Five hundred farmers and others from various sectors of Southern Tagalog arrived at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, early evening of July 19. They will stay on campus until Monday, before participating in the People’s SONA which will be launched to coincide with Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s third SONA. Students and other UP sectors warmly welcomed the caravan.

The Lagablab Caravan of the Bagong Alyansng Makabayan-Timog Katagalugan (Bayan-TK) was launched on July 18 in Laguna with the theme “Set the Patriotic Spirit Ablaze, Promote the Interest of the People, Not of Foreigners and a Greedy Few!” It aims to amplify the issues facing the Southern Tagalog people in the national capital.

“The Marcos Jr-Duterte regime has no plan to address the worsening economic crisis such as the continuous increase in commodity prices and low wages for workers. Marcos Jr’s Bagong Pilipinas is a lie and a delusion,” Kyle Salgado, spokesperson of Bayan TK, said.

From Crossing Calamba, the caravan went to the US Embassy and the Japan Embassy to condemn Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s subservience to the US and to oppose the Reciprocal Access Agreement between Japan and the Philippines.

“For Duterte and Marcos Jr, we are in a cockpit given only two choices: US in red, China in white. Where are the Filipinos there? Lost bets. We must stand for a genuine independent policy in foreign relations,” Salgado said.

Their protest action ended that day before the Department of Justice where police illegally arrested Jojo Reyes here after a commotion. On the night of July 18, some participants in the caravan held a vigil before the Manila Police District Station 5 to call for his immediate release.

“Bayan-TK asserts that harassment and intimidation have no place in a peaceful exercise of our right to expression,” the group said. “The only defense of the struggling people is our united voice for true democracy, sovereignty, and above all, justice that the US Marcos II regime insists on denying from the people.”

On the morning of July 19, the caravan went to the office of the Ombudsman to launch a press conference on the situation of human rights defenders, state terrorism and the use of terrorism laws in the region.

At the same time, Hailey Pecayo, Jpeg Garcia, Kenneth Rementilla, and Jasmin Rubia filed civil and administrative charges against 17 individuals, of which 14 were from the 59th IB. Pecayo and others were charged by the 59th IB with criminal charges and charges of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act by 59th IB elements last year. These cases have been dismissed by the prosecutor’s office.