By ILOILO CITY – Processions all over the Philippines in time for Holy Week last March 28 to 31, 2024 featured “The Suffering of the Masses”.
Filipinos from various sectors met in Recto, Manila last March 26 for a protest. This protest highlighted the people-led actions taken against the Manila Bay Reclamation Project and the incessant militarization of communities around Metro Manila.
In Southern Tagalog, the youth (led by Panday Sining UP Los Baños) organized a street protest in the form of a play. This portrayed the suffering of Jesus Christ–closely reflecting the experiences and conditions of the modern-day workers, peasants, and the youth.
In Iloilo City, progressive groups conducted “Kalbaryo sang Pumuluyo” last March 25. Marching around the city’s downtown area, the attendees showed their condemnation of the railroading of Charter Change by the national government, called for the laborer’s wage increase, and demanded a higher budget for social services. The group iterated that the suffering of Christ is reflected in the very oppression the Filipino people experience in the contemporary./PT
