Mendiola: A Landscape of Protests

The presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, initially believed to bring change to the country, has sparked a new age of protest due to the Filipinos’ outrage and disillusion with the president’s policies and pronouncements. Two major protests in 2018, the February 23 student walk-out and the May 1 labor rally, were both staged in Mendiola, a site of political activism since the 1970s.

This study analyzes the linguistic landscape of Mendiola as a protest site through the signs of the said events based on code preference, inscription, emplacement, space, and discourse. Employing Landry and Bourhis’ (1997) linguistic landscape and Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) geosemiotics, this research investigates how language in public spaces serves both informational and symbolic functions. The analysis shows that the February 23 Walk-out organized by the students used protest signs inscribed primarily in English, reflecting academic language. In contrast, the May 1 protest led by the labor force mostly employed Filipino, indicating grass roots mobilization and nationalism. Moreover, there was diversity in the materials of the signs, with students utilizing temporary, easy-to-make, and recyclable placards and labor unions employing more durable banners. Color symbolism also differentiated the protest signs—black for students signifying the decline of democracy, and red for workers signifying labor rights and revolution. Despite their difference in discourse focus, both protests have a shared transgressive feature, as they oppose government policies while performing a legitimate democratic act. Lastly, the emplacement of protest signs in Mendiola emphasizes its historical importance as a site of resistance.

The ever-changing linguistic landscape of Mendiola reflects the dynamic sociopolitical environment of the Philippines. Being a site of continuous activism, Mendiola remains as a landscape of protests, bearing witness to the Filipinos’ call for true justice, equality, and democracy.