Militant groups in Bacolod City gave President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. a "failure" grade in his three years of office.
Marcos delivered his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday afternoon, July 22.
The militant groups marched down from Rizal Elementary School Street towards Bacolod public plaza and the Fountain of Justice.
Noli Rosales, secretary-general of Kilusang Mayo Uno, said the President failed to address the poverty in the country.
"The never-ending price hikes on the basic goods showed that our President is a failure," he said.
He added the Marcos administration also failed to address the salary increase of the workers as well as the livelihood of the drivers and operators of the public utility jeepneys.
Rosales also slammed the alleged over-budget allowed by the administration for the Sona of Marcos.
"They used at least P20 million, but our people are suffering because of the poverty, and calamity, among others," Rosales said.
Instead of addressing the problem of the country, he said President Marcos was only focusing on his alliance.
"Out of 10 scores, we will give him only 1 because we saw his failure to manage the country," he added.
Bayan Negros Deputy Spokesperson Berlita Ante, in a press statement released on Monday, said, “under the Marcos Jr administration, issues of privatization, land conversion, and measly wages have not been addressed as the economic crisis continues to worsen.”
Bayan Negros added that Farmers and farm workers also decried the lack of genuine agrarian reform and slave-like wages, as most haciendas still implement the pakyaw system, with workers earning as low as 30 pesos a day.
They also slammed Marcos Jr's P4, or Pabahay Program, locally adopted by Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez through the Yuhum Housing Program, which they say does not address the root causes of poverty and homelessness in the city, decrying the proposed P2,500 per month per unit rate.
Local fisherfolks' livelihoods are also threatened by the more than 1,000-hectare reclamation project, a common trend of Marcos Jr administration's opening up our local industries to foreign investors.
Bayan Negros believes the rift between Marcos and Duterte is underpinned by their warring allegiances with the United States and China. The group calls on the people to be critical of the next months, as the contradictions between them are expected to worsen.
The rally was participated by at least 300 members of Kilusang Mayo Uno, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, National Federation of Sugar Workers, and Kamaday, among others./MAP.