Filipinos in HK mark martial law anniversary with protest against Pax Silica

 

Calls to junk Pax Silica in the Philippines dominated the anti-martial law rally

About 50 Filipinos who were mostly migrant workers staged a protest outside the Philippine Consulate General in Admiralty early on Sunday, Sept. 20, to commemorate one of the darkest periods in the country’s history, the declaration of martial law 54 years ago.

Then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. put the Philippines under martial law on Sept 21, 1972, which paved the way for him to rule the country with an iron fist for 14 years.

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Claiming a growing communist insurgency and a Muslim separatist rebellion in the south, Marcos suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress, silenced independent media, and caused the arbitrary arrest of some 70,000 people, nearly half of them tortured while in detention.

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The 1986 People Power Revolution forced Marcos Sr to flee the country with his family and close cronies.

Protesters denounce the Philippines' agreement to Pax Silica as a 'sellout'

Led by the Network for Philippine Studies in Hong Kong (NePS-HK), the Sunday picket was held simultaneously with similar protests by Filipino groups in other parts of the world.

Alongside chants of “Never again to martial law,” the Hong Kong protesters called out the decision by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to join the United States-led Pax Silica project, which aims to build supply chains for semi-conductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure and critical minerals, and reduce dependence on China.

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As the 13^th signatory to the alliance, the Philippines committed to designating a 1,620-hectare site in New Clark City, Tarlac as a high-tech hub for the project.

Critics, however, say that in building the massive site, the government will displace roughly 1,000 indigenous Aetas, and drain limited water and power resources in the area.

The HK protesters called on other Filipinos to oppose the Pax Silica infrastructure, and stand against “the yielding of our lands and labor.”