Protesters smash effigy for Marcos’ SONA

Protesters led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) smashed an effigy of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. which they made for his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Activists tore down, hit, and stomped on the effigy amid heavy rain along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

The effigy symbolizes the issues raised against the President, BAYAN said.

For Marcos’ first SONA, Bayan said the 12-foot high effigy titled “Mad in Malacañang” is a parody of the film “Maid in Malacañang."

The figure depicted Marcos sitting on a throne with a party hat, flags of China and America, faces of his father then-President Marcos Sr. as well as his mother former first lady Imelda Marcos, and a seal of the Republic of the Philippines  with the words “Sagisag ng Alamano ng Pilipinas.”

“The effigy represented how detached Marcos was from the crisis affecting millions of poor Filipinos,” BAYAN said in a statement.

“During his first week in office, Marcos reportedly had 3 parties, was not able to fill all his cabinet posts, and was seen denying the inflation figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority. Marcos has yet to outline a comprehensive economic program, three weeks into his term,” it added.

Earlier in the morning, militant groups from Southern Tagalog gathered on Commonwealth Avenue to prepare for their rally to mark Marcos' first SONA.

Meanwhile, on IBP Road which is nearer Batasang Pambansa, venue of Marcos' SONA, a rally of the President's supporters is ongoing as of posting time.

Marcos will deliver his SONA before a joint session of Congress at 4 p.m.

Economic plans

Meanwhile, several groups called on Marcos to lay out his economic plans amid inflationary measures and high public debt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said Marcos should put the spotlight on concrete economic relief measures instead of “indulging yet again in unhinged visions of prosperity.”

“No revisionism or lofty narratives can cover up empty stomachs and escalating prices. Incoherent, unhinged daydreaming can hardly appease Filipino women battered by steep prices, lack of aid and rising incidence of domestic violence,” Bosas said in a statement.

“He should certify as urgent instead House Bill 400 seeking to scrap TRAIN excise tax and VAT on petroleum products, which will give immediate relief to consumers and transport sector workers,” she added.

Inflation, food security

Peasant group Amihan Women challenged Marcos to present concrete measures in addressing hunger, inflation and boosting of local food production over importation of agricultural commodities.

“Sumama kami sa protesta dahil napakalala na ng krisis sa pagkain sa bansa at hanggang sa kasalukuyan, wala kaming makitang konkretong plano mula kay Marcos Jr.,” said Amihan national chairperson Zenaida Soriano.

(We joined the protest because the food crisis in the country has worsened and until now, we have not seen any concrete plan from Marcos Jr.)

“Sa krisis sa bigas, dapat ibasura ang mga kontra-mamamayan at kontra-magsasakang polisiya na Rice Liberalization Law at paunlarin ang lokal na produksyon imbes na importasyon,” she added.

(As with the rice crisis, the anti-farmer and anti-people Rice Liberalization Law should be scrapped and local production should be developed instead of importing.)

Generate jobs

Meanwhile, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said Marcos should focus on living wage, regularization, and labor rights.

KMU also presented their 10-point Labor agenda and called for the passage of HB 2173 or “Pro-Worker Security of Tenure Bill, passage of a law regarding National Minimum wage, and implementation of a program creating regular and decent jobs, among others.

“Ang hamon namin sayo, Marcos Jr., huwag mo nang uulitin pa ang kasaysayan. Huwag mong sundan ang yapak nila Duterte at ng ama mo na pawang nagpahirap at nang-abuso sa mga manggagawa. Kami ang nagpapatakbo at sumasalba sa ekonomiya pero kami pa itong palaging pinapabayaan. Hanggang hindi mo ginagawang prayoridad ang aming kapakanan at mga kahingian, hindi kami magsasawang lumaban,” said KMU chairperson Elmer Labog.

(Our challenge to you, Marcos Jr., is not to repeat history. Do not follow the footsteps of [fromer president] Duterte and your father who tortured and abused the workers. We run and save the economy, but we are still neglected. Until you make our welfare and demands a priority, we will not tire in fighting back.)

National Sovereignty

Fishers' group PAMALAKAYA said the issue of national sovereignty and territorial integrity should take the center stage of his [Marcos] SONA.

“We also demand him to take a stand against reclamation and conversion of coastal communities that displaces fishing communities and destroys marine ecosystems,” PAMALAKAYA wrote on Twitter.

“Likewise, he should renounce the import-liberalization policies that hurt our local fishing industry,” it added.

Health and COVID-19 response

For its part, Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) demanded that Marcos must allocate 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for health and COVID-19 response.

HEAD said the 10% GDP allocation can be responsive to the health needs of the people as well as the problems affecting health workers.

“It can be realized by realigning funds for untimely build-build-build infrastructure programs, pork barrel spending, destructive militarization campaigns and other non-productive wasteful expenditures towards health,” it said.

“We demand the administration of Marcos to address the people’s needs. The SONA 2022 must include the administration’s health plan for the Filipinos,” it added.

Wage hike for teachers

Former ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio urged Marcos to keep his promise raising the wage of public school teachers.

“Kailangan na kagyat na itaas ang sweldo ng mga guro. Napagiwanan na ang kanilang sweldo at napakatindi ng pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin. So ngayon ang panawagan natin ay ipantay ang sweldo ng pulis, sundalo at nurse ang sweldo ng teacher,” Tinio said in an interview.

(There is an urgent need to raise teachers' salaries that have been reduced amid dramatic increase the prices of goods. So now our call is to equalize the salary of the policemen, soldiers, and nurse with the salary of the teacher.)

Also, Tinio said Marcos should address issues on safe resumption of face-to-face classes, higher budget for education sector, and overhauling of K to 12 program.

Protesters also called for the protection of the the civil ang political rights of the people, including the defense and promotion of human rights, clear government policy to fight disinformation and protect freedom of speech and press freedom, and accountability in corruption cases. —KG/LBG, GMA News