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The hooded witness in Makapili tradition


The hooded witness phenomenon is deeply embedded in present Philippine pop culture. It is also a popular tool used by police and government in identifying criminals, and more recently, suspected anti-Arroyo plotters. The hooded witness has its traditions in the Makapili or the Makabayang Kalipunan ng mga Pilipino (League of Patriotic Filipinos), whose members ironically were spies of the Japanese during World War II. The Makapili, with his face and head hidden inside the bayong, a native bag, was feared by Filipinos, who dreaded being picked out as guerillas fighting the Japanese. The mask gave the Makapili added sense of power because in the absence of recognizable identity, he lost accountability. To his patron, the Makapili was credible, but not to his victim. The Japanese used these willing spies to prop up their unpopular and illegitimate rule. The head of the league was Benigno Ramos, founder of the leftist Sakdal Party established before the war. The Sakdalistas launched a bloody uprising in May 1936. In post-WW II Philippines, the Makapili has entered the Filipino language to mean “traitor to one’s kind," evolving from its previous meaning of being Japanese collaborator and spy. A Makapili now is one who betrays a friend, a family member, a fellow Filipino, or even a partner in crime to protect one’s hide. The word is used by people from all walks of life, even by teen-agers who accuse friends of betraying friendship to ingratiate themselves with the teachers. Filipinos abroad who tell on the whereabouts of undocumented or illegally-staying kababayanare also called Makapili. Once, Senator Manuel Villar called officials of the government “Makapili" for allegedly “misrepresenting the plight of Filipino women entertainers" before the Japanese government. At the height of the military’s saturation drive against the Abu Sayyaf Group in 2001, it was accused of violating human rights when it used hooded witnesses in ferreting out supposed ASG members in poor communities in Basilan. In several instances, the police, for lack of documentary evidence, have also used these witnesses in identifying suspected criminals. Recently, the hooded witness was resurrected at the Department of Justice in the person of Jaime Beltran Fuentes, supposedly a former security officer of Victor Ladlad, alleged member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee. He is more daring than his historical counterpart. He only covered his head with the more modern jacket and hat, and dark glasses concealed his eyes, but most parts of his face were still revealed. Why has the Makapili phenomenon persisted in Philippine culture and politics? Historians say one reason for this is the way collaborators in Philippine history were dealt with. In the case of those who became Japanese spies or members of the Japanese-backed government, the Roxas government was timid about bringing these people before justice. Known nationalist senator Lorenzo Tanada, under the Roxas administration, could not prosecute the collaborators because of obstacles put up by the same administration. This would supposedly be repeated under the Aquino government when it was time for Marcos cronies and political supporters to account for their actions and crimes . History, so it seems, is telling us that as long as leaders and politicians remain unaccountable, the Makapili is here to stay, reinventing himself along the way to suit his patrons’ interest. Clarissa V. Militante, GMANews.TV

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