“The conditions are very favorable now for progress and success.”
Legazpi City, ALBAY – After four decades of struggle and service, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) remains committed to national democracy.
The country’s alliance of progressive organizations, Bayan celebrated its 40th anniversary on January 14 at the IBG Theater, University of the Philippines Diliman.
Its regional chapters including Bayan Bicol joined the celebration along with other chapters and guests from other countries who have supported the group’s struggle for social justice and genuine economic development since its establishment in 1985.
“Life begins at 40,” said Bayan Bicol chair Jen Nagrampa. “There are so many experiences and struggles so advancing Bayan’s commitment to national democracy is only appropriate since the group has the sharpest, most comprehensive, and most concrete solutions to the problems of our society.”
According to Bayan Chairperson Teddy Casiño, the organization had to delay its celebration due to various issues like graft and corruption. Through the years, Bayan and its leaders have also been harassed and subjected to fabricated criminal charges, abducted and even murdered.
“The celebration was delayed as a result of the preoccupation of Bayan, along with its 10 affiliated organizations, with the relentless campaign and struggle over the past year, especially on issues of corruption, worsening economic conditions, grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and the issue of genocide in Palestine,” Casiño said.
“Despite the attacks of the state, we still continue to fight because this is all that is left for us. We must do what we can to fight. If we do not act, who will act for us? The fight must continue, and Bayan will lead it,” Nagrampa said.
Bayan continues to promote and uphold human rights, pushing to defund and abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), among other campaigns. The group also joined the global movement to stop Israel’s genocide in Palestine, and to condemn US President Donald Trump in his occupation of Venezuela.
“Together with human rights organizations, we celebrated the arrest of [former President Rodrigo] Duterte by the ICC [International Criminal Court], followed by his detention and trial. Meanwhile, we continue to expose and resist the militarization of the people: the bombing of communities in Bicol, the Cordillera, Cagayan, Negros, Mindoro and Mindanao, amidst the sowing of terror and lies by the NTF-ELCAC,” Bayan said in a press statement. “For all of this, BAYAN is deeply grateful to the organizations, institutions and individuals who have joined our aspirations and provided various forms of support.”
Bicol’s Cultural Performance: Sining Banwa rendered an intense performance of Higit sa Pag-ibig, the musical. (Photo By Baretang Bikolnon)
Musical
“Higit sa Pag-ibig: The Musical” was showcased during the celebration which also reflected Bayan’s struggle and service in the musical play. A project of The Dawani Project and Sining Banwa, it is a full-length musical theater play that brought the audience to its fictional Barangay Eskwala, a community mirroring real-life struggles of vulnerable Filipinos. Through Sining Banwa’s artists, they performed together the heartfelt stories of its characters, cutting across themes of family issues, social issues, and climate change, instilling a sense of patriotism, community, and hope.
Cultural worker Julie Bega, who played the role of Mommy Kendi in the musical, was red-tagged last year due to anti-corruption protests and performances. Bega is also involved with the Redemptorist Legazpi Mission community.
“Our lay partners are dedicated workers in the mission field, facilitating community mission immersion and promoting Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation, concrete expressions of the Gospel mandate,” the Redemptorist church in Legazpi said in their unity statement.
The “Higit sa Pag-ibig, The Musical” management called to end red-tagging and harassment while continuing to use their platform to express beauty and joy. “Our rights and responsibilities as artists extend outside the performance space, long after the lights have faded, and beyond the audience’s applause.”
National democracy
“The conditions are very favorable now for progress and success,” said Renato Reyes Jr., Bayan national president.
“Through the program for national democracy, we are able to give direction to the people’s struggle, beyond immediate issues and tactical matters. We are able to explain the root of the crisis and what real change means – that it is not just a change of the sitting president, as happens during elections. By spreading the program, we are also able to empower the masses to recognize those who pretend to be progressives, or reformists who simply want to fit into the existing rotten system,” Reyes said. He added that only through the people’s collective, sustained and relentless action can Bayan’s program for national democracy be implemented.
“We have overthrown the Marcos dictatorship and we seek to defeat the second Marcos regime. One battle after another, one reactionary regime after another, until we can muster enough strength for the people to decisively prevail,” Reyes said.
Bayan’s action to achieve national democracy is the result of a concrete analysis of the concrete situation, in understanding the semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of Philippine society, according to Bayan.
“The crisis we are experiencing is still very severe. We must continue because we believe that we will still be the ones to carry the issues of the people especially now,” Nagrampa said. (RTS, DAA)
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