Activists in Baguio protest vs return of Marcos to Malacañang

NEVER AGAIN. Baguio youth activists on Wednesday (May 11) stage a candlelight protest against alleged electoral fraud and the return of the Marcoses to Malacañang. (PHOTO BY EV ESPIRITU)

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — Around 200 youth activists here on Wednesday, May 11, staged a protest to condemn what they described as “electoral fraud” and the impending return of the Marcoses to Malacañang.

Carrying banners, the protesters marched from the Post Office Park to Session Road before holding a candlelight vigil at Malcolm Square.

Louise Montenegro of Kabataan Partylist said they staged the protest action to condemn reports of electoral fraud and the electoral system in the country as a whole.

She said that they were also protesting the perennial problems of vote-buying, dirty campaigning, and systemic fraud.

Reginald Flores of the Youth Act Now Against Tyranny pointed out that the elections were marred with massive disinformation and red-tagging of opposition candidates, malfunctioning vote-counting machines, and vote-buying.

According to Flores, there could never be a fair election with these prevailing problems.

He said justice for the victims of the war on drugs of the Duterte administration and the victims of human rights violations during Martial Law would be more elusive under a Marcos-Duterte government.

Baguio youth activists on Wednesday (May 11) stage a candlelight protest against alleged electoral fraud and the return of the Marcoses to Malacañang. (PHOTO BY EV ESPIRITU)

Christain Dave Ruz of Makabayan Coalition said that they were also calling for unity that is based on the demands for a better education system, more jobs, land for farmers, and justice for all victims of extrajudicial killings.

“We all want a nation where parents can feed their children well. We all hope for a nation where no youth will cry because they cannot go to school. This is the unity that we want,” Ruz said.

“All of us, even supporters of BBM and other candidates want change, and we all want respect, People’s Park (Malcolm Square) is open to other protest actions, if there be, and may we all walk toward the path of genuine change,” Ruz said, addressing the jeering crowd.

Ruz further said that there could be no genuine change if the candidates are liars and have standing offenses against the people.

“My fellow Filipino, unity is not just unity or fanaticism for one candidate, the unity of the youth before you now is unity for education, unity for workers’ rights, unity for justice, unity for democracy,” he said.

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