Militant groups staged street rallies while Cebu City officials held a floral offering to mark their annual observance of the 154th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio yesterday.
The militant groups marched from Fuente Osmeña Circle to Metro Colon at 1 p.m. to denounce the deaths of comrades Elisa Badayos, Negros Oriental coordinator of Karapatan, and Elioterio Moises of the Mantapi Ebwan Farmers Association.
The militant transport group Piston also joined the rally to call for a halt on the phaseout of aging jeepney units.
“We must continue fighting for what Bonifacio fought for since it is not yet finished,” Piston regional coordinator Greg Perez said.
About a kilometer away, 500 supporters of Duterte gathered at Plaza Independencia to air their support for the administration’s programs.
Ariel Laguna, president of Guardian Global Society Inc. (GGSI), said he supports the President’s plan to shift to a federal form of government.
“A federal form of government is better because there is equal distribution of benefits and wealth. In our present setup, Manila gets the better part,” he said.
In contrast, Cebu City Hall officials led by Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and Councilor Margot Osmeña held a floral offering at Bonifacio’s monument at the Plaza Independencia to mark the event.
In a speech, Labella called on city residents to continue lending their support to the government’s programs to combat poverty and the illegal drug menace in the country.
“We have bigger battles to fight in the coming years. So that Bonifacio’s death is not in vain, let us inculcate into our hearts and minds, to fight against these social ills,” the vice mayor said.
He said despite the “deeply rooted culture of corruption in government bureaucracy,” Cebuanos should fight for good governance and demand accountability from their government.
Joining City Hall’s observance were police and military officials, representatives of the Knights of Columbus and the Muslim community, City Hall employees and city residents.