Guerrilla Theatre

Members of the Washington DC chapters of AMLC and the FFP stage guerrilla or street theatre to expose and protest sham elections in the Philippines. The April 5, 1978 demonstration was held in Dupont Circle near the Philippine Embassy, which slowed down rush hour traffic as supporters honked their horns in solidarity with the protest.

KDP chapters used a wide variety of cultural forms to help educate the Filipino community about the movement for democracy in the Philippines and the conditions of oppression facing Filipinos in the US. KDP activists were called upon to perform singing of patriotic songs and educational skits at picket lines, rallies, and educational forums. These mediums allowed the community to take in educational messages in an entertaining and accessible way.

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The guerrilla/street theatre portrayed Dictator Marcos (played by Ding Taverna) as a US puppet, the regime’s military (re-enacted by Jon Melegrito) violently assaulting the civil liberties of the Filipino people (represented by Odette Villanueva), with US support personified by Uncle Sam, played by FFP’s Jim Regan. By Jon Melegrito