Groups question government’s holding of Bagong Pilipinas rally
Bayan Sec. Gen. Renato Reyes Jr., and Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares INQUIRER.net file photo
MANILA, Philippines — For some progressive groups, the government’s “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines) kick-off rally has been raising more questions than answers.
Slated for Sunday afternoon, the rally is expected to be joined by “thousands of Filipinos” along with celebrities, artists, and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. himself, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
READ: Marcos to attend Bagong Pilipinas rally on Sunday
The PCO said on Saturday that some government agencies will be at the rally, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which will provide payouts to “pre-identified beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations.”
But for the group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the term “Bagong Pilipinas” itself is beset with problems.
“What is really new with Bagong Pilipinas?” Renato Reyes Jr., Bayan president, asked on Sunday as preparations for the kick-off rally began.
“No amount of pageantry and glitz can conceal the fact that there is no ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ right now as the nation is besieged by so many problems,” Reyes added, citing rising poverty and hunger among Filipinos.
The Bayan president likewise questioned the purpose for such a huge event which he said was paid by people’s taxes.
“Taxpayers are spending for this event and it is still not clear what the purpose of the activity is other than to boost the image of the current administration,” he told Inquirer.net.
READ: DILG: Attend, post photos of ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ launch
“It’s an expensive PR [public relations] blitz to cover up the crisis the country is facing,” Reyes continued.
Meanwhile, fishers’ group Pamalakaya said that Filipinos could not expect anything new from “Bagong Pilipinas.”
“Nothing new could come out from this upcoming ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ because what we directly experience from the ground is the same old brand of negligence and anti-people policies and programs of the government,” the group alleged.
Previously, Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares likewise questioned the rally, calling it a “waste of people’s resources.”
“Sa gitna ng kahirapan at kawalan ng ayuda, gagastos na naman ang gobyerno sa isang rally na walang katuturan,” Colmenares said in a post on X (formerly twitter).
(In the midst of poverty and lack of government aid, the government will again be spending for a rally that makes no sense.)
Before it has even begun, the rally has also been hounded by allegations of being an avenue to push Charter change – a claim that the PCO has denied.
The PCO earlier explained that the event is a “show of commitment to the executive department” and not for any other agenda.
The budget for the kick-off rally is yet to be revealed to public.
