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LABOR and civil society groups will hold a protest Monday morning to reject what critics see as the country’s drift toward another martial rule.
In a statement, the Nagkaisa labor coalition condemned how the administration has “severely weakened” many government institutions, consolidating the power of President Duterte.
This, he noted, eroded “checks and balances” in government.
“What is happening to our country today, Mr. President Duterte? His administration has been showing a strong trend towards another tyranny, ”Nagkaisa said in a statement on Sunday, the eve of the anniversary of the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1972.
The coalition said that massive corruption in some government agencies like the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) continues, leading to the loss of billions of public funds.
He also expressed alarm at the figures from Human Rights Watch, which show that extrajudicial executions increased by 50 percent in the first four months of the lockdown compared to the months before the pandemic.
The alleged institutionalization of red labels by the administration, Nagkaisa said, has put the lives of many innocent people at risk.
Nagkaisa issued the statement in time for the 48th anniversary of President Marcos’s Martial Law declaration, which stressed that it should not be repeated any more.
“Unions and other civil society groups will readily recall the looting of public funds by Marcos and his henchmen, the 36,000 documented tortures, 70,000 incarcerations and 3,257 known extrajudicial executions, among others, between 1972 and 1986,” Nagkaisa said .
“We need to learn that strong leadership is a myth. Democracy requires active citizenship, not a strong man. We cannot afford to have another Marcos to loot the economy and inflict harm on an individual citizen and violate their rights, “he added.
Nagkaisa along with civil society groups, who are members of the Movement Against Terrorism Act (MATA), will hold a protest at 8 am Monday on the grounds of the Human Rights Commission in Diliman, Quezon City.
