On the 52nd Anniversary of Martial Law, the call to “Never forget” rings loudly as desperate attempts to erase and rewrite the bloody legacy of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. continue under his son Marcos Jr. The systematic attempts to distort history will always be refuted, since the so-called “golden era” of the Philippines is one stained with brutality and corruptions.

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.

Malaya Movement USA response to Marcos’ SONA

The picture Marcos Jr. painted in his SONA is a pretty one, if it were accurate. We are not surprised that Marcos Jr. 's proclamations put his regime in a positive light, while largely ignoring the genuine plight of the majority of the Philippines.

On July 24, super typhoon Carina hit the Philippines causing intense rainfall and flooding in various regions and islands of Luzon. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared Metro Manila in a “state of calamity.” As diasporic Filipinos, with many of our families in the Philippines, we look on in horror at the floods that have affected 1.3 million, most of whom come from the working-class and urban poor.

We vehemently condemn the unjust conviction of current Rep. France Castro, former BAYAN Muna rep Satur Ocampo and others for their work protecting the rights of Lumad children against the grip of the fascist Armed Forces of the Philippines. This case, filed in 2018, is indicative of the fascist policies Duterte put in place that continue to wreak havoc on human rights defenders.

Ahead of President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address, members of the Malaya Movement USA want to put attention on the concerns of the millions of Filipinos in the United States about the daily realities of our kababayan under his and Vice President Sara Duterte’s administration, as the past two years have taught us that the suffering of the majority is not given justice in his address.