‘KALBARYO SANG PUMULUYO’: Iloilo Protesters Decry Marcos-Duterte Policies Before Holy Week

By Juliane Judilla

In a powerful display of dissent ahead of Holy Week, progressive groups staged the “Kalbaryo sang Pumuluyo” protest on April 15 in front of the University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo City campus.

The symbolic demonstration condemned what organizers described as increasing repression and worsening socioeconomic conditions under the Marcos-Duterte administration.

Activists carried a giant makeshift cross through the streets, evoking the biblical image of Calvary to highlight the suffering they say ordinary Filipinos endure.

The protest was organized by various sectoral groups responding to long-standing issues affecting marginalized communities.

Kabataan Party-list Panay, representing youth and students, called attention to rising tuition fees and the lack of access to quality, free education.

 

The group reiterated its opposition to tuition and other fee increases, citing the deepening economic crisis and its toll on families.

Gabriela Women’s Party condemned the continued privatization of essential services such as markets, electricity, and public transportation.

The group also called for lowering the value-added tax on basic goods to ease the financial burden on households.

Environmental and rural advocates raised alarm over recent Supreme Court rulings that they said threaten marine ecosystems and small-scale fishers.

Specifically, the decision allowing commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters was criticized for undermining the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Groups also denounced the ongoing privatization of agricultural lands and the expansion of mining operations, which they say endanger farmers and rural workers.

The “Kalbaryo sang Pumuluyo” protest served as a call to action, with demonstrators urging public solidarity in confronting what they view as systemic injustice.

By likening their plight to Jesus’ suffering on Calvary, protest leaders framed the event as a solemn but urgent appeal for national reform.