ILOILO CITY — Days ahead of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), progressive organizations under the banner of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Panay held a press conference Friday, July 25, denouncing what they called worsening economic and social conditions under the current administration.

Elmer Forro, secretary general of Bayan-Panay, led the multi-sectoral panel, joined by representatives from labor, women’s rights, urban poor, and youth groups.

“Many have already witnessed how this regime has caused suffering to the people — through its plunder of public funds, its subservience to foreign interests instead of prioritizing the interests of the Filipino people, and its betrayal and incompetence in addressing the problems of the nation,” Forro said in Hiligaynon. 

Bayan- Panay is set to lead the People’s SONA protest on Monday, July 28. 

Irma Espinosa of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) Panay called on legislators to pass a bill mandating a P33,000 ($577.35) entry-level salary for government workers. She also raised concerns over the growing number of job order and contractual (JOCO) employees who remain without security of tenure and are not allowed to unionize.

“We are not only fighting for fair salaries but also for the rights of our fellow government employees to have job security and the ability to organize for their collective welfare,” Espinosa said.

Representing women’s rights group Gabriela-Panay and Guimaras, Lucy Francisco highlighted the continued rise in the cost of living. She cited the increasing prices of rice, food, water, and medicines as major burdens for working-class families, and criticized the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) imposed on basic goods.

“So these issues, these are supposed to be the basic responsibilities of the government: to ensure that they have control over and that basic services are free, affordable, and accessible to the majority,” Francisco said. She also opposed the ongoing privatization of public services and public spaces, including public markets such as the Iloilo Terminal Market and Central Market, and water utilities in the city. She called out the government’s lack of action towards the worsening water crisis in the city while private water utilities continue to hike rates: from the original P15.90 per cubic meter (around $0.28), which had already increased to P22.40 (around $0.40), with plans to raise it further to as much as P40 (around $0.71) per cubic meter.

Joining her was Maura Abellon of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay)-Panay, who echoed the call to resist the commodification of essential services and demanded greater support for urban poor communities.

Meanwhile, youth representative Matthew Gonzaga of the Western Visayas Youth and Students Alliance likened the struggles of the Filipino youth to those faced by protagonists in the popular Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters.”

“Just like Huntrix, we the youth also face the same problems and share the same goal — where the demons of bad governance, corruption, and greed are stealing our future, and we must hunt them down and fight back,” Gonzaga said.

The press conference concluded with a call to action for Panayanons to join mobilizations on Monday, to voice their dissent and push for immediate economic relief, social justice, and systemic change. (AMU, RVO)

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