by Angelica Dela Cruz
The Duterte Wakasan movement held its online media launch last June 3, three days after the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) partylist adopted a resolution urging President Rodrigo Duterte to run for Vice President in the upcoming elections.
Individuals from various sectors shared testimonies and performances denouncing President Duterte’s “failed leadership and legacy of detrimental policies” for the past five years. They also vowed to prevent him from securing another term in office.
Some of the speakers include Bibeth Orteza from the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), Danilo Ramos from the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), former Bayan Muna Congressman Teddy Casiño, and director Joel Lamangan from the Movement Against Tyranny (MAT), among others.
“Halos pare-parehong kandidato ang naglalaban tuwing halalan. Siguro isa, dalawa, o tatlong pamilya lang ang nagpapalit-palitan sa puder. Naging family business na ang gobyerno o kaya’y popularity contest… sa ilalim ni Duterte, hindi ito nagbago, lumala pa nga,” Casiño said, referring to Duterte’s partylist eyeing to field his daughter Sara Duterte, and his right-hand man Bong Go, as 2022 presidential candidates.
(Almost the same candidates run for positions every election. Maybe one, two, or three families exchange terms in office. The government has become a family business or popularity contest… under Duterte, this did not change, and even worsened.)
1Sambayan, an anti-Duterte electoral coalition seeking to endorse candidates who will contend with Duterte’s bets, has already confirmed last May that an official list of nominees for their slate will be released on June 12, Independence Day.
'Duterte Wakasan!' is an offshoot of the ‘Save the Nation! Duterte Resign!’ petition initiated last April by a group of healthcare workers, teachers, youth leaders, lawyers, and other concerned individuals demanding the president’s resignation. From 500 initial signatories, the petition now has nearly 70,000 signatures at change.org.
The group has also organized a Metro Manila motorcade assembly set to embark on Independence Day, to protest Duterte’s subservience toward Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
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