This month, Malaya Movement USA celebrates our 5th founding anniversary. This anniversary celebration is set in the context of our continuing duty to advance the struggle to defend, uphold and assert human rights, democracy and sovereignty in the Philippines.

First and foremost, we offer this 5th founding anniversary celebration to the Filipino people. We dedicate this to all victims of the Duterte regime’s vicious war on drugs, to the many activists and human rights defenders who have been martyred in the fight against fascism, and to all the political prisoners.

We also dedicate this to all our members and supporters. Our members worked tirelessly to build a movement and helped turn the tide against fascism in the Philippines. Many of our members are new activists who heeded the call of our motherland to contribute in our people’s struggle for human rights, democracy and sovereignty. Many of our members too are survivors of the martial law regime, veterans of the anti-dictatorship struggle who continue to offer their wisdom and strength to the new generation of activists who are taking up the torch.

This celebration is themed “Tandaan at Tumindig” or Remember and Arise. Tandaan or Remember. We aim to look back and remember the past five years of the Malaya Movement, our work, the struggles and victories of our movement as well as the stories of our members. Tumindig or Arise. It takes inspiration from the ‘Tumindig’ art work that became popular as a protest symbol against the Duterte regime’s mismanagement of the pandemic in 2021. Tumindig continues to and is more relevant than ever. We take this time to reinvigorate and continue to call for people to resist and defeat fascism in the Philippines, currently represented by the Marcos-Duterte regime.

The Malaya Movement was formed five years ago by community leaders from various backgrounds. Now, it has grown into a significant movement that includes the building of over 20 chapters in the U.S. and expanding into Canada and Australia. Since 2018, we’ve been at the forefront of the struggle against fascism in the Philippines, in particular, against Duterte’s fascist regime and at the resistance against the Marcoses returning to Malacañang. We’ve organized some of the largest protests across the country in defense of human rights, democracy, and sovereignty in the Philippines.

We’ve launched three national campaigns that have mobilized our members and our allies for days of action to support and uplift the stories of political prisoners, to sign petitions challenging dangerous disinformation on social media networks, and to participate in legislative advocacy alongside our partners in Kabataan Alliance and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines for the Philippine Human Rights Act. Through these campaigns, our movement has won the support of many and earned the ire of the fascist regime. Since the formation of Malaya USA, our organizations have waged campaigns in order to uplift the true conditions of Filipinos as a result of the worsening socio-political climate in our country.

Now, as we face the full restoration of the Marcoses and the continuation of the rule of the Dutertes, we take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to advance the struggle to defend, uphold and assert human rights, democracy, and sovereignty in the Philippines.

The worsening economic crisis continues. This has resulted in more Filipinos falling deeper into poverty as more people become unemployed or join the informal workforce. Prices of basic goods are impacted by the 8.7% inflation rate, with staples like onions being priced at over P600 per kilo. Funding for ayuda or aid is being cut significantly, citing that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The proposed Maharlika Sovereign Wealth Fund would divert more funds from basic social services to lining the pockets of Marcos Jr.’s cronies.

Marcos Jr.’s approach to foreign policy is also like his father’s favoring the foreign investors over the will of the Filipino people, selling off the Philippines bit by bit, from our lands to our people during his week-long stay in the United States. Marcos Jr. praised and lauded the House Bill No. 78 which opens up foreign ownership of public utilities companies, a bill that was drafted and passed under Duterte and will be enforced under this administration.

The human rights situation remains atrocious under Marcos Jr. Almost immediately after Marcos Jr. was sworn into office, we saw the censorship of several independent news sites such as Bulatlat. We’ve witnessed rampant political repression through arrests and violence against activists and the extrajudicial murders of two journalists. The war on drugs is persisting with 113 related killings since Jr. took office as of this writing.

Since Marcos Jr. took office, Filipinos and allies alike have been proactive in advancing the movement against dictatorship and fascism. By raising our concerns, mobilizing, organizing, and sounding the alarm on fascist dictatorship and political repression, we have also been subject to attacks by the Philippine government and U.S. state forces, through baseless red-tagging by government officials and the arrests of Filipino activists in the U.S., the Makibeki NYC 3, as they protested Marcos Jr.’s visit to the U.S.

It is therefore necessary for us to continue to strengthen the people’s resistance movement. We must continue to demand justice and accountability for the victims of Duterte's tyranny and failed policies and expose the ongoing attacks under Marcos Jr. Join us as we wage our campaigns to End U.S. support for the Marcos-Duterte regime, to challenge disinformation and historical revisionism within our communities, and to share the plight and support Political Prisoners. We are resolved to connect the struggles happening in our homeland to those affecting our kababayan here particularly on the issues of rights and welfare and the lack of services. We must organize among our communities and strengthen the antifascist fight throughout the entire country.

The people’s unity against fascism must remain. We must be vigilant and resilient. We must strengthen ourselves against the tactics used to prevent the people from actualizing a genuine, just, and democratic society.

We invite you to take part in our month-long celebration of our five year anniversary. There many ways to get involved as we continue to broaden and strengthen the fight against tyranny:

Become a member of Malaya Movement USA
Support our work & help us reach 5k for 5 years by donating
Attend Tandaan at Tumindig on February 25, 3pm PT / 6pm ET to commemorate our 5th Year Anniversary and the People Power Anniversary
Share why you support Malaya Movement USA and use the hashtag #MalayaMovement #MalayaTayo