Body as commodity in CinePanalo short ‘Kanibal’
Body as commodity in CinePanalo short ‘Kanibal’
Feature art by Abigail Manaluz
As the interests of those in power consume what remains of the people, they are stripped of even their humanity.
Michael Baylon, a student filmmaker from the University of the Philippines Visayas, wrote and directed his Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival entry Kanibal as a tribute to the vendors of Iloilo Central and Terminal Markets.
Set in a public market, the Hiligaynon film follows Lea (played by Rowen Jean Ledesma), a meat vendor and supporter of Mayor Lin (played by Roselle Lao), who becomes entangled in the planned redevelopment of the market. As the development encroaches on her livelihood, its effects begin to manifest in her body, slowly turning her into flesh like the meat she sells.
Through body horror and social commentary, the film tackles the plight of vendors displaced by the Iloilo City government’s public-private partnership with SM Prime Holdings, Inc., which resulted in reduced spaces for the public market and was accompanied by incidents of violence against vendors.
Baylon, an activist, uses Lea’s story to critique the redevelopment taking place in his home province. For him, stories rooted in local communities deserve to be seen on a national stage.
Director Michael Baylon on the set of ‘Kanibal.’
“Sa panahon na patuloy nang nalalantad ang mga anomalya, korapsyon, at inhustisya ng ating gobyerno, kinakailangan natin ng mga pelikula katulad nito—mga pelikulang nagpapakita ng tunay na kondisyon at nagpapalakas ng mga panawagan ng masang api,” he said in a statement.
“Ginagawang negosyo ang mga pampublikong serbisyo na dapat nagsisilbi sa sambayanan,” he added.
For producer Krizelle Kate Blanza, storytellers have a moral responsibility to awaken their audience’s consciousness through film.
“Naniniwala akong mahalagang suportahan ang mga pelikulang may tapang na maglahad ng mga kuwentong sumasalamin sa tunay na kalagayan ng masang api,” she said in a press release.
The redevelopment in Iloilo City has also been accompanied by tensions over the stricter clearing of ambulant vendors, including a violent dispersal in April 2026 involving vendors and authorities. Allegations of rights violations were also raised before the Commission on Human Rights.
These incidents reinforced Baylon’s decision to use body horror to depict how developments driven by profit can have deeply personal consequences for those whose livelihoods depend on the spaces being transformed.
Still from ‘Kanibal.’
Turning that concept into a film, however, was another challenge. Baylon compared the process to “preparing a meal” with countless ingredients to choose from. Flesh became one of the film’s central visual cues, but it also had to work alongside the advocacy at the heart of the story.
The metaphor ultimately comes full circle through Lea, whose body deteriorates as the market around her is transformed. Like the meat she sells by the kilo, parts of her are reduced to something that can be consumed and discarded.
As redevelopment takes away the space that sustains her family, Lea loses more than her livelihood. Her body, too, begins to crumble alongside the market being torn down.
Kanibal is an official entry to the student shorts competition of the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18 and select Ayala Malls cinemas.
