Lightning-rally for the NDFP. Hundreds of members of various groups under the National Democratic Front of the Philippines staged a lightning rally on April 19 as part of commemoration activities for the 50th anniversary of the alliance. A short program was held in Cubao, Quezon City. The Party’s statement was read calling for a week honoring all the martyrs of the Philippine revolution over the past five decades.

Stop the Simreg Law. Journalists and activists staged a protest on April 17 as they filed a petition to stop the implementation of the SIM Card Registration Law. According to the petition, the law violates Filipinos’ privacy rights and eliminates the required warrant for searches as it obliges SIM card users to provide personal information. Currently, almost 60% of cellphone users are unregistered and face the threat of being dispossessed of their right to communication.

PUP protests. Students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila staged a protest on April 17 to push the University’s administration to resolve the lack of electricity in its Mabini campus. The administration used the lack of electricity to suspend limited face-to-face classes.