GABRIELA USA 2024 PSONA Recap

7/27/24

This past week, GABRIELA members across the country rose up to expose and uplift the conditions of Filipino migrant, working women in People’s State of the Nation Address actions across the US while Bongbong Marcos Jr., once again, utterly fails at addressing the true conditions of the Filipino people in his State of the Nation Address. It is more apparent than ever how out of touch Marcos Jr., Sara Duterte and the rest of the bureaucrat capitalists are with the basic mass issues of the people. 

While Marcos boldly stated he has completed 5,500+ flood projects, the evidence is nowhere to be found as over 600,000+ have been evacuated and 14 killed, including a pregnant woman and 3 children, by Super Typhoon Carina just 2 days after Marcos’ SONA. VP Sara Duterte was caught fleeing to Germany while Marcos doubled down on his lies and claimed that “improper trash disposal” of Filipinos was the cause. Duterte runs away like a coward and Marcos points fingers at everyone else to shift the blame. The Filipino people don’t deserve such weak and spineless leaders; they deserve a government and society that will actually address their needs.

Marcos claimed the Philippine government honors and supports OFWs, even after they migrate, saying “Patuloy ang ating pagtulong sa mga OFWs. Hindi ito natatapos sa kanilang paglisan sa bansa.” These words may sound nice, but Filipino women know the truth: that OFWs are not only forced to experience dangerous and dire working conditions when they leave, but also are severely neglected or met with surveillance and harassment by Philippine consulates and embassies when they request help. 

Marcos’s attempts to rouse patriotic sentiment by claiming sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea and banning POGOs are ineffective when the Filipino people know that he is only trying to increase militarization in the country. On July 30, the US and Philippines will engage in another 2+2 ministerial meeting that will propose an additional $500 million for Foreign Military Financing To the PH. We refuse to let Filipino women and families become collateral damage in this war between the US and China. 

Across the country, these are the stories and concerns that GABRIELA and Filipino women brought to People’s SONAs. Caregivers, fast food workers, healthcare workers, undocumented migrants and more are struggling to survive and are left to fend for themselves while the Marcos administration secures more funding for militarization over basic needs.

Whatever Marcos tries to claim, we are not blind to the conditions of our people! We are dedicated to organizing more Filipino women to fight for our rights! No SONA from Marcos or other Philippine Presidents will ever speak to the people’s true issues, which is why we must fight for national democracy with a socialist perspective! 

Filipino women: Soberanya, kabuhayan, serbisyo at karapatan – ipaglaban! Join GABRIELA!