Filipinos gathered in Britomart, Auckland as Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) in the Philippines, July 27.

Organized by Bayan, Migrante, Anakbayan and Gabriela, the protest highlighted the demands of overseas Filipino workers in New Zealand.

“We have seen migrant workers afraid to report exploitation because their visas tie them to their employers. We have seen wage theft. We have seen excessive working hours. We have seen workers treated as though they are temporary commodities instead of human beings,” Gabriela Aotearoa said in a statement.

They underscored that the exploitation of migrant labor in Aotearoa is connected to the economic conditions that force many Filipinos to leave the country. “When decent work disappears in one country, exploitation appears in another. That is why international solidarity matters. Because our struggles are interconnected,” Gabriela Aotearoa added.

They reiterated their demand for the Philippine government to create quality jobs and undertake genuine development of the economy.

Photos courtesy of Migrante Aotearoa

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