Anti-Marcos group takes protest to the stage

Groups campaigning against the vice presidential run of Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. took their protest to the stage during a rerun of the play "Inang Lupa, Inang Bayan" at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City on Friday evening.

The production -- split into two parts, "Sanlubongan" and "Hindi Na Muli" -- was performed by the Tag-ani Performing Arts Society as a last ditch effort to discourage voters from placing Marcos in the second highest electoral post.

In the final days before the elections, Marcos continued to lead the vice presidential race with 29% voters preference rating in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

"Ang paglaban natin na naging matagumpay sa pagbagsak kay Marcos ay parang bangungot na bumabalik," said Judy Tagewalo, a convener of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA).

"May posibilidad na magkakaroon na naman ng Marcos sa pambansang posisyon," she continued.

CARMMA co-sponsored "Inang Lupa, Inang Bayan," along with other anti-Marcos groups such as the UP Sigma Alpha Nu Society, Health Action for Human Rights, Alliance of Democracy, Alliance of Health Workers, and the Confederation of Unity of Recognition and Advancement for Government Employees (Courage).

"Inang Lupa, Inang Bayan" told the stories of natives, women, and activists who had suffered during the Martial Law period.

The play ran for a week last March, and was rerun on Friday in light of the upcoming elections.

"Come Monday, eleksyon na naman...yung role natin bilang mga mamamayan na dumaan na sa panahon ng diktadurang Marcos, ay magturo sa bagong kabataan ang totoong nangyari," said Courage Chairman Ferdie Gaite.

Meanwhile, Marcos said in a statement that he is confident of winning the vice presidential race with the endorsement from influential religious groups El Shaddai and Iglesia ni Cristo.

"We have just received more endorsements: the El Shaddai has formalized its endorsement of my candidacy for Vice President and members of a large political party, which of course you will find out later but let me allow them to do it themselves, who had previously supported another candidate has now come to join us," Marcos announced.

—ALG, GMA News