University students across Metro Manila held decentralized and simultaneous protests Thursday afternoon to denounce Duterte’s “rising tyranny and dictatorship”.
Youth groups under the Youth Movement Against Tyranny (YMAT) assembled at these protest centers and was participated in by the following schools: Taft-Vito Cruz (De La Salle University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Saint Scholastica’s College); Taft-Pedro Gil (University of the Philippines Manila, Philippine Women’s University, Philippine Christian University, St. Paul University, Adamson University, Technological University of the Philippines); University Belt (Far Eastern University, University of the East, San Sebastian College, San Beda College, National Teacher’s College, National University); Katipunan Avenue (Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines Diliman); and Sta. Mesa (Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology)
Photos by Danielle Recto, Lyann Cabador, Genesis Gamilong, Ronald Lajara, and Erika Cruz
Duterte is fake news king
Amid several issues surrounding the creation and circulation of fake news – including presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s remark on the necessity of fake news to distinguish truth from untruth – the group asserts that it’s Duterte himself who is the top peddler of lies.
“Wala sa lahat ng sinabi [ni Duterte] ay totoo. Mula nang sinabi niya na ‘Change is coming’, walang katotohanan. N’ung sinabi niya na walang mamamatay, na siya ay para sa pag-unlad ng ating bayan, walang katotohanan. N’ung sinabi niya na siya ay para sa kabataan, nagpatuloy ang K+12, tumaas ang iba’t ibang mga bayarin, ang libreng edukasyon sa mga pampublikong pamantasan ay hindi tunay na naipatupad,” said Youth Act Now Against Tyranny (YANAT) spokesperson Kara Taggaoa.
(None of what Duterte said is true. When he said “Change is coming”, there is no truth to it now. When he said nobody would die, that he was for the country’s progress, there is no truth to it now. When he said that he was for the youth, the K+12 program continued, prices of goods and services soared, and free education in public universities is not genuinely implemented.]
‘Charter change is coming’
The group aired their indignation over the fast-tracked efforts of the government to amend the Constitution, saying that this will only give way to a ‘constitutional dictatorship’.
The shift from the current Constitution to a federal one necessitates the incumbent president to assume the role of both president and prime minister. In this setup, the entire legislature will be under Duterte’s control.
They also decried the proposed Constitution’s lifting of its economic restrictions on foreign ownership, as this will warrant the ricing prices of basic goods and services.
“Ibubukas ang ating ekonomya sa foreign powers at mga korporasyon na magdudulot ng mas marami pang tuition hikes, mas matataas na school fees, mas mahal na bayad sa public services na dapat ay libre at de-kalidad. All of these boil down to the tyranny of President Duterte,” said Youth Movement Against Tyranny spokesperson Kyle Atienza.
(Our economy will be open to foreign powers and corporations, which will bring about more tuition hikes, higher school fees, and higher costs on public services which should be provided without pay and of quality.)
The current economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution restricts 100% foreign ownership of companies in the Philippines.
‘Deadly TRAIN, deadly policies’
Students also slammed the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), one of several packages under the Duterte government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP).
The TRAIN, among other specifications, exempts those with annual taxable income below P250,000 from paying personal income tax. The law also increases excise taxes on petroleum products and sweetened beverages.
Progressive groups, including youth organizations, have held Black Friday Protests against the tax reform law since the start of the year.
“Ang kalagayan ng kabataan at mamamayan ay naghihirap sa iba’t ibang pamamaraan at polisiya. Hindi lang sa pamamagitan ng baril niya pinapatay ang mamamayan, kundi pinapatay niya sa gutom at hirap,” said Taggaoa.
(The youth and the people are suffering in different ways and through different policies. It’s not only through the gun that [Duterte] kills the people, but also through hunger and poverty.)
The group also expressed concern over the revival of ‘Oplan Tokhang’, noting that the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) new guidelines does not mean there will be a stop to the killings.
Rights groups estimate the number of those killed under the government’s drug war to be 13,000.
This figure does not include those killed under martial law in Mindanao, YMAT argues.
In December 2017, Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan) documented 126 extrajudicial killings, most of these coming from the peasant sector.
Killings of farmers and indigenous peoples are connected to their resistance against big mining corporations and plantations. Most of these cases are linked to the military and their auxiliary groups in line with its counter-insurgency program ‘Oplan Kapayapaan’.
The students also cited Duterte’s constant threat of a crackdown versus legal progressive organizations as a “desperate” move by his administration, following several leaders’ receipt of subpoenas on trumped-up charges.
Youth on the march
The Youth Movement Against Tyranny said the protests yesterday will not be the last.
“We are here to oppose the fascist dictatorship of Duterte,” said Atienza.
He added: “We warn the president na noong nakaraan, napabagsak natin ang mga diktador, korap, at mamamatay-tao. We warn the president: hindi magtatagal, kayang-kaya ng mamamayan, kasama ang mga kabatan, na patalsikin siya.”
(We warn the president that in the past, we toppled a dictator – a corrupt leader and murderer. We warn the president: it won’t be long before the people, with the youth, will overthrow [Duterte].)
The group will be gearing up for another protest dubbed the ‘National Day of Walkout Against Tyranny and Dictatorship’ on February 23.
