The State of the Nation — in the Streets of Davao
To many people, the state of the nation under Arroyo can be summed up in these words that were printed on a stage backdrop: “GMA’s SONA: War, Fascism and Hunger against the Filipino People.”
By Marilou Aguirre, Cheryll D. Fiel,
Jetty-Ayop Ohaylan and Grace S. Uddin
davaotoday.com
DAVAO CITY ? Once more, they were out in the streets, close to three thousand of them.
Some had to leave important work in the farm, in plantations, in factories, and walked kilometers to reach town centers and rode to this city on open dumptrucks under the heat of the noonday sun.
They were coming from the provinces of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in the north, and Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur from the south.
There were students who had skipped classes, housewives who had to bring along their small children to the march — all because they had to be in the streets of Davao that day.
Unfortunately, just like the last protest on Independence Day, they started late. And most of the participants from the provinces in the north were unable to join the march because their vehicles were held four times along the police and military checkpoints en route to this city.