nelle filippine cresce l'opposizione alla sfruttamento alla faccia degli USA che pensavano che l'unico problema fossero gli islamisti di abu sayaf

Estado, Gobyerno, Pahirap Lang sa Tao!
A First-hand, Personal Account and Analysis of the July 22 ACC-Philippines Anti-State Actions
By 'Misato Katsuragi' from the Local anarchist Network and the
Anti-Capitalist Convergence Philippines


1.
(Fast-forwarded from 3.)
"Kapit-bisig!" The cry that cut the air of hostility, and awakened spirits of strength and solidarity within us. It means "linking arms". When I shouted these words, my comrades shouted these, too. When six traffic enforcers and three cops began pushing us to the sidelines and attempted to de-mask us, we turned our backs on them, pointed our asses towards them and linked arms. It was a spontaneous show of resistance. All seven or eight comrades in Black Bloc guises tried as hard as we could to stand our ground, but police training and the psychology of the gun were too much. We lost strength, and fell….

2.
Yesterday was the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Aside from the usual accolades the president gives to the government's programs and agendas, her new rhetoric was "A Stronger Republic". Her government claims that present laws and policies against "criminals" - i.e. people forced to rob banks; kidnap rich business people; and those autonomous individuals and groups fighting and resisting control and coercion - are inadequate and therefore must be reinforced with tougher laws and tougher enforcement.

3.
One week before the SONA, individuals and groups in the Anti-Capitalist Convergence Philippines met and prepared flags and other stuff for the showdown with the state. It was agreed that everyone joining the march should wear black and masks and to prepare for any confrontation with the agents of the state. Our calls: Estado, gobyerno, pahirap lang sa tao! Kalayaan, ipaglaban! Kalikasan, ipaglaban! (The state, government, only enslaves the people! Freedom, fight for it! Nature, fight for it!)

Then, the march, late in the afternoon of July 22. All of us were clearly surprised when we saw that thousands of people from the Philippine left, non-government organizations and various people's groups and communities were already in the streets. Arroyo's SONA was to be delivered in the Congress building, which police phalanxes have blockaded and defended. The main road leading up to the blockades was wide and divided into two, the other side was the area set aside by the state for the various protests, i.e. "state-sanctioned areas of protest." We ACC huddled a bit and all wanted not to be told where one should march, or shit, or walk, or talk, so the group, numbering about 15 people, marched down the off-limits area.

Then, the agents came. Six traffic enforcers and two or three police officers halted us down, and told us to buzz off. "No protests allowed here! Don't block the road!" One comrade, positively irritated, won't be told down. "Let us choose where we march and where we stand. We will go down the road, up in front of the barricades and have our say there." The police aren't backing down and are already roughing up my comrade with a few pushes and finger-pointing. Another comrade shouted, "Whose streets? Our streets! The state prefers cars and pollution to living, breathing people!" Some of us, who were a bit scared (I was scared, too! But I couldn't just bear to leave my comrades), backed down. There were five or six of us only now, standing our ground. Resisting.

One person, who we believe to be a Maoist, saw the heated argument and played the role of mediator, i.e. "peace police". He kept saying to our agitated comrade, "C'mon, kasama, [comrade], stop messing with the police. You and your group should go to the other side of the road." As if ACC was to be blamed for the stand-off!
To which our comrade replied. "Why do we have to move to that side?"
The guy: "That side's where our comrades are. It's safer there."
My comrade: "We are not your comrades. We are an autonomous group. Let us choose for ourselves where we where we march. We won't let ourselves be boxed-in."
Guy: "So, that's it, huh! [angrily] Suit yourselves both! [addressing us and the police] Don't come running to me when you get hurt! [leaves, muttering asides]

Then, the police exclaimed, "If you're not backing down, we're pushing you down!" All eight or nine police pushed us, in accordance with standard mob-breaking procedures, and there was no other choice for me but to push back… (rewind to 1.)

4.
The Yearly Grand Spectacle of the SONA, where protest is being allowed by the state, with a lot of compromises and negotiations. And guess who is doing the compromising? The "progressive left", allowing themselves to be guided and commanded by the police to pre-assigned, state-sanctioned "areas of protest" at the other side of the road. In my language, it's called "kinakahon, nagpapatali." Boxed-in, tied down.

Confrontation and inevitable conflict with the state is dampened and shunned, owing to the leftist's belief that violence alienates people and harms the advancement of "the Cause." Ergo, wala silang pinag-iba. There is no difference between the left and the state. Yin and yang, complementary, toothpaste and toothbrush, dualities of the same shit, which all freedom-loving and autonomous peoples should realize and learn to apply when dealing with the two.

Though confronted with such, we at ACC continue to march during these SONAs, not to join the left in solidarity, but to get the message out to other people who might be willing and able enough to see through the spectacle and get out of it. True, there will always be great risks for us activists here, but personally, I still see such gatherings as effective means to encourage people and communities to struggle and live on their own, on their own terms, without the pandering of NGOs or the harsh whip of government rule.

The SONA spectacle is formidable, but it can be broken. And it must be broken, for time is running out…

5.
The young anarchy movements in the Philippines still have a lot of weaknesses. The ACC is particularly aware of these wholeheartedly. One, the post-leftist critique is still new to us. No thanks perhaps to some of us who came from the dominant, formidable Philippine left. Being former leftists, some of us still view the left as "a lesser evil," that cooperation with them is still possible, that the state and capitalism is our common enemy so why squabble among ourselves…? However, the SONA protests are lifting these blinds. Right-wingers like the Filipino Ideologists (who carry an agenda of extreme nationalism) forged "tactical alliances" with left-wingers Sanlakas, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and Sosyalistang Partido ng Paggawa. Lo and behold, they share the same "areas of protests" assigned by the state! It saddens me much that these organizations are at present have control over scores of poor people and poor squatter communities in Metro Manila. Nevertheless, through our SONA protests du jour, Food not Bombs and gigs in various communities, autonomous activists and anarchists here are showing (and actually living it!) that there are other ways besides the path dictated by the Left and Right.

6.
(Continued from 1.)
… we fell. After pushing us aside, other comrades who were stunned a bit supported us and began yelling "Ang kalsada, para sa masa! Maglakad ng deretso, tuluy-tuloy hanggang Kongreso!" (The streets belong to the people! March straight ahead, up to Congress!) to lift our spirits. Fortunately, some of us only received a few bruises. Seeing that we won't be denied, the police backed down (after resorting to macho posturing, at that!) and let us through!

Yay! We marched slowly, ever mindful that video and still cameras, plus guns and batutas (police batons) were aimed at us. Reaching the barricades, some comrades spoke through the megaphone and related this yet-another example of police harassment. I also spoke, telling other people there why we have come, why we wear masks and why people should fight the state, capitalism and systems of oppression binding us.

Some comrade threw in a new chant: "Mas pabor ng estado, sasakyan, hindi tao!" (The state favors cars and vehicles instead of people!) The traffic enforcers and cops accused us of blocking traffic, yet favoring to let a few fancy cars and armored vehicles to pass… Eventually, we made it to the frontlines, where police in riot gear and truncheons greeted us. (Incidentally, the state has made a practice here to put womyn police officers as frontliners of the barricade, owing to some sexist notion that protestors won't dare hurt womyn officers.) More chanting, a little bit of songs to strengthen our resolve followed.

Then, unionized workers, students and urban poor from yet-another leftist group were just entering the "areas of protest" vicinity. Via megaphone, one of us admonished them to join our picket at the frontlines. Our comrade also briefly mentioned our confrontation with the police. Some rallyists, I believe, were somewhat moved by my comrade's story and started marching towards our picket. This group's leaders quickly moved in and herded the group, numbering about 200 people, towards their very own state-sanctioned "area of protest" at the other side of the road. I borrowed the megaphone from my comrade and breathed into it, "Free your minds! Use your minds! Follow neither the state nor your leaders!" It was a waste of breath, I tell you…

The threats continued, police were "negotiating" with us that they will let us through the barricades if and only if we would remove our masks. Eh? A street vendor overheard that the police are going to try again to de-mask us and helpfully whispered this info to a comrade's ear, so we announced this fact through the megaphone again. We huddled again a bit, and waited for the right moment to de-bloc.

After 15 or 20 minutes, more cops were closing in, not only because of our presence (by this time, they were calling us "drug addicts" and "nabayaran ng mga kaliwa" [were paid to do this march by the left] ), but also they were having trouble keeping an eye out on the rising number of protestors. Realizing that this was the opportune time, one comrade suggested that we de-bloc somewhere and meet up at a nearby place. OK'ing this, we packed up, ran and changed clothes as planned, then met up at the agreed place. One policeman took to the chase, but finally gave up after we gave him the slip.

The anti-state march we did was a bit scary, but also inspired us all. Comrades who came all the way from a province outside Metro Manila thanked us and hoped to see us again in future actions. We rested and laughed a bit, just to relieve our tensions, then went our separate ways…

7.
Post-mortem:
Today. In the tradition of the Grand SONA Spectacle, certain leftist organizations - BAYAN, et al - disowned the very people that they supposedly serve and defend. Yesterday. While in their state-designated "area of action", this group, numbering about 3000, attempted to break through the barricades. Police watered them down with hoses. In the heat of it all, people from a nearby squatter community started throwing rocks at the police. Some hit their mark, but some rocks hit BAYAN protestors. In disgust, this leftist organization's spokesperson claimed that there were "agent provocateurs amok, disrupting a peaceful demonstration. Those people [who threw rocks in retaliation to the police - my comment] are from the communities around here, and they are not our people." How convenient - blaming people who endure everyday violence while BAYAN, et al have the luxury of having their own space to protest in… Seven people and two cops were injured in that clash.

Parallel actions of the ACC also commenced in Davao City, way down south of Metro Manila. Local activists and the Davao Anarchists Resistance Movement (DARM) marched through the city streets and encouraged people to take action against the state and capitalism.

8.
The Anti-Capitalist Convergence Philippines was formed last year in solidarity with protests against the IMF-WB. Moving on, ACC Philippines continues to embrace struggles against systems of domination and destruction, and to confront these struggles through direct action, using a diversity of tactics. The network includes autonomous individuals and groups… Davao Anarchists Resistance Movement (DARM) + Dumpling Press + Earth First! Davao + Far South Resistance Collective - Lucena + Food not Bombs + Friends of Peoples Close to Nature / Earth First! Manila (fPcN/EF!) + Liberate the Clitoris Collective (LICC) + Local anarchist Network (LaN) + Luneta Freedom Collective + Not for Sale Collective + ReQlaim Queer Collective + Students for Radical Action (SRA-Cebu) + Youth Collective for Animal Liberation (YCAL).



A protester gestures at riot policemen, pleading with them to stop hitting her fallen colleagues, Monday, July 22, 2002, in suburban Quezon City, Philippines, north of Manila. Police used water cannons and truncheons to battle thousands of protesters Monday, as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gave a speech pledging to end poverty in a decade and arrest criminal kingpins.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



A police officer tries to protect a protester pinned by a steel barricade toppled by other protesters during clashes Monday, July 22, 2002, as demonstrators tried to force their way towards the Philippine Congress where President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was delivering her state of the nation address in suburban Quezon City, Philippines, north of Manila. The injured protester was later arrested by police. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



An effigy of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo burns at a protest to coincide with her state of the nation address Monday, July 22, 2002, in suburban Quezon City, Philippines, north of Manila. Police used water cannons and truncheons to battle thousands of protesters Monday, as Arroyo gave a speech pledging to end poverty in a decade and arrest criminal kingpins. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



Riot police clash with protesters as they try to force their way towards the Philippine Congress to protest the state of the nation address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Monday, July 22, 2002, in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines. The demonstrators called for her resignation and demanded land and an end to the U.S. counterterrorism exercise.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



A giant representation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as a spider is set on fire by protesters during a rally to coincide with her state of the nation address, Monday, July 22, 2002, in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philipines. The demonstrators called for her resignation and demanded land and an end to the U.S. counterterrorism exercise.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



Riot police arrest a bleeding protester, center, during a brief scuffle as protesters tried to push their way towards the House of Representatives where Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was delivering her State of the Nation Address in suburban Quezon City, Monday, July 22, 2002. Police used water cannons and truncheons to battle thousands of protesters Monday, as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gave a speech pledging to end poverty in a decade and arrest criminal kingpins.(AP Photo/AaronFavila)



Riot police clash with protesters as they try to force their way towards the Philippine Congress to protest the scheduled State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Monday, July 22, 2002 at suburban Quezon city, north of Manila. The protesters alleged that Arroyo has failed to fulfill her promise of alleviating the poor and called for her resignation, demanding land and an end to the U.S. counterterrorism exercise.. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



Riot police use batons to disperse protesters who tried to force their way towards the Philippine Congress to protest the scheduled State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Monday, July 22, 2002 at suburban Quezon city, north of Manila. The protesters alleged that Arroyo has failed to fulfill her promise of alleviating the poor and called for Arroyo's resignation, and demanded land and an end to the U.S. counterterrorism exercise. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



Riot police hit protesters in a clash when they tried to force their way towards the Philippine Congress to protest the scheduled State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Monday, July 22, 2002 at suburban Quezon city, north of Manila. The protesters alleged that Arroyo has failed to fulfill her promise of alleviating the poor and called for her resignation, and demanding land and an end to the U.S. counterterrorism exercise.. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



A riot police officer prepares his truncheon as protesters tried to push their way towards the Philippine Congress where Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is delivering her State of the Nation Address in suburban Quezon City Monday, July 22, 2002. Protesters alleged Arroyo is not keeping her promise of alleviating the poor in the country and called for her resignation, and demanding land and an end to the U.S. counterterrorism exercise.. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)



Riot police clash with protesters as they try to force their way towards the Philippine Congress to protest the scheduled State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Monday, July 22, 2002 at suburban Quezon city. The protesters alleged that Arroyo has failed to fulfill her promise of alleviating the poor. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

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