Fishers group honors freedom fighter martyrs as ‘modern day heroes’
Manila, Philippines — Members of the militant fishers group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Monday joined the protest commemorating the National Heroes’ Day at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City. The protest was led by the progressive umbrella organization Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) along with other peasants and workers’ groups.
The groups paid tribute to the modern day heroes, which they said are the freedom fighters and human rights defenders who fell victims on the “state-sponsored political killings”.
“We honor the martyrs of the toiling masses who died fighting for the rights and welfare of the oppressed sectors,” Ronnel Arambulo, a local leader of PAMALAKAYA in Rizal province who attended the protest said.
PAMALAKAYA also paid tribute to Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis, then-Chairman of Anakpawis Party-list who was assassinated, along with his neighbor, inside his rented apartment on August 10.
“Ka Randy was a dedicated activist-leader who indefatigably and selflessly served the farmers and fishers in the coutryside. He was also a staunch land and environmental defender. He worked for a framework of environmental protection which is inclusive and comprehensive for the benefit of the people, especially farmers, fishers, and indigenous peoples in the countryside,” Fernando Hicap, the group’s National Chairperson said.
Lastly, the fishers group characterized President Rodrigo Duterte and his regime as the “modern-day traitors, who wage bloody war against activists and democratic forces across the country”.
“Duterte will go down in history as a traitor and the Filipino people’s enemy number one. He doesn’t deserve any honor from the Filipinos, as he has forsaken the interest and welfare of the nation,” added Hicap.
PAMALAKAYA said that the Duterte government’s submissive foreign policies towards China is “tantamount to treason and betrayal of the constitution”.
“President Duterte is the exact similar to the likes of Aguinaldo, Paterno, and Buencamino. He has been widely regarded as a traitor to the constitution and moreover, to the Filipino people,” Hicap, referring to some infamous traitors in the Philippine history, ended. ###
