Street protests greet Marcos Jr.’s second SONA across regions

Militant groups in various regions greeted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) with street demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction about his first year in office even as they called on the government to act on pressing issues affecting citizens.

Street protests were staged in places such as Bicol, Naga, Baguio, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban, Negros Occidental, and Davao ahead of the SONA.

In Cebu, progressive sectoral groups gave Marcos a thumbs down during a protest-march in time for the SONA.

More than 500 protesters participated in the street march, voicing dissatisfaction over issues such as the impact of the jeepney modernization program on drivers’ livelihoods and the administration’s handling of the economic crisis.

“Marcos said he would help the poor, but up to this point, particularly concerning our sector of drivers, they haven’t even considered the impact of phasing out traditional jeepneys on drivers and small operators,” Aldo Serat of PISTON Cebu told Rappler.

Kabataan Partylist-Cebu chairperson Kyle Enero said they can’t even give the president a grade for “doing nothing at all.”

In Bacolod City, youth activists collectively rated Marcos Jr.’s first year in office as a failure during what they called a State of the Youth Address (SOYA) event held in Bacolod City on Saturday, July 22, two days before the SONA.

The Rise for Education Alliance-Negros said the government needs to address issues such as academic and press freedom, tuition increases, budget cuts in state universities, the climate crisis, developmental aggression, and attacks on activists.

The Bacolod protesters also gave Marcos Jr. a failing grade, pointing out his frequent travel for international engagements at crucial times when urgent problem-solving was required in the country.

“The collective assessment of the Negrosanon youth using the word ‘palya’ is a manifestation of the worsening conditions of the youth under the current administration punctuated by a series of unfulfilled and empty promises,” read a manifesto they released.

In Iloilo, protesters complained that they were denied a permit to march through the city streets, limiting them to a rally at the Iloilo provincial capitol due to possible traffic congestion. They staged their demonstration despite heavy rain.

The denial of the permit, they said, showed “the continuing government clampdown on civic space and the widespread human rights violations across the country.”

“It is not merely the President who should be granted the platform to speak on this day. Ordinary citizens have every right to be heard, to protest, and to speak out on the realities that they face, such as worsening poverty and unemployment, the inadequacy of social services, the adverse economic impact of jeepney phase-out, and ongoing human rights violations committed by the police and the military,” read a statement of the Panay Alliance Karapatan.

Warren Gangoso, president of the group No to PUV Phaseout Coalition, said 80% of jeepney drivers in Iloilo participated in the first day of their three-day transport strike.

A widespread protest against the privatization of the Negros Island power company was followed by a rally towards the city’s Fountain of Justice, voicing opposition to the Marcos administration, coinciding with this year’s SONA.

Protesters also voiced various demands, including justice for killings in Negros, opposition to the Maharlika Fund, calls for higher wages, the release of political prisoners, resistance against charter change, and a reclamation project in Bacolod City.

In Tacloban City, groups gathered at the RTR Plaza for a protest action in time for the SONA, even though they failed to secure a permit.

Farah Diva Gamalo, chairperson of the Freedom from Debt Coalition, said, “The extreme poverty of the people is deeply felt after more than 12 months of this administration’s promise of unity. We need jobs, food, rights, environment, and independence, not plunder, war, and violence.”

Student leader Paul Lachica decried the labeling student activists as recruiters of the New People’s Army (NPA).

“Activism is not terrorism. We are not terrorists,” Lachica said.

Various groups took to the streets in Naga City to oppose charter change moves, call for fair wages, and ask Marcos Jr. to address the food crisis.

Progressive groups also gathered at the Baguio Post Office to condemn the terrorist designation of four activists in the Cordillera region by the Anti-Terrorism Council. – John Sitchon, Reymund Titong, and Jazmin Bonifacio/Rappler.com