Amid the worsening human rights situation in the Philippines, rights groups Karapatan and Hustisya yesterday held an alternative Flores de Mayo for justice and peace at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City.
Dubbed the “Protesta de Mayo Laban sa Tiraniya,” the event featured five ensembles that depicted the current human rights issues and people’s struggles under the Duterte regime:
“Useless make-up solutions.”
This has been the reaction of militant labor group, Kilusang Mayo Uno – Metro Manila to the statement of Presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque over the solutions being seen by the Palace to mitigate the effects of rising prices of basic commodities and services due to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
Roque said on Saturday that President Duterte has issued “three marching orders” to somehow ease the effects of TRAIN Law on surging prices.
Among the orders and solutions being seen by the Palace were to convene the wage boards and for the Labor Department to determine the need of a wage increase; for the Department of Trade and Industry to monitor prices and arrest traders who are taking advantage of the rise on oil prices; and for the Energy Department to look for cheaper sources of petroleum products.
KMU Metro Manila tells Roque and President Duterte to stop offering patch-up and cosmetic solutions to the problem of high prices due to the TRAIN Law and other anti-people taxation measures of the government.
They said that the only thing Duterte can do is to listen to the long-drawn demands of the Filipino workers and people for wage increase as an immediate solution in the light of the massive price hikes, scrapping of all anti-people policies and regressive taxations being perpetually imposed by the government and nationalize our oil industry.
“Triple Whammy” protest set this week
The group further announced that they are set to hold a “Triple Whammy” protest this week to show the Duterte administration the real solutions in lowering prices of basic commodities and services as well as to offer immediate relief to the already burdened shoulders of Filipino workers.
The group said that they will be hopping the offices of the big oil companies, DTI and the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), all in Makati City this week to hold series of protests and slam the said institutions for their contributions to the problems of high prices and low wages for workers.
“In the Triple Whammy protest this week, we will be calling for the DTI to immediately junk the TRAIN Law, Oil Deregulation Law and Value Added Tax which primarily cause the rising prices of oil and petroleum products as well as other basic commodities and services,” said Ed Cubelo, KMU Metro Manila chairperson.
“We will also be staging a rally in front of the ECOP office as they were the main reason why salaries of our working people remain low for they are main to block all wage increase proposals. In the upcoming protest this week, we will be reiterating our call for wage increase and not price increases, as well as for the abolition of the regional wage boards.”
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“We will stand firm beside Sister Pat!”
Intermittent rains didn’t stop human rights groups from holding an alternative form of protest dubbed ‘Protesta De Mayo Laban sa Tiraniya’ at the University of the Philippines Diliman today.
Organized by Karapatan and Hustisya, the ‘procession’ of five ‘reinas’ depicted current human rights issues and people’s stuggles under the Duterte administration.
La Reina de la Verdad shows the curtailment of press freedom by the government and the growing resistance of artists and media practitioners.
La Reina de los Martires is Deborah Escudero, sister of drug war victim Ephraim Escudero. Escudero was abducted by unknown men in San Pedro Laguna in September last year. He was found dead in Pampanga five days later.
On La Reina Esperanza’s skirt is Filipina revolutionary leader Gabriela Silang. Her ensemble protests the Duterte government’s terror tag against activists, human rights defenders, development workers, and church people.
La Reina de la Paz. Her piece illustrates the people’s struggles under martial law in Mindanao. Documented human rights violations since Duterte declared martial law last year include 49 extrajudicial killings of Lumad, peasants, and Moro and the displacement of 500,000 civilians due to military operations in the countryside and in Marawi City.
The procession’s Reyna Elena is Eleanor de Guzman as La Reina de la Justicia. De Guzman is the daughter of National Democratic Front (NDF) peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and wife of trade union organizer Marklen Maoj Maga. Both Baylosis and Maga were detained on January and February this year, respectively, on trumped-up charges.
The Flores de Mayo spin-off is also Karapatan’s contribution to the #BabaeAko #LalabanAko campaign. This movement of women posting the said hashtags on social media networks is a response to Pres. Duterte’s sexism and misogyny and came soon after the president’s snide remarks about not appointing a woman as the next chief justice.
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