Nearly four decades after the EDSA People Power Revolution toppled former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., peasant women on Tuesday, Feb. 25, took to the streets, not to celebrate, but to protest.
Gathering in Mendiola, Manila, the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women (Amihan) demanded accountability from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Vice President Sara Duterte, accusing them of worsening rural poverty, land dispossession, and political repression.
“Higit natin pag-alabin ang diwa ng Edsa People Power Revolution, bilang tugon sa nagpapatuloy na walang kaparis na krisis ating dinaranas (Let us further ignite the spirit of the EDSA People Power Revolution in response to the unparalleled crisis we are facing),” Zenaida Soriano, the national chairperson of Amihan, said in a statement.
She alleged that the Marcos administration is distorting the history of EDSA while failing to address the injustices and economic struggles that fueled the 1986 uprising.
Malacañang has defended President Marcos’ decision to exclude the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution from the list of special non-working holidays, stating that it falls within his prerogative as Chief Executive. Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro emphasized that the decision was within the president’s authority.
Carrying banners reading “Marcos, singilin! Duterte, panagutin! Sara, litisin! (Marcos, make him pay! Duterte, hold him accountable! Sara, put her on trial!)”, the protesters denounced what they described as the continued dominance of political dynasties and their role in land grabbing.
Amihan accused influential families in the country of enabling land-use conversions that have led to the displacement of small farmers.
“These political dynasties are land grabbers in the country. The cases of land grabbing and land-use conversions continue,” Soriano said.
As such, she criticized laws that favor corporate land ownership, arguing that they leave peasant women and small farmers vulnerable to displacement.
“While farmers and peasant women fight for their land rights, anti-farmer and anti-poor laws are being passed, enabling land grabbing and land-use conversions while opening up our lands to foreign ownership,” she added.
Beyond land issues, the group also condemned military operations in rural communities, saying government forces have occupied barangay halls, daycare centers, and private homes, placing peasant families at risk.
“In the countryside, peasant women and children suffer injustice, pain, and misery as militarization continues in Negros, Eastern Visayas, Mindoro, Quezon, and many other provinces,” Soriano said.
The progressive group linked the worsening economic conditions of farmers to Republic Act 11203, the Rice Liberalization Law, which they said has made food security more precarious since its enactment during Duterte’s administration.
“Once again, Marcos must be held accountable for his crimes against peasant women and other rural-based sectors,” Soriano said.
“Thus, by joining today’s protest marking the anniversary of People Power in Mendiola, we stand in solidarity with other sectors who have been victims of relentless political and economic oppression,” she went on.