Los Angeles - A lively crowd of over fifty Filipinos and their supporters amassed in front of the Philippine Consulate on September 21 demanding an end to the killings, torture and abductions in the Philippines. Shouting “Stop the killings in the Philippines!” and “Never again to Martial Law!” they likened the Macapagal Arroyo regime to the cruel and inhumane Marcos dictatorship’s declaration of Martial Law 34 years ago.

Performers from a cultural group, Habi Arts, acted out the roles of Arroyo as “the dictator,” her puppet master Uncle Sam as “the oppressor” and General Jovito Palparan as “the butcher.” Donning army fatigues and armed with a devil’s trident and high-powered rifles, the entourage harassed and attacked the determined protestors as they marched around symbolic coffins bearing the faces and names of victims of state violence.

Reminding the crowd that the rising death toll of 754 political killings is not just a number, emcee Kuusela Hilo, a member of Anakbayan Los Angeles, stated “When you look at the pictures of these victims, don’t forget that they are also someone’s daughter or son, these are people that wanted a better future for all our families. These political killings are not just impacting families in the Philippines but also here in the US and around the world. We demand justice for all victims of political killings and for their families!” She highlighted the fact that an uncle of a Habi Arts member was shot and killed by an unidentified motorcycle-riding assassin last May 2006. Families present during the rally were moved to tears when they saw a picture of how a youthful and vibrant Cris Hugo of League of Filipino Students was when he too was murdered this year.

Rico Foz, acting President of National Alliance of Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), demonstrating the link between the past and current Presidents of the Philippines to the US government stated, “Si Diosdado-Macapagal, tuta! Si Marcos, tuta! Si Cory, tuta! Si Ramos, tuta! Si Gloria, tuta pa rin!” (Diosdado-Macapagal, puppet! Marcos, puppet! Cory, puppet! Ramos, puppet! Gloria, still a puppet!)

Spokespeople from International Action Center, Koreans Against War and Neoliberalism, March 25th Coalition, Confederation of Iranians, South Central Farmers, Senator Gil Cedillo’s office and others gave militant statements of solidarity linking the struggle in the Philippines to the struggles of immigrant families in the US and the farmers and communities of South Central farm and Pyeongtaek, Korea.

The rally ended with the organizers from BAYAN USA – Southern California, Anakbayan LA and Habi Arts leading the crowd in a funeral procession around the Consulate’s quad chanting “Sino? Sino? Sino ang terrorista? Si Gloria! Si Gloria! Si Gloria ang terrorista!” (Who is? Who is? Who is the terrorist? It’s Gloria! It’s Gloria! Gloria is the terrorist!)

The demonstration was part of a Global Day of Action call from BAYAN and International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) with protests being held in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Seattle, Honolulu, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Canada, Netherlands, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and Brussels. ###