The artists and poets of Kislap Diwa—a cultural initiative envisioned by Senator Loren Legarda with National Artist Virgilio Almario to preserve and promote Filipino culture and heritage—formally severed ties with the senator on Wednesday, May 20, saying her recent political actions have put their belief in her as a defender of culture “in serious doubt.”
“For years, the Senator has presented herself as a defender of culture and the creative life. Many of us believed her. Our gathering was made possible by that belief. But her recent actions have put this belief in serious doubt,” the group said in a statement signed by 10 artists and 14 poets.
The group said Legarda’s decision to join the Senate majority bloc that installed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President on May 11—and her subsequent election as Senate President Pro Tempore—placed her name in service of a political act they cannot defend.
“A senator who invokes the language of culture has now joined a bloc whose inaugural act was to shield an individual from international justice. She has done so in silence. Whatever her reasons, the effect is plain: she has lent her name and through her, a portion of ours, to a Senate that has chosen to be a refuge rather than a forum,” the statement read.
The group drew a sharp distinction between Legarda’s past patronage of the arts and the courage they say true championship of culture requires.
“Championship of the arts is not measured by past patronage. It is measured by the courage to stand against political convenience when it is costly to do so. On this, the Senator has failed,” the statement read.
The artists and poets said they are formally disassociating themselves from Legarda and will no longer participate in any activity associated with her office.
“We do not consent to our names, participation, or work under Kislap Diwa being used as part of her cultural legacy or in support of her political conduct. We will not accept further invitations to appear, read, or be honored in any capacity associated with her office,” the group said, closing with the words: “This severance is offered without theatrics. It is a fulfillment of the artist’s obligation to the Republic: to speak plainly when power falters and to refuse the use of our names in the service of what we cannot defend.”
Notably, the Kislap Diwa statement opened with a verse from Emilio Jacinto’s Liwanag at Dilim (c. 1896): “Ang ningning ay maraya. Ating hanapin ang liwanag, tayo’y huwag mabighani sa ningning”—invoking the Katipunan writer’s warning against being seduced by outward brilliance at the expense of true light.
The choice of epigraph, the group said, reflects their standing tradition of opposing impunity and the erosion of accountability—a tradition they describe as “the floor on which our work rests.”
The Kislap Diwa statement is among the many public rebukes Legarda has received from communities she has long been associated with over the same Senate leadership vote.
On Tuesday, May 19, the Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Foundation—which recognized Legarda as one of its honorees in 1995 for her work in broadcast journalism—expressed disappointment over her recent actions, urging her to “reflect deeply on whether her recent actions honor the values for which she was recognized as a TOWNS awardee” and saying she still has the chance to “help restore confidence in democratic institutions.”
Earlier, the UP Broadcasting Association—of which Legarda is an alumna and former student leader—issued a public challenge on Tuesday, May 12, warning that “the Senate must not become a sanctuary for impunity nor a bargaining table for political dynasties seeking to preserve power,” and calling on Legarda to reflect on the values she once upheld as a student leader.
The Assumption Student Council followed on Friday, May 15, backing a petition to remove Legarda’s portrait from the school’s Wall of Empowered Women, saying her recent political actions “no longer reflect the values that Assumption upholds.”
Legarda had not issued a public response to the Kislap Diwa statement, the TOWNS Foundation’s appeal, or the earlier calls from the UP Broadcasting Association and the Assumption Student Council as of the time of this report.
