A series of protests greeted Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s return visit to the US for the US-Japan-Philippine Trilateral Summit held on April 11-12. The rallyists denounced Marcos and the US for funding and giving military support to his regime. Filipino activists in the US and those supporting the Filipino struggle participated in the protests. It was led by Bayan USA, Malaya Movement USA, Tuloy ang Laban Coalition, and ICHRP-US.

“This trilateral summit will lead to an increase in tension between the U.S. and China, with the Philippines and other countries in the region caught up in the crossfires between the two superpowers,” they said.

On April 11, they marched in Washington D.C. where the meeting was held. “Marcos Jr. has shown he values his own self interest over that of the Philippines… by selling out the country for profit and militarization,” Bayan-USA said.

On April 12, they protested in front of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington D.C. where Marcos used to meet with the US-Phil society, a “think tank” that included state officials, compradores and businessmen. Bayan says Marcos’ meeting is a pursuit of foreign investment for his much touted charter change that will further sink the Philippines into foreign debt.

“Marcos Jr. is committed to selling the Philippines and Filipino people out – our economy and our say over military and political decisions,” Malaya USA states. “The regime keeps saying it’s for ‘development’ and ‘modernization,’ but we are not naive. These deals benefit foreign investors’ bottom lines in exchange for poverty wages for the Filipino. They favor military technologies at the expense of our mortal safety from war.”