Bayan, progressive groups 'ready' for Marcos' SONA

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and other progressive groups on Saturday said they are ready for their rallies ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

"Nagtitipon ang mga grupo diyan sa kahabaan ng Commonwealth Avenue kung saan nagko-converge ang iba't ibang mga sector para i-deliver 'yung nakikita nating tunay na state of the nation na iba doon sa maririnig natin sa loob ng Batasan," said Bayan President Renato Reyes in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(The groups are gathering along Commonwealth Avenue where different sectors will converge to deliver what we see as the true state of the nation, which is different from what we hear inside the Batasang Pambansa.)

"Ibang iba ang SONA na maririnig natin sa kalsada kasi 'yun naman talaga sa punto de vista ng mga mamamayan," he added.

(The SONA that we will hear on the road will be different because that is actually from the point of view of the citizens.)

Reyes said they have already acquired a permit from the Quezon City local government, but they have yet to discuss with the local authorities on how they will conduct their rally peacefully.

READ: Let it burn: SONA effigies past and present

LIVE sa DZBB: Renato Reyes, president, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)

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— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) July 19, 2024

Meanwhile, in a rally in Cubao on Saturday, farmer groups Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Bantay Bigas urged Marcos to execute on his promise to lower the price of rice and other agricultural products.

According to the groups, the administration continues to "dupe" the public regarding lower rice prices, according to a Super Radyo DZBB report by Rod Vega.
 

Iba't ibang grupo, nagsasagawa ng kilos-protesta sa bahagi ng Cubao, Quezon City upang ipanawagan kay Pang. @bongbongmarcos na tuparin na ang kanyang pangako na pabababain ang presyo ng bigas at iba pang produktong pang-agrikultura. | via @Rodveg72 pic.twitter.com/87aBG92pQL

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) July 19, 2024

They called on Marcos to reverse the Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tarrification Law that allegedly continues to cause inconvenience to the livelihood of farmers and the agriculture sector.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Presidential Communications Office for comment but it has yet to reply as of posting time. 

 —Jamil Santos/ VAL, GMA Integrated News