Anakbayan LA: Freedom Fighters

Grassroots student and youth social justice organization Anakbayan LA is joining the Occupy Wall Street movement by locally participating in the Occupy LA and Occupy Long Beach demonstrations. You see, AB-LA are more than just protestors who show up unannounced. They agitate, organize, & mobilize. To get a glimpse of their participation-turned-lifestyle, here is what Ryan Evangelista has to say concerning their recent extensively organized rally. 

Philippine President Benigno "NoyNoy" Aquino III gives an annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the House of Representatives complex called Batasang Pambansang every July. Unfortunately, the SONA does not portray the true conditions of the Pilipinos. During each address, thousands of workers, peasants, students and professionals, among others, march to Quezon City to hold their own SONA where representatives from different sectors give speeches and deliver cultural performances to depict the real happenings in their communities. Unequal land distribution, privatization of education, and poverty are just some of the bypassed issues that are discussed.

At the same time, several Pilipino community organizations in Los Angeles such as Habi Arts, SiGaw, the Filipino Migrant Center and AB-LA  organized its own People’s SONA rally in front of the Philippine Consulate General.  

As a member of AB-LA, I educate and organize our community to address issues in the community. I helped write the street theater piece, in which an actor who portrayed President Aquino gave the SONA, while other actors demonstrated the real issues affecting the nation such as the demolitions of urban poor communities, the cuts to social services and education, and political killings.

Leading up to this moment, I always pondered why my friends had to leave the Philippines?  Or why did my parents come to America if they miss home so much? In 2009, as a part of the SAMA-SAMA summer hip hop workshops, I began to find the answers to these questions. Soon after, I joined AB-LA and learned that even though I live in America, I could also be part of the movement for social change in the Philippines.

The SONA was not just any rally.  It allowed Pilipinos all over the world to stand up against unjust systems. I learned that while the situation may seem hopeless at times, people have the power to contribute to social change in the Philippines even while living all the way in the United States.  

For more information about AnakBayan Los Angeles,

visit http://anakbayanla.org or email info@anakbayanla.org.