Residents of Pulilan, Bulacan can expect to see 100 murals all over the town by 2020, but not just any mural. Dubbed as “Kalye Art,” the murals being painted by a local arts and culture organization, Jefarca Arts and Historical Society Inc., aims to get the government to spare one of Bulacan’s biggest rice-producing town from industrialization.
Jefarca has been pushing to save Pulilan rice farms from being converted into commercial spaces and parts of various road expansion projects, through their murals, since they started in 2012.
Through these murals, one of the artists, Anton de Guzman, hopes to instill in the minds of the locals and the government officials, the importance of food security and protecting lands that are there to ensure people don’t go hungry, instead of commercializing them to attract businesses.
Their art called “mandala,” referring to the haystack collected during harvest season, has been recognized by their local government. The Pulilan LGU teams up every year with Jerfarca for the annual Mandala Art Festival which showcases local talents and gathers creatives to celebrate the culture and the arts of Central Luzon.
Local farmers have also expressed their support for the project which they will benefit from if the government takes action against the land conversion.
To date, Jefarca has put up a total of 40 murals all over Pulilan, which features the unique culture of rice farming.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Alto de Guzman on Facebook
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Writer: CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE
