LOOK: Protesters end People’s Sona by setting Marcos-Duterte effigy ablaze

Bagong Alyansa Makabayan Southern Tagalog members burn the effigy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Durterte along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, July 22, 2024. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino

MANILA, Philippines — Protesters burned an effigy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Durterte to mark the conclusion of their “People’s Sona” held at Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Demonstrators from the Bagong Alyansa Makabayan (Bayan) Southern Tagalog (ST) and other organizations gathered early along Commonwealth Avenue, hours before Marcos delivered his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, July 22.

Bayan ST leaders raised issues concerning Southern Tagalog and assessed the status of the country’s economy, agriculture, and labor sectors, among others, in their People’s Sona.

“Hanggang ngayon ay nananalaytay sa ating mga bansa ang mga sakit ng lipunan tulad ng imperyalismo, pyudalismo, at burukrata-kapitalismo. Taliwas ito sa mga huwad na pangako ni Marcos Jr. magmula ng mailuklok siya sa pwesto dalawang taon na ang nakararaan. Malinaw ang pagsandig ni Marcos Jr. sa paksyon ng US habang bahag naman ang buntot nito sa Tsina,” Bayan ST spokesperson Kyle Salgado said in a statement sent to the media after the protest.

(Until now, social ills such as imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism have plagued our country. This contradicts Marcos Jr.’s false promises since his inauguration two years ago. Marcos Jr. is clearly leaning on the US faction while scared of China.)

Bagong Alyansa Makabayan Southern Tagalog members are set to burn the effigy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Durterte along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, July 22, 2024. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino

Bagong Alyansa Makabayan Southern Tagalog members burn the effigy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Durterte along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, July 22, 2024. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino

READ: LOOK: Protesters gather along Commonwealth ahead of Marcos’ 3rd Sona

Bayan ST burned Marcos and Duterte’s effigy, which it called “Pilas ng Pagniningas” (A Tear of Rage), symbolizing “the struggle of the Filipino people against the cycle of oppression and the culture of impunity,” among others, to emphasize their demands.

“The effigy employs a visceral depiction of the relations of US Imperialism, Marcos-Duterte Administration, and the coercive forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police,” Bayan ST explained in a statement.

Bayan ST is expected to join the rally of other organizations under Bayan around 1 p.m. at the University of the Philippines.

Bagong Alyansa Makabayan Southern Tagalog members burn the effigy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Durterte along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, July 22, 2024. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino