DC activists gather to celebrate May Day, demand justice

Washington, D.C. — On April 30, over 30 Filipino and community activists gathered outside of the Embassy of the Philippines to celebrate International Workers Day and demand that the Philippine government stand up for Filipino workers in the US.

The action, which was one of many coordinated actions that day at Philippine consulates around the U.S., began with a small group of activists entering the embassy and attempting to deliver an open letter to Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez. When embassy staff refused to hear them out, the activists tried at the embassy annex across the street. Here, too, they were denied by staff, who shut the gate in their faces.

By this time a crowd of roughly 30 people had amassed outside the embassy, chanting “Romualdez! Do your job! Or! Step! Down!”

“The Philippine government has always bowed to the U.S.,” a member of Anakbayan DC, said in their speech. “The people in power have no problem ignoring the wellbeing of Filipinos if it means lining their pockets and making profit. The Filipino people are forced to migrate to the U.S. because of bureaucratic greed.”

A speaker from MIGRANTE noted, “Almost 10,000 Filipinos at this point leave the country to escape poverty and to make a living, however, we are here as proof that moving abroad is not the solution. Workers have no other choice than to stand together to unify their strength and change the system oppressing the ranks of our people. The oppressors built the chain, we will break it.”

This call for militant workers’ action was heard from other speakers as well. The speaker for the Justice for Jollibee Workers campaign said, “Just as workers before us fought for minimum wages, adequate hours, and occupational safety and health, we, even those non-workers, have a duty to continue the fight for workers’ rights everywhere, especially now when the new U.S. administration’s policies have a direct impact on workers.”

“We’ve witnessed firsthand the power of collective action,” they continued. “We must continue to educate and foster unity among our fellow workers to face the challenges ahead. We must take on the campaigns of our fellow workers, keep organizing more protests, keep speaking up, and keep calling out the matapobres or ruling class who continue to trample over our rights!”

In addition to general demands around migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos, the demonstrators made specific demands, that could be heard throughout the action and seen on signs including “Justice for Alma Bowman,” “Justice for Dhenmark and Jovi” and “Free Ligaya Jensen.”

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