Visayas groups hold protests, deliver own versions of SONA

ILOILO, Philippines—Hundreds staged protest actions in four cities in Visayas on Monday ahead of President Benigno Aquino’s State of the Nation Address.

In Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz, around 3,700 protesters led by the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) took to the streets for their own version of the SONA.

In Iloilo City, around 2,500 protesters mostly students and those from urban poor communities assembled in front of the Iloilo City campus of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas and the St. Clement’s Church before marching in the city’s main streets.

The contingents converged at the grounds of the Iloilo provincial capitol where a protest rally and concert were held.

The protesters carried placards and streamers criticizing the Aquino administration for failing to deliver on its promises.

In Roxas City in Capiz, 700 protesters led by Bayan burned an effigy of Aquino after a protest rally at the city plaza to denounce Aquino’s one year administration.

The protesters, including those belonging to the Madiaas Ecological Foundation and Gabriela that brought the effigy of the President, held several placards urging Aquino to stop mining activities in Capiz.

Around 500 protesters led by Bayan also held a rally at Crossing Banga and New Washington in the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan.

In Cebu, different militant groups held separate protest actions Monday morning.

A multi-sectoral rally was held at 10 a.m. spearheaded by Bayan and participated by its allied groups that later marched from Fuente Osmena in midtown Cebu City to downtown Colon St., where they held a rally with speakers assailing the President for his alleged poor performance. The Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo (United Drivers of Cebu) also joined them at the rally.

According to the protest organizers, the participants reached to 500 people but the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) estimated the crowd at only 200 persons.

On the other hand, the groups of Sanlakas, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines and other affiliated groups held a “People’s Sona” at 10 a.m. in Tabunok sports complex in Talisay city and then marched towards the Tabunok Public Market.

Aaron Pedrosa, secretary general of FDC in Cebu, said the 500 people who joined their protest action represented 10 sectors in their own version of SONA where they lambasted the President for following the economic policies of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Two rallies were staged in Bacolod City. In the morning, about 110 protestors joined a Kabataan Partylist march around the city that criticized the Aquino administration for budget cuts in education.

Julius Dagatan, Kabataan Partylist VP for Visayas, said the state of education under the Aquino administration was worse than during the Arroyo administration.

Militant groups led by Bayan, on the other hand, gathered about 600 to 700 protesters at the Bacolod public plaza Monday afternoon. They gave Aquino a failing grade on his first year in office for failing to address the needs of the people.

Reports from By Nestor Burgos Jr., Carla P. Gomez, Jhunnex Napallacan and Felipe Celino