By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Neither the lingering threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) nor the pouring rain failed to stop groups from protesting the policies of the current administration during the People’s SONA in Iloilo City on July 27, 2020, the same day President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The protest was organized by SONAgkaisa Panay, a regional coalition of various inter-sectoral groups.
The group is composed of the Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center, Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response, Sisters from Alliance of Consecrated Women of Iloilo, Ang Dios Gugma, Kabataan Patylist, Anakbayan Panay, Kaisog, Pamanggas, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Gabriela, (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide) PISTON, Panayanons Against Terror Act, Movement Against Tyranny, All U.P. Academic Employees Union, Liberal Party Iloilo, Akbayan, Kaya Natin!, Samahang Magdalo, SENTRO, Partido ng Manggagawa, National Union of People’s Lawyers, and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay.
Organizers set up procedures to comply with minimum health standards amid the COVID-19 pandemic, such as placing of markers where participants should be standing, and registration booths for contact tracing and temperature check.
Several “marshalls” also patrolled the rally area to ensure maintenance of these health standards.
Representatives from different organizations spoke during the People’s SONA, highlighting several key issues such as the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the issuance of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and the ABS-CBN franchise denial in the House of Representatives, among other issues.
‘CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE’
JASAC Chairman, Most Reverend Monsignor Meliton Oso, argued that the Duterte administration was promoting a “conspiracy of silence”.
Oso said that the administration’s allies are adamant to stay silent in the face of growing criticism over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other issues such as the Anti-Terror Law and the ABS-CBN shutdown.
“This is a conspiracy of silence, it means you are allowing people to stay silent and the wrong conspiracies are very significant. We who are gathered this afternoon, are not conspirators of silence. We are here to state with the voices that are being deprived from us of our government through its passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, while were under quarantine due to COVID-19,” Oso said.
The President cannot be trusted to be truthful in delivering the state of the nation according to Oso, saying that the true problem of the country wasn’t drugs, but poverty and corruption.
Anti-drug and anti-corruption crackdowns were central tenets of the platform of then-candidate Duterte in the 2016 elections.
“We are here to give out the true state of the nation because we can’t trust the president to be truthful because even his spokesperson says that the president is fond of exaggeration. How many years has he been president? Four years? Within the four years of Duterte’s presidency, there has been massive poverty, is there anyone here who has become rich? The analysis of our Social Action Network is that, the most important problem we face is not poverty and corruption, because if there wasn’t poverty and corruption, there wouldn’t be drugs,” he said.
‘WHAT NECESSARY SACRIFICE?’
Makabayan Coalition spokesperson Siegfred Deduro echoed Oso’s statements, saying that the current administration’s priorities are heavily misguided.
“Now, economists say our economy will lose by six percent. Msgr. Oso said a while ago that people are going hungry and losing their jobs. A study by a Dr. Lim from the Ateneo De Manila University, based on data by the Philippine Statistics Authority, that 90 percent of our labor force are affected by this quarantine. Labor Secretary [Silvestre] Bello himself that 10 million are expected to lose jobs, and that’s the truth. Is that the ‘necessary sacrifice’ they are saying? We can’t do anything because our enemy is silent and we need to sacrifice, because they said this was the solution. Police friends, please listen to us. Many police officers are dying from COVID-19. The original sin didn’t come from the people who you branded as ‘pasaway’, but it came from the president in Malacañang,” Deduro said.
Deduro also called out the administration’s soft stance on Chinese citizens during the time COVID-19 situation was worsening in mainland China, and the appointment of retired military officers in combatting the pandemic.
‘UNFOUNDED’
The health sector was represented by pediatrician Dr. Kristin Treñas, who called the government’s use of the COVID-19 pandemic “for ulterior motives” as “unfounded”.
“The culture of fear has always been good business. If the people are scared, they will take just about anything. For me, as a doctor, the fear of getting sick is present in everyone regardless of age. This pandemic is being used for ulterior motives, like militarization, which is unfounded. Our response to the pandemic, instead of more laboratories, is more checkpoints. It doesn’t make sense to a doctor like me,” Treñas said.
‘SHAME ON YOU’
Von Rojohn Rubio, representative of AKBAYAN Partylist and its youth arm, decried the administration’s allies in the non-renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise.
On July 10, 70 members of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted to sack the network’s application for a fresh 25-year franchise, after two months of being off the air.
Rubio said that the government and its allies need to check their priorities.
He notably shouted, “Shame on you!” while facing the district office of Iloilo City Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda, located near the protest area.
“The Palace and the 18th Congress have different priorities in the middle of this pandemic. Instead of assistance and jobs for the people, they have a different response. The worst case was ABS-CBN’s closure last May 5, 2020 and the final death sentence laid by the 70 congressmen last July 10 due to personal vendetta. Shame on you, 70! Eleven thousand employees affected, some laid off, and one died because he felt his retrenchment,” Rubio said.
