THE militant groups in Negros Occidental were bent on their fight against the dictatorship as they marked the 33rd anniversary of Edsa People Power Revolution at the Fountain of Justice in Bacolod City on Monday, February 25.

Led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Negros, Gabriela, and United Negros Drivers and Operators Center, the groups held a rally at the Fountain of Justice as a lot of people, especially the younger generation, have lost touch of the relevance of the People Power.

Bayan-Negros secretary-general Michael Dela Concepcion said this commemoration of the 1986 Edsa People Power highlighted how the people toppled down the Marcos dictatorship.

“The People Power is a reminder to the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte who placed Mindanao under a state of martial law which is currently on its third year,” he said.

It is also a reminder to the Filipinos that even if they toppled down a dictator in the past, it has not brought a significant change in the country, he said.

“The implementation of the land reform program of the government has not served well the welfare of the beneficiaries, the Administrative Order No. 13 which will liberalize the sugar imports, the Rice Tariffication Law, the corruption in government, among others, is reflective of a country that is not yet free from these bondages,” Dela Concepcion said.

“The new laws signed by the President will ‘only make us dependent to other countries,’ instead of promoting self-sufficiency,” he added.