Nobody should be imprisoned for their political beliefs and for defending human rights!

The human rights situation in the Philippines under the Marcos, Jr. and Sara Duterte Regime is dire and continues to worsen. Since assuming office, Marcos Jr. has unleashed state sanctioned violence and political repression against the Filipino people in order to suppress those who are critical of the regime due to their advocacy of genuine human rights, democracy, and sovereignty.

Several weeks ago, Congressmember Raoul Manuel led the charge to investigate Vice President Sara Duterte’s highly suspicious request for half a billion pesos in funds for “confidential” use. Soon after, he questioned President Marcos Jr.’s sham designation of the 2024 National Expenditure Budget for “emergency” passage to sidestep proper deliberation. Predictably, Marcos-Duterte ally Senator Bato Dela Rosa and former Philippine National Police chief, desperately launched a witch hunt against Manuel and unleashed the government bureaucracy to designate him a subversive.

We express cautious optimism for the potential resumption of Peace Talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). As a movement founded with the express intent to advance genuine democracy and stop the rampant killings of Filipinos, whether under the government-sponsored “war on drugs” or repression of dissent through various fascist schemes like the NTF-ELCAC, we want to register our membership’s desire for the GRP to address the root problems of poverty, landlessness, and suffering that have led to armed resistance against repression and government reaction using detention, torture, and assassination.

Malaya Movement USA members register our disgust and horror after one of our members was sexually and physically assaulted by police officers of the San Francisco Police Department, during protests against Philippine President Bongbong Marcos’s visit and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which was gratuitously welcomed and accommodated by the City of San Francisco.

Malaya Movement USA supports the resolutions put forth by several House representatives to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigations of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly War on Drugs and extrajudicial killings starting from his time as Davao City Mayor. We condemn the Marcos-Duterte administration and its cronies for consistently blocking any attempts to hold dictator Duterte accountable for his crimes against the Filipino people.

Malaya Movement USA stands in solidarity with the thousands of PISTON and MANIBELA jeepney drivers and transport workers who have launched a multi-day strike, ahead of the jeepney phaseout deadline of December 31.