“The Supreme Court has betrayed the Filipino people. Filipinos want Sara to go on trial and be held accountable for corruption, for betrayal of public trust and yet our supposed political leaders, these majority Duterte appointed Supreme Court Justices, have exposed themselves as equally corrupt and disgraceful. Our democracy has been disregarded by the very people who are meant to protect it. Shame.”

Tabs, Malaya Movement USA

President Marcos has been summoned to Washington, D.C. to “negotiate” after Trump threatened the Philippines with 20 percent tariffs on exports. Like the sycophant and doormat he is, BBM will likely make concessions to the satisfaction of the Trump government’s interests. We are bracing ourselves for the aftermath of this visit, from which only BBM’s US handlers and the highest income bracket will benefit. Trump’s tariffs, while inane, have caused panic internationally. Instead of criticizing the tariffs, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan brushed them off by illogically saying it could lead to an improvement in the GDP. Other short-sighted bureaucrats celebrated the fact that the rate is a little lower than other countries in the region. In other words, ours is a government that is scared to stand up for the Philippines.

Malaya Movement USA condemns the targeted, “permanent ban” of longtime political prisoner and human rights advocate Fides Lim issued by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), preventing her from visiting Philippine prisons and jails.

Duterte’s Anti-Terror Act: Five years of terrorizing the people

It’s been five years since Rodrigo Duterte signed the sweeping fascist Anti-Terror Act (ATA) that effectively criminalized dissent and legalized political repression. Malaya Movement USA along with many other advocacy groups widely criticized the ATA for the dangers it posed to activists and human rights defenders who’d already been subjected to the Duterte regime’s relentless attacks. The ATA along with the Noynoy Aquino-era Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) are used to target advocates and human rights defenders. 

Malaya Movement USA condemns in the strongest terms the killing of human rights defender,  former journalist and radio broadcaster, and trans activist Ali Macalintal. No matter how hard Marcos Jr. tries to distance himself from Rodrigo Duterte, it is clear that  impunity continues under his administration.