Fed up with the lies, fishers vow to have Duterte’s 4th SONA a final one
Manila, Philippines – Parading with them a wrecked fishing banca bearing resemblance to the Gem-Ver 1, the fishing boat that was rammed and sank by a Chinese fishing fleet in Recto Bank, hundreds of fisherfolk under the national fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Monday took the streets of Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City, in time of President Rodrigo Duterte’s 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA).
PAMALAKAYA said the fishing banca symbolized not only the Gem-Ver 1, but the worsening condition of the Filipino fisherfolk under the Duterte administration due to his foreign policies with China that affect the national sovereignty and dignity of the Filipino people.
“In a very serious situation, this is how we describe the socioeconomic condition of the Filipino fisherfolk, which are already the country’s poorest of the poor, under the Duterte administration. President Duterte’s foreign policies with China have intensified the harassment, bullying, and intimidation of Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said before tens of thousands from various sectors who attended the United People’s SONA protest today.
The fisherfolk group said that “President Duterte has already overstayed in his position and should have been removed long before he completely surrendered our marine resources to China,”
“Duterte has already reached the highest peak of puppetry by verbally allowing China to exploit our marine territory with all their might at the expense of the livelihood rights of the Filipino fisherfolk, the national sovereignty and territorial integrity. In exchange for Chinese loans and investments that will pose no benefit for the country, he outrightly betrayed the Filipinos and the constitution that he has sworn to serve and defend,” Hicap, former Anakpawis Party-list added.
“We’ve had enough of Duterte’s blatant lies and rhetoric every SONA. He doesn’t have any moral and political ascendancy to address the state of the nation as he himself is not in touch with the reality, submissive to foreign powers, and mastermind of anti-people policies,” ended Hicap. ###
