On July 24, 2023, members of CPSO along with ILPS-Canada, Bayan Canada, Anakbayan-Toronto, Anakbayan-Scarbourgh, Malaya Canada and ICHRP-Canada and many others gathered at the Bathurst-Wilson Parkette in Toronto in solidarity with the Filipino people to reject the State of the Nation delivered by the imperialist puppet Marcos Jr. and deliver their own State of the Nation, the Peoples!
Over 70 people came together to enjoy cultural performances and listen to statements from various organizers and activists which highlighted the numerous lies contained within Marco’s speech as well as his many failed promises from his first SONA last year.
The statements demonstrated the clear line of continuity between the fascist policies of the previous Duterte regime and that of Marcos Jr. despite efforts to portray the new regime as less violent or more successful. This can be clearly seen in the continuation of the Anti-Terror Law, NTF-ELCAC, the practice of red-tagging opponents and the increase in cooperation with the US imperialist forces.
CPSO, along with the people of the Philippines, reject the Marcos-Duterte dictatorship as a US-backed puppet regime which oppresses the people for the benefit of the compradors and the western imperialists who profit from the exploitation of the Filipino people.
Below is a transcript of the CPSO speech from the event:
Good afternoon. My name is Seren, and I am the vice chair of the Canada-Philippines Solidarity Organization or CPSO.
Solidarity organizations like ours exist because of years of puppet dictators and neoliberal reforms that haven’t addressed, and in many cases have worsened, the root causes of suffering for the Filipino People.
We reject Marcos Jr’s so called state of the nation address, his lies do not convince us! Marcos Jr’s government is illegitimate! Their continued practice of red-tagging, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, increased militarization and a blatant disregard for human rights laws show that the conditions have not improved despite what he may claim.
Marcos Jr. now follows in the footsteps of his father as he and Vice president Sara Duterte absorb other governmental roles, Marcos Jr. is now both president and secretary of agriculture, and Sarah Duterte is now both Vice president and secretary of education. Even further now they stand to be executors on the new Maharlika Investment Fund, putting more control and capital into their power-hungry hands. This trend towards fascism is no surprise for those who lived under the brutal years of martial law. And as a result of rigorous disinformation campaigns and historical revisionism, the younger generation now sees the human rights abuses of martial law as something in the distant past.
Furthermore, instead of staying and fixing the problems at home, Marcos Jr spends most of his time taking expensive flights to visit his imperialist sponsors such as in the US. He claims these trips will benefit the Filipino People economically, however, we know that Marcos Jr is selling Filipino sovereignty and assets in exchange for more imperialist support. This includes military equipment, more power to target and oppress the people. It is our responsibility in the imperialist core to meet these visits with resolute opposition, such was the response in DC this May, where four members of Anakbayan unjustly arrested while disrupting Marcos’ visit to the US capitol.
Despite Canada falsely parading as an international peacekeeper, our colonial and capital-hungry government exists to finance human rights violators such as Duterte and now his successor, Marcos Jr. Much of Canada’s ill gotten wealth lies in its exploitative mining industry, which is directly responsible for widespread environmental devastation, extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses in the Philippines. Toronto is the epicenter of the Canadian mining mafia, hosting the prospectors and developers association convention every year where mining corporations seek to grow their capital and greenwash their destruction.
Even more, Canada profits off of death and oppression in the Philippines through its bankrolling and participation in the arms trade. Banks such as TD gave 184 Million dollars to Lockheed Martin who supplies the AFP with blackhawk military transport helicopters and F16 bombers; RBC gave 18 hundred million dollars to Boeing, another arms dealing company who supplies the AFP and the US navy with missiles; and Scotiabank who finances Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence electronics company, known for its surveillance and electronic warfare tech, who supplied the Philippines with 175 million dollars worth of drones.
Canada prioritizes and protects warmongers. They gather in Ottawa every year to attend our country’s “largest global and security trade show” – known as CANSEC, an event which the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) successfully disrupted, blocking one of its main entrances, delaying arms traders from entering. ILPS will be hosting a walk through the finance district of Toronto coming August 6 where we will name all of these offices in our city who make money to kill people.
We in so-called Canada must resolutely support the National Democratic struggle. We have a responsibility, here in the imperialist core, to loudly condemn the actions of our government and its support of the puppet dictatorship in the Philippines. We condemn the Marcos Jr. illegitimate government and must never allow a repeat of his father’s regime. So join me in saying:
Never again never again never again to Martial Law. x2
Long live the Filipino people.
Long live international solidarity.