First published on Flipgeeks
Marvel Comics artist Carlo Pagulayan has declared a boycott on this year’s Metro Comic Con (MCC) over disputes on the “Renaissance,” a charity drive in 2010 aimed to help victims of tropical storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng.
“Hello comic book fans: To those asking, if you are heading to Metro Comic Con (or whatever it’s name is now) and hoping to get your stuff signed by me or any of my peers– or most of those involved in the Renaissance project, please be noted we are boycotting this convention along with some indie creators because of what happened to that fund drive (one of the reasons),” Pagulayan publicly posted on Facebook.
“The head organizer is the reason why our efforts (from the auction and book purchases), never reached the victims of Ondoy; and the reason why some of us have had second thoughts joining any sort of fundraising (sorry),” he added.
Where did the money go?
Reached for a comment, charity drive and MCC organizer Ernest Leo Hernandez said that “the so-called missing charity funds are (sic) already given to Red Cross.” He then referred this writer to his post on his MCC group page showing an image of a receipt of Php 200,000 to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) from the now defunct Sketchpad Studios.
- Official receipt of donations to the Philippine National Red Cross posted on Metro Comic Con Facebook group page
Hernandez explained on the thread that after the charity drive in February 2010, auction was then held on Ebay from April to June 2010. Three months after, “collection of the auction proceeds were accumulated.”
“We were supposed to give the auction proceeds in Metro Comic Con 2010 (August) but the collections were not completed yet and we also tried to follow up unremitted collections from some other auction winners. There was no definite charity recipient yet. We decided to give the proceeds in Metro Comic Con 2011 (May) but we weren’t able to arrange who the recipient was,” Hernandez said.
He said that the final round of royalties was collected in June last year and it was only a month after that the organizers decided to pick PNRC as its recipient.
“I agree that there were delays in donating the proceeds and for that we sincerely apologize,” Hernandez said.
Pagulayan replied to the thread and said that PNRC was supposed to be the recipient at the onset of the charity drive. The artist also said he had not heard anymore of reports about royalties.
Heeding Carlo’s call
“…You received the auction money a year before this date, and your partners weren’t duly informed you even got it already,” Pagulayan posted.
Both camps in the MCC rift refused to comment. “I would like to keep the rift between my former partners in private since it was an internal decision and it’s purely business,” Hernandez said.
“We used to be regulars at this convention but now we have shifted our support to those events and people that truly have heart. Please feel free to ask the other artists and not just take my word for it. Please feel free to ask him about Renaissance as well, because he might give you answers, answers that he has yet to provide us,” Pagulayan posted on his page.
Pagulayan’s Facebook status was re-posted and supported by comic book artists Whilce Portacio, Gerry Alanguilan, Stephen Segovia and Mico Suayan.
Meanwhile, as the future looks bleak for Metro Comic Con or Manila Pop Culture Convention, the convention was moved to September 8-9 from August 25-26 due to the prevailing inclement weather, according to the organizer.
Jerald Uy
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