Cuba’s Moncada Day yields fruits, lessons to benefit the world

This is a press release from the Philippines-Cuba Cultural and Friendship Association. 

“Cuba has much to contribute to people’s development around the world, but instead of supporting the island-nation’s efforts, the US is tightening its sanctions,” said the Philippine-Cuba Association (PhilCuba) in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of Cuba’s Moncada Barracks Attack. 

On July 26, 1953, a Fidel Castro-led Moncada Attack challenged the dictatorial rule of Fulgencio Batista. That resulted in failure, with the young Castro – a lawyer by profession – and a few others charged and tried in court. 

Castro was widely known for his “History will absolve me” declaration during his self-defense. As Castro’s speech circulated, the clamor for his and his comrades release from prison mounted. They were released eventually and regrouped themselves at the Sierra Maestra Mountains, from where they launched the July 26 movement that was the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.

Today, despite the economic difficulties, Cuba has shown the world how the people benefit from a system which considers the welfare of the people its primary concern, said PhilCuba.

“[Cuba] guarantees free education from preschool to tertiary, to the entire population. It continuously trains medical and health professionals and improves its health system that caters to entire population all throughout their lives. It has a very low infant mortality rate, even lower than those in some rich countries,” it said.

“In the last six decades, there have been 605,698 Cuban health professionals who served in 165 countries on five continents. Since 2005, 88 Henry Reeve Medical Brigades have been sent to 56 countries with 13,467 collaborators. Three brigades faced Ebola in West Africa with 265 collaborators, whole 58 brigades faced COVID-19 in 42 countries. It has trained thousands of medical doctors worldwide. It has advanced in biotechnology and pharmaceutical development,” the group added.

As a testament, Cuba is the only Caribbean nation that has produced five candidate vaccines at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped Cuba during the pandemic despite the US-imposed blockade. Cuba could contribute immensely in responding to health crises and pandemics, sans the blockade. 

PhilCuba also said that the blockade and the “tightening of the sanctions make it almost impossible for Cuba to procure primary materials for its pharmaceuticals, to sell its products, especially the medicines and inventions in biotechnology, and even to allow people to freely travel to Cuba to conduct business.” 

Much worse, PhilCuba said, at the end of Donald Trump’s administration, Cuba was again included in the list of countries supporting terrorism, which further aims to strangulate the Cuban people. Biden’s administration, on the other hand, recently announced a $1-million campaign against Cuba’s medical collaboration. 

The cultural and friendship association also emphasized that “as the Cuban people fight US sanctions that have gotten crueler even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lesson of Moncada that they should dare resist an unjust rule or dictatorship is one source of strength.” 

“We in PhilCuba call on the Marcos government to resist pressures of the US to take its side on Cuba, and instead, see how the Philippines and Cuba could learn from, and help, each other. We call on governments and peoples to make a stand against unilateral sanctions.” – Rappler.com 

The Philippines-Cuba Cultural and Friendship Association (PHILCUBA) is a friendship organization in the country that fosters solidarity with the Cuban people to promote their struggle for sovereignty. It also promotes Cuba’s excellent health care system and its adherence to international solidarity movements for peoples emancipation. PhilCuba organized in the year 2000 is headed by its President, former UP President Dr. Francisco Nemenzo.