Tindig, bayan! Labanan at wakasan ang pahirap, korap, papet, at pasistang rehimeng US-Marcos!
BAYAN USA Statement on Building the Mass Movement Towards the People’s State of the Nation Address
As the State of the Nation Address approaches, President Bong Bong Marcos Jr. can be expected to do what he does best —make himself look good, deflect blame onto his opponents, and engineer an image of a well-intentioned, fair President who is addressing the concerns of his people. His SONA speech will no doubt be full of lies made to legitimize the regime’s subservience to the United States and big capital. We can expect him to tout the “accomplishments” of his administration while washing his hands clean of any accountability in the systemic corruption, human rights abuses, and repression that his regime is directly responsible for. Meanwhile, under the Trump administration, Filipinos in the United States have suffered greatly from fascist policies that target working-class, migrant communities and the GRP has done nothing to defend our people.
BAYAN USA and the larger mass movement of Filipinos are taking action to defend migrants and wage campaigns to meet the immediate needs of our community, and raise the fighting capacity of the diaspora for a genuinely free Philippines. More masses are entrusting the movement with their problems and we need to broaden the support for their struggles so more people realize our power to change conditions through collective mass struggle. The successful broadening of the mass movement and the steeling of the diaspora’s fighting spirit can be seen in the 1000+ strong Kalayaan Summit in Los Angeles on June 26-27, a historic political conference for genuine freedom from exploitation, oppression and repression in the Philippines and abroad.
On Monday, June 29, the Kalayaan Summit culminated in a 400+ protest at the Philippine Consulate General of Los Angeles (PCGLA) to deliver the demands of Filipino families in dire need—from Kaizann who is unjustly incarcerated and Jonathan who is detained in Adelanto Detention Center, to families requesting Assistance to Nationals (ATN) funds due to domestic violence and stolen wages. Instead of addressing these concerns, the PCGLA called the police on elderly mothers and hid behind their office door.
This represents the overall violent neglect and treachery of the GRP bureaucracy overseas towards the Filipino people whom they claim to represent. At the same time, massive amounts of resources are funneled into diplomatic visits to the United States, including the most recent visit of the Marcos Jr. administration for the UN Counterterrorism Week. High-ranking officials from the National Taskforce to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the Anti-Terror Council, the National Security Council, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency descended upon New York City, and attempted to terror tag progressive organizations and smear the names of recently martyred Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem. Instead of talking with concerned community members, Philippine state officials would rather talk about them. The Philippine government is evading their responsibility by pointing fingers at the people who are raising the concerns of our kababayan.
Meanwhile, gas and electricity rates are skyrocketing due to war and the people continue to suffer from inadequate infrastructure amidst ecological crises due to corrupted funds. Hundreds of millions of pesos are being wasted on political maneuvering, with corrupt officials going after each other to vie for power, all while genuine justice and accountability for the people is nowhere to be seen.
Instead of using the rich land of the Philippines to feed the people, Marcos Jr has given 4,000 acres away to the U.S. and foreign corporations as part of the Pax Silica project. This is a U.S. State Department-led initiative meant to secure critical minerals for tech & AI in order to out-compete the United States' imperialist rival, China. The Philippine government distracts the world from their failure to address the crushing poverty and suffering of the people. They do this by promoting lies such as the Philippines' recent classification as an upper-middle income country, and covering up the hunger and repression of the people in places like Negros. We know that the bureaucrat capitalist class is weak and divided—blinded by their own self-interest and sustained by their puppetry to US imperialism. It is only a matter of time before they are taken down from their precarious seat of power built from the blood, sweat, and tears of the masses.
The people's struggles and fights to address their problems are just, righteous, and continuing to grow in strength. We will not back down. We will escalate our fights for freedom alongside the growing number of people who see that the genuine solution lies in building a mass movement.
Towards the People's State of the Nation Address
We must now sustain the momentum built during the Kalayaan Summit by escalating the economic and political fights on the ground towards an all-out push for mass protests during the State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27. We call on all Filipinos and justice-loving allies to demonstrate outside Philippine Consulates and the Embassy to tell the true story of the Philippine nation to counter the lies of Marcos Jr.'s so-called State of the Nation Address.
From Marcos to Duterte to Romualdez, these traitors of the people must be confronted and forced to answer for their crimes. We must hold mass outreach and mass convenings, conduct mass education & propaganda, and ensure that the masses see the importance and significance of sama samang pagkilos (collective action).
Below are some of the general and particular campaigns that BAYAN USA is waging on the ground:
Resist the Fascist Offensive! Fight against Fascism and Counterinsurgency!
Defend Negros! Solidarity with C&H Sugar Refinery Workers! From Negros to NorCal, oppose exploitation and fascist repression!
July 8: Support for the C&H Workers in NorCal
July 18: Launching of the Defend Negros Network in NorCal
Activism is not terrorism! Abolish the NTF-ELCAC! End NAP-UPD!
Tanggol Migrante! Fight State Neglect & Plunder!
Detention and Deportation Fights: Justice for Kuya Jonathan! Free Kuya Rob! Free Kuya Richard!
July 13: National Tanggol Migrante Movement Mtng
People's Blacklist Campaign led by Migrante USA
US Out of the Philippines! End U.S.-led War and Militarism!
Cut Ties with War Profiteers! No AI and Tech for War!
Shut the Pax Down!
Cancel RIMPAC!
July 18-19: Mass Actions against RIMPAC in SoCal
All of BAYAN USA’s campaigns are seeing a surge in activity because the time is ripe to wage revolution and raise the consciousness of the overseas Filipino community. As a diaspora, we are integral to the Philippine movement for national democracy and have a significant role to play in bringing genuine independence to our homeland.
Let us take up the mantle of these fights wherever they make the most sense to organize the basic masses. Let us raise the calls and demands of our people to a common enemy: the rotten Philippine and US governments. In waging the fights of the overseas community, Filipinos all across the United States will see the importance of going back home to the Philippines and fighting for the National Democratic alternative, where no one will be forced to migrate or pushed into poverty.
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