SUMMARY
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Ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 26, various organizations and sectoral groups have come together to amplify issues faced by Filipinos through protests and other activities.
Among the highlights of these efforts is the massive united action dubbed as the People’s SONA, which aims to highlight the struggle of different sectors in the perspective of Filipinos.
The People’s SONA, which feature a series of protests by a broad array of political and civil society organizations, has been held on the day of the SONA since 2017.
Meanwhile, President Duterte’s address this year is set to be delivered again in a hybrid format due to the persisting COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a list of events and activities organized by various groups, leading up to President Duterte’s SONA:
Mass protests
United States
Filipinos across the US will hold their own SONA activities.
More than 20 US-based regional organizations such as the Anakbayan Silicon Valley, Bayan, Malaya, and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines will unite to stage their own People’s SONA in front of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco at 1 pm Pacific Standard Time.
In Southern California, Anakbayan Los Angeles, along with Bayan and Malaya Movement, will hold a rally in front of the Philippine Consulate on July 25 at 3 pm Pacific Daylight Time to demand the resignation of President Duterte amid state-sponsored attacks on democracy and his “failure to address the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Anakbayan Washington DC will also stage a protest on July 24, 4 pm Eastern Daylight Time to slam extrajudicial killings, corruption, and threats to national sovereignty under Duterte. Meanwhile, Anakbayan Toronto will organize its own SONA ng Bayan along with BAYAN Canada, Malaya Movement Canada, and other allies on July 25, 4:30 pm Eastern daylight time.
Philippines
In the Philippines, labor groups led by Anakpawis Party-list, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, and Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura will stage the State of the Toiling Masses on Monday, July 19, 2 pm at the Commission on Human Rights Compound.
The protest will be held to present the situation of laborers and amplify their calls for land, income, employment, and housing.
On the same day, groups that form the SONAgKAISA Youth Committee will lead a blended State of the Youth Address (SOYA) to highlight the issues faced by the young citizens and marginalized sectors in the country. The address will be held physically at Barangay San Vicente, Quezon City, and live streamed online at 1:30 pm.
Aside from the SOYA staged in Quezon City, youth groups from all over the Philippines will be staging their iterations of the address in various parts of the country. Below is the schedule, along with the locations:
People’s SONA
On July 26, the day of the SONA, groups including BAYAN, Kabataan, Sanlakas, and other organizations from different sectors will hold a protest at the University of the Philippines Diliman at 9 am, followed by a march to Commonwealth Avenue at 11 am.
This year’s People’s SONA, themed “Goodbye, Duterte,” will be held amid Duterte’s floated vice presidential bid in 2022 and the administration’s mishandling of the pandemic.
The Concerned Artists of the Philippines will feature comic covers depicting the “Wakasan na!” call against Duterte’s reign. Artist collective Ugat Lahi is set to unveil the “Duter-tuko” giant effigy, which depicts Duterte as a gecko desperately clinging to power beyond his presidency.
Human rights groups iDefend and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates will also stage a #WakaSONA rally at Liwasang Diokno in CHR from 11 am to 1 pm. The event will be streamed on their Facebook pages.
The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) earlier denied a permit sought by BAYAN to hold the People’s SONA along Commonwealth Avenue, citing local transmission of the Delta COVID-19 variant in the country.
“We will march on Monday complying with health protocols, more determined than ever to expose the true state of the nation and to ring the call to end Duterte’s tyrannical rule,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said.
Palabay also said holding protests is a constitutional right that no law or policy can prohibit. She added the QCPD’s action is a clear attempt to stifle dissent and resistance amid Duterte’s failures and crimes against the people.
By July 24, the Quezon City government and the police announced their agreement to the conduct of the rallies as long as health protocols are observed.
This is also not the first time that protests were denied permits during the pandemic. Last year, the Quezon City government also banned protest actions due to the pandemic, but the planned mobilizations still pushed through.
Online activities
As Duterte refuses to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s drug war probe, Youth Advocates for Peace with Justice-University of the Philippines Los Baños will hold a roundtable discussion regarding Duterte’s crimes against humanity on July 24, at 4 pm.
Bertha Justice Fellow Raphael Pangalanan of the Center of International Law will discuss Duterte’s drug war and human rights violations, while BAYAN Timog Katagalugan Spokesperson Casey Cruz will tackle how the Philippine economy fared under Duterte.
The event will be available via Zoom and Facebook Live. Those interested to join may register here.
Meanwhile, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) is organizing a national conference called “State of the People Address (SOPA): Kumperensiya para sa Pagbangon ng Ekonomiya at ng Bayan (Conference for Rebuilding the Economy and the Country)” on July 20, 9 am.
Leaders from several organizations will discuss the country’s debt, as well as their proposed solutions to the economic crisis.
The SOPA will be held at the University Hotel in University of the Philippines Diliman but online participants may register here.
Karapatan, on the other hand, will host a webinar tackling the human rights situation in the country five years into Duterte’s presidency on July 21 at 10 am. The event, dubbed as “No Justice, No Peace: 5 Years of State Terror Under Duterte,” will be live streamed on the organization’s Facebook page.
To analyze the performance of the Duterte administration across different sectors, Student and Teachers’ Alliance for the Advancement of National Democracy (STAND) Central Luzon will lead a series of pre-SONA online discussions called “Hatol ng Kabataan: Duterte Wakasan (The youth’s judgment: End Duterte)” from July 21 to 25.
Here is the full schedule:
Meanwhile, Rise for Education Alliance – UP Diliman will lead a three-day webinar called “State of the People 2021: A Continuous Fight for Rights and Justice” from July 23 to 25. The series will discuss the current struggles of the health, labor, and youth sector.
Secure your webinar slots here. – Kristel Ogsimer/Rappler.com
Kristel Ogsimer is a Rappler intern from the University of Santo Tomas taking up a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.
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