Fil-Am activists hold ‘national day of action’ on Martial Law anniversary

Protesters in San Francisco hold up photographs of activists killed during Martial Law. Photo by Glenn Mercado

SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino American activists held rallies, dubbed the “Never Again to Martial Law National Day of Action,” throughout the United States on Saturday to mark the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines.

The rallies – led by BAYAN USA, Malaya Movement and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – were held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Washington DC.

Protest actions were also staged in Philadelphia and Seattle earlier this week. The militant groups are set to hold a rally in Portland on Sept. 22 and in Honolulu on Sept. 24.

Protesters outside the Philippine consulate in San Francisco described the Martial Law era as one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history.

Rallyists raise their fists while singing the protest anthem, “Bayan Ko.” Photo by Glenn Mercado

In a statement, rally organizers denounced continued human rights violations in the Philippines and the Philippine government’s 2025 proposed national budget, “which would increase defense spending by 50 percent and slash much-needed social services amid growing economic crisis and state neglect.”

“52 years following Martial Law, we call on all Filipinos in Northern California to join us to commemorate the victims and martyrs of this dark period in Philippine history, and to join our movement for the continued struggle towards the human rights and national sovereignty of all Filipino people,” the statement said.

Activists gather outside the Philippine consulate in San Francisco to mark the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law. Photo by Glenn Mercado

Meanwhile, journalist and activist Brandon Lee, who survived an alleged assassination attempt during the Duterte administration, held a speaking tour from Sept. 19 to 21 in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area to raise awareness of human rights violations in the Philippines.

In August 2019, Lee – a US citizen – was shot in Ifugao, Philippines. Human rights groups said it was an extrajudicial assassination attempt carried out by the Duterte administration and that Lee was targeted because of his involvement in human rights and environmental activism.

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