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CAVITE – Progressive groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Southern Tagalog held a protest in Kawit, Cavite on June 12. This year is the 128th year since Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence.

“The question we asked on June 12 was simple: are the Filipinos indeed really free?” said Lucky Oraller, spokesperson of BAYAN Southern Tagalog.

Oraller said as food, fare, electricity and other basic needs continue to rise, workers’ wages remain low. While the government celebrates independence, many fishermen are losing their livelihood due to reclamation projects, and poor families face dislocation and demolition. “This is not a picture of real freedom,” he said.

Photo from Bayan Southern Tagalog Facebook page

He stressed that the persistence of poverty and inequality reflected the country’s continued subservience to foreign interests and the dominance of political and economic elites.

“More than a century after declaring Philippine independence, foreigners and some powerful families remain in control of the important resources and of our economy. Independence is not just waving the flag. A genuine freedom means lands for farmers, sufficient wages for workers, decent livelihood for fishermen, and respect for the people’s rights,” Oraller said.

The group called on the people of Cavite and the broader Southern Tagalog region to continue the unfinished struggle of the nation’s heroes and to strengthen collective action for genuine national freedom and democracy.

“The spirit of June 12 is not only remembering the past but continuing the battles for real national freedom and democracy. As long as there is difficulty, exploitation, and oppression, the Filipino people have not yet been finished,” Oraller concluded. (AMU, RVO)

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