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Zagala HL Essay Final Document
Zagala HL Essay Final Document
Over the years, the Philippines has sustained decades-long corruption under the
administrations of strong-man leaders such as Marcos and Duterte. The effects of the Marcos
administration have been witnessed from generation to generation since its declaration. The last
administration, Duterte’s, mirrors the past with its implementation of Extra Judicial Killings (EJK)
and other human rights violations. Unfortunately, activists who dare to speak out against these
administrations are killed. Photojournalists like Ezra Acayan, risk their lives to expose the horrid
shows their journey as activists through his use of symbols, various framing techniques, and
subjects. Thus, Acayan taps into his inner humanity by extending a platform for activists and
their cause.
Figure 1
Family members of drug war victims hold hands as they watch a livestream of the International
Criminal Court's decision to resume its investigation into former President Duterte's war on drugs, on
July 18, 2023 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines.
[Ezra Acayan]/[Families Of Drug War Victims Watching Livestream Of ICC Decision On Duterte
Case] via Getty Images
victims of EJK and the struggle of their families to hold the perpetrators accountable. In Figure
1, he portrays the intimate moment between two women holding each other’s hands tightly as
they watch a live stream of the International Criminal Court's decision to resume its investigation into
Acayan uses framing to draw viewers to the photo's focal point: the hands strategically
placed in the middle of two portraits that the two individuals hold. He highlights the hands by
framing them under a sliver of light, highlighting the delicateness of their wrinkles. On the two
ends of the photo, we see that their other hands are holding photos of their loved ones who
were victims of EJK. The hands are in the middle as if stitching two opposite ends of the photo
to show their devastating similarity that their loved one is dead. However, joining hands from two
distinct individuals also symbolizes togetherness despite individual differences and uniting
against one common goal: obtaining justice. Viewers can empathize with a unique experience
Moreover, the close-up shot physically brings the viewer closer to the hands. The viewer
is confronted with the personal space of the family members and is placed in a situation where
they must sympathize with their fight to achieve justice for their wrongly killed family members.
In this light, these women are painted as activists clinging to all they have, each other, for
names being held by the two individuals in the photo. One hand holds the other, and the other
has the picture, a hand that is used to remember. The images here symbolize memorializing the
past as a means of demanding justice. Furthermore, the photos serve as the emotional anchor
Through the use of universal symbols and framing between two pictures of EJK victims,
Acayan personalizes the protest of the family members and allows audiences to root for their
long-awaited triumph.
Figure 2
A Filipino activist lights candles in front of riot police during a demonstration to mark the 51st
anniversary of the imposition of Martial Law in the Philippines, on September 21, 2023 in Manila,
Philippines.
ever since the declaration of Martial Law 51 years ago up until this day, as a byproduct of large
political demonstrations.
In figure 2, the use of the low-angle shot frames the two main subjects of the photograph
in parallel lines, the police who are standing behind a barricade looking down below on an
activist continuing the line of candles that light the faces of the dead and missing from the times
of the Marcos administration. The police are portrayed as dominant figures overseeing the
demonstration, however are ironically restrained from interacting physically by the barrier in front
of them. Though the police have an assigned power to stop the demonstration, all they can do is
watch. In contrast, the activist takes a proactive position leaning down to illuminate the
photographs of the dead and missing from the Martial Law Era.
Despite the police as symbols of opposing forces, Acayan contrasts their dark blue
uniforms with the path of candles as a symbol of joint resistance across time. These candles
shine on the faces of the victims in the posters in front of them, so whenever an individual
places a candle, they emerge from the shadows of secrets and into the light of truth. The
candles take up over half of the picture lengthwise in a line as if the man is continuing a long
path of activists and deeds of defiance. These candles represent the light of hope that ignites
every time a person steps up and contributes to this path toward activism.
The activist’s confrontational yet non-violent deed is a testament to activists and their
ongoing effort to peacefully resolve matters that should have been resolved years ago. The
photograph shows the power of resistance and its effectiveness in portraying truth to institutions
Martial Law survivor Satur Ocampo takes part in a demonstration to mark the 51st anniversary of the
imposition of Martial Law in the Philippines, on September 21, 2023 in Manila, Philippines.
The subject in Figure 3 is a way for Acayan to bring awareness to the efforts behind the
faces of revolution and invites the reader to learn about the cause he represents.
Satur Ocampo, aged yet resilient, stands proudly in the middle, holding his fist strong in
the air, affirming the slogan in his shirt, "Never again. Never forget." The shadows on his face
display his wrinkles, a product of his prolonged revolt against the Marcos Administration. His
gaze is determined, and his brows furrowed, showing his focus and commitment to preserving
the truth. Acayan photographs the raised fist in the context of a demonstration to contextualize
the fist as a symbol of “power from below,” as to raise a fist means to come from below and to
rise above our heads. Combined with his expression, old age, and the fist, Acayan exemplifies
the struggle of prolonged activism and the frustration and hopelessness that brews through
time. Despite this, Ocampo still stands with his head high and fist up, leading a new generation
towards a more hopeful future. Through the universal symbol of the raised fist, a sign of
resistance and strength, Acayan captures a leader who has united groups of people under the
Backing him up is a sea of his collaborators and supporters from “Bayan Muna”, an
organization he started during the time of Martial Law, demanding the viewer never to forget the
crimes committed and the livelihoods lost through their vivid posters. The color of a loud yellow
contrasts the black shirt Ocampo is wearing. The colors in the photograph represent the two
sides of a revolution: the yellow symbolizes the untamed vivacity and urgency of the
anti-Marcos movement that contrasts the grief and remembrance represented by the blackness
Furthermore, the yellow attracts our attention to the message of the posters. Acayan’s
recurring theme of exposing the truth is exemplified through the illustrations of victims and the
text below. The posters behind him present the tragedy that there may be fewer survivors than
there are dead or missing victims. The contrast of the multiple images behind one sole survivor
displays the sad reality that few are still alive to continue the story of those who can’t, who are
ready to tell their own story and continue the story of those silenced. Under the photographs,
the verbal text pops out in red on a yellow background, urging us never to forget again and,
more than that, to continue to bring up the past to fight from erasure.
Combining visual and verbal narratives via photos within a photo and a subject
see the faces and their souls in the numbers and statistics.
Acayan’s photographs capture a hopeful portrayal of activists and inspire viewers to join
in through them. He uses framing to direct the viewers’ attention toward symbols of hope and
how activists use that hope to propel their demand for accountability. He creates a sense of
familiarity through the universality of symbols, such as the fist as a call to unite, photographs as
memorialization, and candles as a light. However, through the framing and use of the subject,
he adds another layer of meaning, such as the fist of an older activist that shows his persistence
and frustration, the photographs as an anchor to their call for action, and candles as a peaceful
As Acayan said: “We are allowed to be vulnerable with the images we see, [...] I think in
this work that vulnerability can also be our strength.” At the heart of these photographs is the
raw emotion of the subjects. Ultimately with framing and symbolism, Acayan tells these
subjects’ stories to allow the audience to witness compassion and participate in the hope for
righteousness to prevail.
APA SOURCES
Evangelista, P. (2018, April 9). Photographer Ezra Acayan: “I am human first before I am a
journalist.”
RAPPLER.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/podcasts-videos/199107-ezra-acayan-video-press-fre
edom-philippines-war-on-drugs/
Acayan, Ezra. Families of Drug War Victims Watching Livestream of ICC Decision on Duterte
www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/family-members-of-drug-war-victims-hold-han
Acayan, Ezra. Martial Law Survivor Satur Ocampo Takes Part in a Demonstration to Mark the
51st Anniversary of the Imposition of Martial Law in the Philippines, on September 21,
www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/martial-law-survivor-satur-ocampo-takes-part-i
Acayan, Ezra . A Filipino Activist Lights Candles in Front of Riot Police during a Demonstration
to Mark the 51st Anniversary of the Imposition of Martial Law in the Philippines, on
www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/filipino-activist-lights-candles-in-front-of-riot-
The images were taken as screenshots from Getty Images with the intent of non-commercial and
non-editorial use. The images by Ezra Acayan are for the IB Higher Level Essay in completion of a
requirement for the Language and Literature Higher Level class.