The Real State of the Nation: Our Message from London
Statement of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) Britain
Today, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his State of the Nation Address, offering promises of progress, investment and development.
Every State of the Nation Address must answer a fundamental question: who benefits from that development? Corruption is a human rights issue, it extends far beyond the theft of public funds, and its consequences are measured in lives and livelihoods.
Every peso lost to corruption is a peso not spent on hospitals, schools and public services. Every mining concession granted without genuine accountability threatens the rights of Indigenous Peoples and rural communities. And when those communities organise to defend their land, too often they are met not with dialogue, but with militarisation, intimidation and violence.
According to KARAPATAN, since President Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022 there have been more than 150 victims of extrajudicial killings, more than 100 political prisoners arrested, dozens of enforced disappearances, and thousands of documented victims of threats, harassment, intimidation and forced evacuation. These are not isolated incidents. They reveal a continuing pattern of repression against those defending human rights, land and livelihoods.
While the President addressed Congress, thousands gathered outside for the People's SONA. ICHRP Britain joined that same call from London, because we know that another reality exists — one where corruption, poverty and repression continue to define everyday life for many Filipinos.
We are also witnessing a renewed push for strategic mineral extraction through the proposed Pax Silica deal. We are told it will bring investment and economic growth.
Development cannot be measured by profits alone. If mining proceeds without the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples; if communities are displaced from their ancestral lands; and if military forces are used to protect corporate interests instead of people's rights, then profit is once again being placed above people.
The consequences are already visible. Earlier this year, 19 people were killed in Negros Island. Among them were community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma of AlterMidya and student leader Alyssa Alano. Through the Defend Negros campaign, human rights organisations continue to demand an independent investigation and accountability. Bulatlat also reported that more than 600 residents were displaced during the military operations.
These are not separate issues. Corruption, human rights abuses, militarisation and extractive mining are all connected. That is why international solidarity matters.
Our message from London is simple: governments, investors and corporations cannot claim to support democracy while profiting from projects that undermine human rights. Britain has a responsibility to ensure that its political and economic ties with the Philippines do not come at the expense of communities defending their land, their rights and their future.
President Marcos may have delivered the official State of the Nation Address. But today, in London and in cities across the world, the Filipino people and their allies delivered the real State of the Nation.
As long as corruption breeds injustice, as long as extraction is protected by repression, and as long as human rights are violated in the Philippines, ICHRP Britain will continue to stand with the Filipino people in their struggle for justice, accountability, genuine democracy and a just peace.
Long live international solidarity!