PROGRESSIVE groups have graded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration’s performance for last year as a “failure.”
Rauf Sissay, regional director of Bayan Muna Partylist, said in a media interview on Monday morning, July 22, 2024, at Freedom Park, Roxas Avenue, that they rate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s performance for last year as "failed."
“Failed na grado kung diin wala nila hingpit nga napatuman ang ilahang mga campaign promises ug hangtud karon nagpadayon gihapon ang mga policies nga fascist ug repressive policies nga gina-implement sa niaging administrasyong Duterte, hangtod karon naa gihapon ang red-tagging, naa gihapon ang force disappearances, naa gihapon ang extra judicial killings ug uban pang paglapas sa tawhanong katungod,” he said.
(We give him a failing grade because he did not fulfill their campaign promises and until now the fascist and repressive policies implemented by the previous Duterte administration continue, with red tagging, forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other human rights violations still occurring).
Thus, they are calling for justice for all the victims during the Duterte and Marcos administrations.
Sissay emphasized that they will continue their protests and will only cease if the current administration takes action on the issues affecting various sectors of the government.
Protest in time for Sona
Approximately 50 individuals participated in the protest from progressive groups such as AnakBayan-Southern Mindanao Region, Kabataan Partylist, Bayan Muna Partylist, Gabriela Partylist, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Piston, and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Southern Mindanao Region (Bayan SMR).
They held placards with messages like “Fight for Academic Freedom and Human Rights,” “No to PUV Phaseout,” “Abolish NTF-ELCAC,” and “Quality Education not Cha-Cha.” Sissay expressed that their protest is part of their ongoing actions nationwide to voice the concerns of Filipinos.
At the end of their protest, leaders of the progressive groups tore apart pictures of Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte, and former President Rodrigo Duterte. The group expressed that this symbolized their opposition to the alignment of the president and vice president with imperialist countries China and America.
“Samtang wala pa natuman ang mga panawagan, wala pa natuman ang mga kabag-uhan nga ilahang ginapromiso sa kataw-han magpadayun gihapon ang Bayan, Bayan-Muna, ug uban pang mga organisasyon dinha sa pagduso sa mga katawhan,” he said.
(While our demands have not yet been met, the changes they promised the people have not yet been fulfilled, Bayan, Bayan-Muna, and other organizations will continue to advocate for the rights of the people).
Call for better education
Harvey Lao, Kabataan Partylist Vice President for Mindanao, expressed that the state of education in the country remains poor. He noted that the Philippines has severe learning poverty, as nine out of ten Filipino children cannot read and write.
Lao added that there is a need to legislate student rights and welfare bills, as tertiary education in the country is treated more as a commodity than a right.
“Dapat constitutional right, naa sa atoang konstitusyon ang katungod nato dinha sa edukasyon pero unsay gihimo sa mga polisiya nga gipatupad sa different and various administration gikan pa kaniadtung administrasyon sa amahan, sa diktador, sa amahan ni Marcos Jr. nagpabilin na gihimong komersyalisado ang atong edukasyon,” he said.
(Education should be a constitutional right, the right to education is stated in our constitution, but the policies implemented by various administrations since the administration of the father, the dictator, the father of Marcos Jr. have kept our education commercialized).
He emphasized that despite students' efforts for free education, they have not succeeded because the government does not allocate enough funds for the education sector.
No to PUVMP and Davao Bus Project
Larry Arguelles, secretary-general of the Davao-based Transmission Group-Piston, expressed opposition to the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) and the Davao Bus Project, saying that these initiatives would severely impact the livelihoods of jeepney drivers in the Philippines.
“Imbes atoang gobyerno solusyunan ang kalisod, ang kataas sa porsyento nga mawad-an ug trabaho ug paghatag ug ayuda ang iya naman hinuon gi-prioritize nga programa kay kana naman hinuon pagtanggal sa panginabuhian (Instead of our government solving poverty, the high percentage of people losing their jobs, and providing aid, their priority program is the removal of livelihood),” he said.
Arguelles said that small operators and drivers would be heavily affected, and the local government's solution is merely to pay off their vehicles and offer a livelihood program, which he described as a temporary solution that is not sustainable.
P20 kilos rice, a scam
Rose Hayahay, secretary-general of Gabriela Southern Mindanao, emphasized her dismay over Marcos's two years as president. She criticized his promise of P20 per kilo of rice, stating that this was a scam since P20 represents only a quarter of the current price of rice in the Philippines.
“Baga ug nawong si Marcos kay wala sila nituman sa iyang mga saad P20 per kilo nga bugas asa naman, P20 kilos nga bugas, ¼ diay to! Na-scam tang tanan (Marcos is shameless because he did not fulfill his promise of P20 per kilo of rice, where is it, P20 kilos of rice is just a quarter of the amount of rice, we are all scammed),” she said.
Meanwhile, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) reported that the protest was “generally peaceful and orderly.” The office deployed 20 police personnel, 21 police auxiliaries, four mobile patrol units, and 16 members of the City Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit (CECU). The protest rally started at around 1:30 and ended at 4 p.m. RGP