PHOTO ESSAY
Thorny Path to Mendiola
They didn’t get to reach Mendiola. But
they did show to the world how shabbily this government treats the ones
who endure all the back-breaking work in the fields to feed the nation.
PHOTOS BY AUBREY MAKILAN
TEXT BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
They had come all the
way from Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. They had intended to get to
the foot of Mendiola Bridge – a few steps away from the presidential
palace and historically a symbol of protest. And they had the most valid
reasons for intending to do so.
Aside from being continually burdened
by the Arroyo government’s anti-poor policies, many of the 764 people
extra-judicially killed under the watch of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
came from their ranks.
The world was
observing Peasant Week and on that day, they had every right to go to
Mendiola and demand that justice be served them.
The path to Mendiola
turned out to be as thorny as the fields they traverse on ordinary days.
Those from Central Luzon were stopped
along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
In Manila, the combined contingents from
Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog had to take several detours just to get
near Mendiola. Before they could even get a glimpse of Mendiola, they were
blocked by two big buses that would not budge.
In the end, they had to settle for holding
their program along Nicanor Reyes Street.
They didn’t get to reach Mendiola. But
they did show to the world how shabbily this government treats the ones
who endure all the back-breaking work in the fields to feed the nation.
Bulatlat
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