"Pangsamantagal" is made from three words: pansamantala (temporary); tagal (a long time); and pagsamantala (the act of taking advantage).

In this exhibit, Honey Maglalang's work examines autonomy and agency, and the ways people are controlled, measured, and seen as parts of a larger machinery. Lorebert “Maralita” Comision reflects on the fleeting nature of care and governance—on assistance that offers temporary relief while sustaining deeper forms of dependence. Abril Valdemoro, meanwhile, considers how ordinary people carry the weight of the nation's systemic failures.

Together, their works describe a familiar condition in Philippine public life: assistance offered to those in need is too often treated as a debt to be repaid. Ayuda is neither a right nor a public duty. It is only a token in a political transaction.

PANGSAMANTAGAL
September 19 – October 14
CANVAS Gallery and Garden

Artist Reception on Saturday, September 19, 4PM.