Workers will stage an anti-China protest rally during President Duterte’s upcoming midterm State of the Nation Address (Sona) later this month to oppose his administration’s alleged encroachment on the country’s waters.
In a news statement, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Chairman Elmer Labog said this will be the highlight of their traditional Sona demonstrations on July 22.
“Workers are set to highlight Duterte’s puppetry to China, along with other labor and human-rights violations,” Labog said.
He said they hope the move will compel the government to adopt a more independent foreign policy, especially on the “allusion” incident at the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.
The incident happened last month after a Chinese ship rammed a Philippine fishing boat, endangering the lives of 22 Filipino fishermen.
Labog demanded for an independent third party probe on the incident after initial government statements showed the Chinese may have not been liable in the incident.
He warned Duterte could face possible impeachment if it will be proven he allows China’s intrusion in Philippine sovereign territory.
“We will not tolerate Duterte’s puppetry to China. We will support any moves to impeach Duterte for disgustingly lawyering for China amid their gross violations on our sovereignty in exchange for Xi Jinping’s economic and political support for his mass murdering fascist dictatorship which is now threatened by the people’s outrage and protests,” Labog said.
In a related development, Migrante International said that China’s continuous “aggression” in the West Philippine Sea may eventually displace Filipinos in the affected fishing villages.
“Millions of fisherfolks in our coastal regions are bearing the brunt of the ineptitude of Duterte’s security cluster,” MI said in a separate news statement.
“Many more Filipinos from these poor fishing communities would now be driven to sign up for overseas jobs in place of their besieged livelihood, while Chinese-owned fishing vessels and naval ships are plundering our marine resources and defiling our national integrity,” it added.