NEWS | Various groups stage protests to commemorate Bonifacio Day
By Alexandra Kate Ramirez
Upholding Bonifacio’s legacy
November 30 also marks the Global Day of Action for Trade Union and Human Rights in the Philippines. Trade unions such as the Partido Manggagawa marched to the location to assert the workers’ rights on health security and the extension of monetary benefits to pandemic-hit industries.
Meanwhile, coalition of youth organizations including Anakbayan, College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), Kabataan Partlist, League of Filipino Students (LFS), and National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) vowed to uphold the struggle of Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan.
“The struggle of Bonifacio did not end after his death. The struggle of the Filipino people continues and lives on every fist raised, on every chant decrying the calls for national democracy and liberation. The picketlines have become our universities and the masses have become our professors! Let us remain steadfast in the banner of serving the people! CEGP asserted.
Kadamay, an urban poor organization, also held their Homeless March as they gathered at the National Housing Authority before proceeding to the University Avenue. The organization mobilized to condemn the demolitions amid the pandemic and to speak out against the jeepney phaseout.
Amid the rampant red-tagging and state-sponsored propaganda, former Bayan Muna partylist representative Teddy Casiño spoke on the persistent antagonism of the state against the armed movement.
“Sa panahong ito, ang nais ng mga pasista sa gobyerno ay kundenahin natin ang opsyon ng armadong pakikibaka na tinangan ni Bonifacio at pinagpapatuloy ng ating mga kababayan hanggang ngayon,” Casiño stated.
Police intervention
Similar protests were also held at different parts of the country such as the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan-led rally at the University of Santo Tomas and the student protest held at the UP Los Baños.
KMU Chairperson Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog assured that they coordinated with authorities to allow for a smooth protest as the group urged Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to ask the police to espouse the right to peaceful assembly.
“We expect to peacefully hold our protests with no interference from the police,” Labog said in a statement.
“If any untoward incident happens, it is no longer because the gathering is large. That will be outright harassment and repression,” he added.
The group reiterated that these collective assemblies are integral to the people’s right to free expression.
However, Tug-ani, UP Cebu’s official university publication, reported that five workers from CENTRO-Nagkakaisang Progresibong Manggagawa Labor Center and First Glory Apparel who participated in a Bonifacio day protest held near the Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) were arrested. They were charged for allegedly violating health protocols and resisting arrest. Prior to this, Tug-ani added that the police threatened protesters who also held a protest at the Department of Agriculture, Mandaue City.
Outraged by the country’s situation, Vinz Simon from Anakbayan condemned Duterte’s fascist regime and tagged it as the main reason why the country’s development remained backwards. He then challenged the administration to be catalysts of change by giving the workers, farmers, and indigenous peoples their rights and land.
“Sa katotohanan po, sino ang kumakarne sa gutom na kalamnan ng maralitang lungsod? Sino ang kumakarne sa nangangayayat na bisig ng mga manggagawa at magsasaka. Aba’y sasabihin ko sa inyo ang sagot at iyon ay si Duterte at ang kanyang pasistang rehimen,” Simon remarked. “Kung hindi kayo [the Duterte regime] aalis at patuloy ninyong hahadlangan ang demokratikong interes ng mamamayan, ay may mag-aarmas, may tutungo sa kanayunan, at may magtatanggol ng kanilang interes… Hitik lalo sa panahon ng krisis ng pandemya ang kundisyon para mag-alsa, para mag-tagumpay ang mamamayang lumalaban.”
