The February 25 event in Cebu has been called a prayer rally and a grievance rally. But if a report last Friday were to be believed, that no religious leader so far has confirmed gracing the event with their presence, it’s best to call it a grievance rally.
As to the nature of their grievances and the motives of those organizing the event today, Sunday, February 25, 2024, on the day of the Edsa People Power Revolution anniversary, one could make several suppositions.
Irene Caballes, rally lead convener, said in a SunStar report that the event to be held at the South Road Properties would be the “collective expression of opposition to the planned amendment of the 1987 Constitution, particularly the People’s Initiative signature campaign.” She added that it is to express their grievances against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It also coincides with the people power revolution anniversary that “symbolizes the civilian authority’s steadfast insistence,” she said. But, she added, the rally will not be anti-Marcos but an avenue for “transparency, accountability, peace and security for the country.”
A Rappler report said it seemed no religious leader is going to show up at the event today after it asked the offices of the Cebu Archbishop’s Palace, Cebu Conference of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Diocese of Cebu. The Rappler report last Friday said that as of that day these offices have not received an invitation. It would be best to stick to calling today’s event a grievance rally.
The focus will be their grievance against the government, in particular, the people’s initiative allegedly backed by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, cousin of President Marcos. It would be the same as the first rally, held in Davao City last January 28, that denounced the move to amend the Constitution amid reports of people being given money to sign the people’s initiative petition. Shouldn’t there also be grievance against the voters who signed the people’s initiative petition in exchange for money? They sold their soul and the country’s future; they must be called out too.
With the inclusion of Duterte’s sons Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte and Representative Paolo Duterte, and possibly Vice President Sara Duterte, and the former president’s supporters Victor Rodriguez, Glenn Chong and Harry Roque, the grievance could go beyond the Charter amendment issue. The International Criminal Court investigations into drug war killings during Duterte’s term, perhaps?
Another expected attendee is Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia reportedly has been invited. Will there be a linking of Cebu and Davao or the Visayas and Mindanao in these grievances? Will there be a call for unity of these two geographical groupings against the grievances?
It seems those behind the Davao rally and this one in Cebu want a national movement surrounding grievances against the government. But can they also be transparent to prevent having wrong assumptions about why they are doing this?