During the entirety of the 2024 election cycle, the members of the Malaya Movement have stressed that regardless of which candidate wins the United States presidency, there’s a long road ahead in order to advance the interests of the Filipino-American community. And while we face the same anti-people, anti-immigrant, anti-poor, and pro-war policies as we would if Kamala Harris had won, we are aware that these will be made worse by an openly fascist, violent, racist, and xenophobic agenda that Donald Trump brings with him to the White House.

Yesterday, Malaya Movement USA’s Instagram profile was temporarily suspended for the first time, just a day after our statement regarding the congressional hearings on Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to restore himself as the mayor of Davao City, amid the public rivalry between the short-lived Uniteam, spells danger for Filipinos in the coming years. Given both dynasty’s penchant for political violence, Malaya Movement USA urges advocates, public personalities, and the rest of the electorate to be on guard and denounce this prelude to political warfare.

As the Philippine Congress investigates former dictator President Rodrigo Duterte’s War on Drugs, Malaya Movement USA reiterates our ongoing commitment to the victims and survivors of the deadly war. Our organization was founded in direct response to this mindless killing spree that many have been fooled into thinking ended with the elder Duterte.  This investigation is one step in holding Duterte and his fascist ilk accountable for the over 30,000 killed during his reign, but it is not enough.

On October 6, US-based activist Copeland Downs was denied entry into the Philippines on the false claim that he was placed on the blacklist in October 2022 for participating in a political rally as a foreigner. While that policy in and of itself is a damning measurement of democracy under the Philippine government, Downs did not  in fact participate in any rally or march but rather participated in an international observers mission to investigate the conduct of the 2022 Presidential Elections. Which then begs the question, why target Downs for his activism to ensure clean and peaceful elections if Marcos Jr. is in fact the kinder and better alternative to the Dutertes and if he in fact won fair and square?

Malaya Movement USA condemns the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on July 30, 2024 between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro. In this meeting, $500 million in US foreign military financing of the Philippine military was announced as part of the effort to supposedly strengthen US-PH defense priorities and “modernize” the Armed Forces of the Philippines. An additional $128 million is being allocated towards infrastructure projects on seven of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) bases.