“Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!”, the masses chanted. If Quezon City was a body, Commonwealth Avenue would be the heart of the city. It pulsates the passion and power of the masses that intricately runs through the veins of the country.
The streets were colored blue, red, yellow, and white. Various groups of walks of life waltzed from the Commission of Human Rights to the road of St. Peter Parish as they carried the fight that the Filipino people have been waging through since… forever.
The people in these roads know too well the struggles the country has been facing. They represent those who have been faced such tribulations under the administration that rampantly silence the oppressed. Flags were waved not as a sign of surrender, but a symbol of strength that indicates the coming of a stronger, more united front as a nation.
The United Peoples’ SONA can be summarized in one word: united. Various groups and organizations ranging from the labor sector to the youth sector were present in the momentous event. They once again voiced out their advocacies and beliefs ensuring they are heard even in the hollow spaces of the country.
Among the attendees in the United Peoples’ SONA were former senatorial candidate Leody De Guzman who shared his thoughts regarding the call of the masses in the protest.
“Ang important ngayon kasi, bigyan ng ekspresyon ‘yung pagsasamang nabuo,” De Guzman shared in an interview with TomasinoWeb. “[Dapat] maipakita ang pagkakaisa kasi [sa] tingin ko, ‘yun ang importante; na ‘di lang usapan, kundi sa aksyon ay nagsama-sama halos lahat para ipanawagan yung pagtutol sa mga patakaran ni Duterte na nagsisilbi sa interes ng negosyante at ng dayuhan.”
The West Philippine Sea has been one of the most prominent topics in the United Peoples’ SONA. This is because of the controversies that circled around it, President Duterte’s standpoint towards it, as well as the involvement of foreign entities such as China, the United States of America, and the United Nations in the issue. Various attendees extended their concerns not only through placards but other protest materials such as replicas of warships, fishes, and donned articles of clothing.
Larizza Lucas/TomasinoWeb
Former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo shared his thoughts on the aforementioned issue highlighted by President Duterte in his fourth SONA.
“Alam niyo, dapat [niyang] balikan yung campaign promise niya noon,” Ocampo said in an interview with TomasinoWeb. “On the West Philippine Sea, ang sabi niya, i-a-assert niya ‘yung Philippine sovereignty. Pero kung i-a-abandon niya ‘yon, [ito] ay [isang] pagtataksil sa bayan.”
The plea was further emphasized of the recurring song that was played in the event. One of its most notable lyrics were, “Atin ang Pinas, China layas!”. This was also chanted before the masses have reached the place of demonstration. Several groups such as the League of Filipino Students, Anakpawis, and Pamalakaya also highlighted their sentiments on the West Philippine Sea in the protest.
Among the highlights of the demonstration was the visitation of the Lumad people. They are the indigenous peoples in Mindanao, known to have suffered under the heavy arm of the current administration. Their group is known to experience inequalities despite the protection of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (RA No. 3871).
Their right to education and human rights are downright violated. One of the most alarming evidence of these is the occupation of the military where schools were used as an area for camping and the notorious indiscriminate firing. But it just doesn’t end there.
Kalumaran council member Nenita Condez mentioned that their group has experienced heavy bouts of military transgression because of the ongoing martial law in Mindanao that was implemented by President Duterte last May 23, 2017.
“Grabeng atake po ng mga military sa aming komunidad.” she shares in an interview with TomasinoWeb. “Laging nag-bobombing, interogasyon, [at] kahit saan po sa mga komunidad sa Mindanao.”
Condez mentioned that they joined the protest among the masses to amplify their voices urging Duterte to finally halt martial law in Mindanao. She firmly reinstated that they are victimized by the administration, especially that the military is still present in the midst of their home, Mindanao and among their community.
Mindanao’s ancestral lands are integral to their own especially when it comes to their identity, history, rights, and culture. Indigenous peoples have been granted an ancestral domain title given by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. It is protected by the 1987 Philippine Constitution and RA 3871 where it mentioned that they hold the rights to these lands to where their families have lived since the “time immemorial”.
“Paano na kami kapag wala na yung lupang ninuno?” Condez says. “Sa lupang ninuno din namin ma-praktis ang kultura namin.”
Condez said that the President made the indigenous people cling on to his promise to alleviate the groups’ disposition. Condez said that the president showed his “real colors” after six months in his office. She has mentioned that the President vowed to find investors for their ancestral lands so that it could be “benefited from”. Her group dissents this due to the fact that the ancestral lands are not only theirs but also because it is their home: it is where they reside and also that it is the source of their income and livelihood.
While employment in the Philippines is held up to a high percentage of 94.8%, the majority of workers are employed in the services sector, accounting to 58.1%. The succeeding sectors work in wholesale and retail trade, machinery, and agriculture. Despite the impressive number of employment in the country, many of its workers face poor working conditions.
Larizza Lucas/TomasinoWeb
One of the roots of this issue is because of the poor social protection services in the Philippines. Affordable housing is not accessible to many. In return, the lower and middle class are prone to experience poverty due to the fact that the cost of living does not suffice the wages and benefits they receive. This is where contractualization comes in.
“Hindi napatupad ni Duterte ang pangako niya na tanggalin ang kontraktwalisasyon, patuloy ang kontraktwalisasyon hanggang ngayon,” Bayan Muna Chair Neri Colmenares told TomasinoWeb in an interview. “In the end, anti-people, anti-poor si President Duterte at [siya] ay anti-worker.”
Last May 2018, President Duterte signed an executive order which bans illegal contractualization. However, this doesn’t seem to solve the problem. In an interview with CNN, Anakpawis Representative Ariel Casilao said that “What the workers demanded is the total prohibition of contractualization by virtue of direct hiring”. These workers have been regularized just for the sake of doing so, upon the investigations of the Department of Labor and Employment.
The working conditions the workers face are notoriously poor. Not only are their workplaces hazardous to their health, but also to their rights as individuals.
The United Peoples’ SONA was a testament to the resilience of the Filipino people that are constantly abused. No one deserves to live a life where resilience is perverted by the hands of a few. Their voices were amplified, but did they manage to grab the attention of the millions? That, we can be sure of. But why bother? Why should we care? Colmenares answers this question.
“Kaya tayo nandito ngayon [ay] para ilahad ang tunay na kalagayan ng bansa at panawagan na tapusin na, sobra na, tama na.”
His answer is not a coincidence to what the country is facing right now. The Philippines have witnessed injustices and abuse even before this administration started. The people who marched in the protest are not just the ones who are oppressed. The country was promised better tomorrows equipped with progress and hope. However, it seems like the people could only cling on an image of a better government for now, of a better Philippines.
This shall not only be an effort carried out by the brave people who marched that day but a collective action of a people who have since been oppressed and continue to be oppressed under a semi-feudal, semi-colonial system. Sadly, there are still some who cover their ears and cower themselves from the truth. Little do they know that this, indeed, is the real state of the nation.
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