At 10:00 am, the Vice President attended the Istorya ng Pag-asa (INP) Special Edition at Bulwagan Ka Pepe, SAAC Building, Commission on Human Rights, Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City. INP Special Edition is a multimedia gallery featuring the many faces of the ongoing war on drugs. The goal of the exhibit is to give a face to the drug war, to humanize the victims of illegal drugs, and to fight the country’s growing apathy towards the drug war. It also aims to inspire, empower, and give hope by featuring the stories of those who have been affected by the drug war and yet have been able to overcome the most unimaginable circumstances. The gallery was comprised of panels featuring the photos and personal accounts of rehabilitated drug users, EJK orphans and widows, and community-based drug rehabilitation founders.
At 11:15 am, the Vice President visited Banta sa UP at the New Atrium, College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman, Quezon City. The exhibit ran from November 22 to December 15, 2019, which featured the works of emerging sculptors, painters, performance artists, and art students from Metro Manila, Laguna, Quezon, Angono, Nueva Ecija, and Davao, and a choir performance and mural by orphaned children of the war on drugs. Its theme revolves around “various “banta” or looming threats to the Philippine society in the form of extra-judicial killings, the failed war on drugs, and the West Philippine Sea dispute” as expressed in artworks and performances. It was organized by BANTA Artist Collective, in partnership with Bawat Isa Mahalaga (B1M), Solidarity for Orphans and Widows (SOW), Ina ng Lupang Pangako Parish, Families for Truth Justice and Peace (FTJP), and Intercessors for the Philippines (IFP).