after three days in police detention. They had been unjustly arrested on trumped-up charges of malicious mischief and vandalism for allegedly spray-painting public property in Pasong Buaya 2 in Imus, Cavite.

Wacan and Valderama were born and raised in urban poor communities. They have every right to protest against antipoor government policies that gravely affect marginalized Caviteños and serve the interests of big foreign and local businesses. Earlier this year, Wacan’s family was among those displaced by a massive fire in Barangay Zapote 2—an area already under threat of demolition to make way for the Marcos administration’s LRT-1 extension project.

Protest art is a form of expression rooted in truth-telling. Its goal is to expose injustice and compel accountability, especially when those in power refuse to listen. Criminalizing dissent not only violates constitutional rights but also underscores the worsening human rights situation in the country.

Protest art is not a crime! Drop the trumped-up changes against Imus 5!