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Two days before the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte, various church groups and marchers from Southern Tagalog set foot at the “Kampuhan Kontra Kontraktwalisasyon” (KKK) protest camp in Mendiola in Manila today to express their solidarity to the Filipino workers’ call to end labor contractualization in the country.

Church people held a mass at the camp this afternoon, in anticipation of the ‘Lakbayanis’ from Southern Tagalog who are on their fifth day of journeying to Manila from Calamba, Laguna.

Organizations from Southern Tagalog were dispersed by police earlier while protesting near the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Seventeen people were reported injured by the violent dispersal.

Read: Police disperse Southern Tagalog protesters near U.S. Embassy

Terminated contractual workers from different companies started to mount a five-day anti-contractualization camp in Mendiola on Wednesday, which will culminate in what progressive groups dub a the ‘United People’s SONA’ simultaneous to President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Read: Workers mount Mendiola protest camp days before Duterte’s 3rd SONA

Displaced outsourced workers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), Slord Development Corporation (makers of UniPak sardines), Manila Harbour Center, Pearl Island, and members of Liga ng mga Manggagawa sa Valenzuela City call for their reinstatement and for their respective companies and the Duterte government to immediately regularize them.

They were joined by pro-labor groups, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) – Metro Manila, Alyansa ng mga Manggagawa Laban sa Kontraktwalisasyon (ALMA Kontraktwal), Defend Job Philippines, and Kilos Na Manggagawa during their five-day protest campout.

“We hope that President Duterte and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III will be true to their words that they are doing everything to make their own rulings on regularization become a reality. Duterte must show us tangible and significant efforts and results in urging companies like JFC, PLDT among many others to totally regularize its hundreds of thousands of workers,” said Ed Cubelo, KMU Metro Manila chairperson.

Cubelo added, “He must not leave them waiting and hanging. A single day of inaction on the issues of regularization of workers means another day for them and their families to live miserably.”

The groups said that they will be staying in Mendiola until Monday morning and will hold an “Anti-Contractualization Caravan” from Mendiola to the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, where they will merge with thousands of protesters before marching to the United People’s SONA 2018 program along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Read: A United People’s SONA. What’s the difference?

“Our calls against contractualization and for our regularization will amplify in the sea of people on Monday. President Duterte must fulfill his empty and failed promises to end contractualization and improve the lives of workers if he don’t want himself to be endo by the Filipino people,” Cubelo said.

The post #SONA2018 | Church groups, Southern Tagalog marchers set foot in anti-endo camp in Mendiola appeared first on Manila Today.

Two days before Pres. Duterte delivers his third State of the Nation Address, private homeowners, barangay officials, renters, and urban poor residents embodied by the Sampaloc Peoples Alliance (SPA) paraded early this morning around Sampaloc in Manila to make fellow residents aware of the perils posed by the NLEX-SLEX Connector and the Philippine National Railway (PNR) North-South Railway Project.

The Sampaloc People’s Alliance organized the ‘unity walk’ as invitation to the United July 23’s United People’s Sona, a gathering of thousands to register dissent against Pres. Duterte’s various anti-people policies. The SPA sees Duterte’s ‘Build Build Build’ program as an infrastructure scheme to let in private businesses into residential communities at the expense of people’s right to housing.

NLEX-SLEX Connector and the Philippine National Railway (PNR) North-South Railway Project, dubbed by the government as a ‘twin project’, will supposedly lessen travel time and ease traffic in the metropolis.

It may be recalled that Duterte promised that there will be no demolition under his watch. But for Sampaloc residents, this has been proven an empty insinuation.

Homes and small enterprises covered by 38 barangays in Manila are in danger of being demoished to pave way for the infrastructure project under Duterte’s Build, Build, Build! Program. Thousands of families will be displaced and evicted from their houses and few will be relocated in areas far from their workplaces.

Long-time residents

“Matagal na kaming residente rito. Lola pa ng mga magulang namin ang unang nanirahan dito,” said SPA spokesperson Ronnie Isaac. “Hindi makatarungan na basta na lamang kaming paalisin para lamang pagbigyan ‘yung mga pribadong proyekto ng pamahalaan na iilan lamang naman ang makikinabang.”

(We are long-time residents here. Our parents’ grandparents’ were the earliest ones here.)

(It is an injustice to drive us away just to make way for the government’s projects with private entities, which only a few will benefit from.)

Some houses are said to have stood for more than seven decades already where pioneer residents have settled in the Sampaloc area.

Houses not for sale

The unity walk started early in the morning along Antipolo St. where the houses that will be affected by the ‘twin project’ are situated. The participants, including barangay officials and professionals, dressed in white to highlight their chaste call to the government to stop the construction, review the project, and impose legislations to implement the project sans affecting existing communities.

“Nananawagan kami na kagyat na ipatigil ang ginagawang mga imprastraktura na magpapatag sa aming mga kabahayan,” Isaac said. “Dapat ay ikonsidera ng pamahalaan ang aming mga panawagan at karaingan ‘pagkat kami ang direktang tatamaan ng mga proyektong ito.”

(We call to immediately stop the infrastructure projects which will flatten our homes.)

(The government should consider our calls and concerns because we are the ones directly affected by the project.) 

Residents watched the parade from their homes with such curiousity. “Alam lang namin ay yung project ng PNR. Pero hindi namin alam kung anong mga bahay ‘yung kasama sa maaapektuhan,” an onlooker said. Some joined the unity walk and chant in unison, “Our house is not for sale! No to eviction!”

(We only knew about the PNR project. But we didn’t know which neighborhoods will be affected.)

Petition to Congress

On July 23, simultaneous to Duterte’s SONA, SPA will submit a petition letter to the House of Representatives to appeal to the administration to review the project, reconsider and take legal actions in improving the mass transport system without the demolition of entire neighborhoods. They continue to amass signatures for their petition to stop the construction of the ‘twin project’.

“Handa kaming makipagdayalogo sa pamahalaan hinggil sa mariin naming pagtutol sa mga proyekto nito,” said Isaac. “Hindi kami mapapagod na lumaban para sa karapatan namin sa paninirahan. Patuloy kaming magkakaisa para sa mga susunod pang mga hakbangin ng aming laban,” he added.

(We are prepared to dialogue with the government regarding our strong disagreement to the projects.)

(We will not tire in fighting for our right to decent housing. We will continue to unite for our fight’s next steps.)

The post Sampaloc residents conduct ‘unity walk’ vs massive eviction appeared first on Manila Today.

Ten people were confirmed to be injured as elements of the Manila Police District violently dispersed protesters from Southern Tagalog around 6 PM today.

Militant organizations coming from the peasant, worker, women, youth, and indigenous sectors were wrapping up their program and were marching towards the United States Embassy when police hit them with shields and then proceeded to use a water cannon to disperse them.

Led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Southern Tagalog, protesters trooped to the U.S. Embassy this afternoon to slam the U.S. government’s economic and military policies and agreements which the groups say are stepping over Philippine sovereignty.

Below is a link to the video posted by Southern Tagalog Exposure:

Protesters are now in Mendiola where they will be holding a press conference regarding the incident.

The groups had been journeying from Calamba, Laguna to Manila from July 18 to join the United People’s Sona on July 23 to register their call to oust President Duterte, as well as push forward pro-people policies on land reform, labor, education, and human rights.

They will be staying at the protest camp in Mendiola until July 21.

The post Police disperse Southern Tagalog protesters near U.S. Embassy appeared first on Manila Today.

On July 23, Pres. Duterte will deliver his third State of the Nation Address. Simultaneous to this is the United People’s SONA, a gathering of tens of thousands from Metro Manila and other regions from across the country.

While the president and our honorables are cozied up inside the halls of Congress, the people will be on the streets, armed with stories about the real state of the nation.

What else can we expect at the United People’s SONA?

Who’s invited?

Just about everyone who is fed up with the government’s various anti-people policies. A coalition of farmers, workers, lawyers, organizations with various political affiliations, religious groups, and personalities will join this year’s massive mobilization. This historic unity will slam the second year of President Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency amid what progressive groups say his ‘de facto martial law’ and Charter change. 

The program will start at 12 PM at the UP Diliman University Avenue. At 2 PM, protesters will march to Commonwealth Avenue where the main program will be held. 

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

Duterte will not be Duterte without his rambling remarks that range from blasphemous to misogynistic to dangerous (as the police and military take these as marching orders), but never funny. Take for example his pronouncement to bomb Lumad schools in Mindanao or what he believed to be a joke about shooting female New People’s Army guerrillas in the vagina.

He has also been known to make promises such as ending labor contractualization or curbing drug abuse. How we currently fare in these departments can be evaluated by the numbers — 23,000 dead in the drug war and thousands more still on a contractual basis.

Shortly after his speech last year, Duterte showed up in front of thousands of protesters. This year, he is advised to skip personally meeting the protesters who will gather outside Batasan.  

Duterte is pegged to deliver his speech by 4 PM at the Plenary Hall of the Batasang Pambansa complex. By the time Duterte would deliver his speech, the United People’s SONA will have already started. Speakers from different sectors will talk about various issues, from the persisting clamor to improve the public transport system; the cumbersome effect of TRAIN law on basic goods; lack of accessible housing; contractualization and the need for wage increase; privatization and commercialization of the education system; extrajudicial killings (thrice the recorded EJK under the regime of the Dictator and former President Ferdinand Marcos); the thousands of human rights violations still under investigation; and martial law in Mindanao.

There will be no need for cinematic direction from big-time directors because the manifestations of the current socio-economic struggles faced by the Filipino people are more than enough to see the government’s disinterest to deliver its mandate.

Duterte is presumed to deliver his SONA no longer than 35 minutes. The Palace announced the exclusion of department achievements in the speech which will be discussed at the Pre-SONA briefings. According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, this will also give the President the chance to be able to speak ‘straight from the heart’. 

Netizens have taken to Twitter to express their thoughts on his ‘straight-from-the-heart’ speech.

Kung straight from the heart ang SONA ni Pangulo, aba mas nakakatakot yan. Kasi kung maitim ang puso at budhi nya, puro mura at pag-aalimura sasabihin nya.

— Emmi de Jesus (@emmidejesus) July 12, 2018

Ay. May heart pala siya…

Duterte’s SONA 2018 will be ‘straight from the heart’ https://t.co/8nbncSbqL8

— Bodjie F. Pascua (@owlinthemoon) July 6, 2018

Harry Roque on Pres Duterte not reading his prepared speech for the SONA: “He wants it to come straight from the heart… not hindered by the need to report his achievements.”

But isn’t that the purpose of the State of the Nation Address?!

— Hey Jade (@Antifornicator) July 6, 2018

“Straight from the heart” is fine, pero mas straight from facts and figures sana. SONA ‘yan, hindi concert ni Bryan Adams.
https://t.co/dEFnnyUAqR

— K L A R 0 (@Klaro) July 5, 2018

Ang tanging response sa SONA ni Duterte na “straight from the heart” ay straight from the heart din: Bumaba na siya sa pwesto.

— DYBALA TO LIVERPOOL (@y2japs) July 5, 2018

WATCH IT BURN!

The People’s SONA is a wide avenue for progressive artists to depict the people’s plight and struggles through their writings, drawings, paintings, and songs.

On Duterte’s First SONA, a six-panel mural titled “Portrait of Peace” was paraded on the streets by Ugatlahi Artist Collective. It depicted the 15-point Agenda for Change by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan representing proposed pro-people measures. 

Last year, a four-meter high effigy was unveiled at the People’s SONA protest. The group paraded an effigy of a blood-spattered hybrid military tank with a depiction of Duterte, Uncle Sam, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año. The effigy represented the political and economic repression under Duterte’s administration, the domination and control of the US government over Philippine affairs, and the Martial Law declaration in Mindanao. Ugatlahi Artist Collective once again designed and created this work of art. 

This year, another work of art will be showcased  by Ugatlahi to represent the current political situation. You’ll have to see for yourself what Ugatlahi will come up with this year. And of course, the effigy experience won’t be complete if you don’t watch it burn! 

be part of

history

Workers, farmers, and national minorities coming in from different region are expected to join this year’s protest. Lumad students will also be there to share their experience living under military rule. Swapping stories with them is a good start at knowing the real state of the nation. Of course, being one with the struggle is the best support we can offer.

What are you waiting for? G ka na ba manindigan? Bring an umbrella for the rainy day, bring your friends, post photos with the official hashtags, and be part of history. Join the United People’s SONA.

Contact Pat Cierva at 09458148177. Featured image by Jhun Dantes.

The post A United People’s SONA. What’s the difference? appeared first on Manila Today.