12,000 hold rallies in Visayas to mark Duterte’s first Sona

ILOILO CITY – About 12,000 joined rallies in the Visayas to mark the first of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Duterte.

The rallies were held to show support for the Duterte administration and to highlight issues and demand they want the administration to address.
In Iloilo City, about 3,500 activists under the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and supporters of the President held a program at the Freedom Grandstand before marching in the city’s main streets.
About 3,000 mostly farmers and urban poor also joined a rally at the Plaza Bandstand in Roxas City in Capiz. Many of them called for the completion of the rehabilitation program for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
In Bacolod City about 2,500 participants of a three-day Lakbayan for Peace and Change converged at the public plaza to show support for the administration and to raise awareness among Negrenses on the importance of the resumption of the peace process between the government and the National Democratic Front.
Aside from pushing for the resumption of peace negotiations, the ralliers also called for an end to militarization and human rights violations and labor contractualization.
In the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan 2,500 mostly survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” gathered at the Pastrana Park also to call for the release of remaining assistance for supertyphoon survivors who lost their houses.
About 500 persons belonging to different militant groups also held a rally at Colon Street in Cebu City to urge the President to address national and local concerns, hours before he delivered his first Sona.
The regional chapter of Bayan expressed opposition to extrajudicial killings while the Sanlakas-Cebu members hung streamers along the skywalk of the Social Security System to signify their opposition to re-imposition of the death penalty.

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