By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
HONG KONG---It's not all roses and butterflies for President Duterte working visit to Hong Kong as a protest by activists served as a prelude to his meeting with the Filipino community in the region.
BAYAN Hong Kong hold rally against supposed tyranny in the Philippines. (Argyll Geducos/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Around 50 activists, led by BAYAN Hong Kong-Macau chair Eman Villanueva, trooped to Middle Road in Hong Kong and aired their sentiments against Duterte's supposed tyranny.
According to Villanueva, Duterte may be popular but the President's fame cannot hide the administration's supposed failure to deliver on its promises. He also claimed that Duterte's popularity among Filipinos in Hong Kong is slowly waning.
"Some people are saying that he is still very popular. But that cannot hide the fact that the economic and social conditions in the Philippines is worsening and is not getting better. His popularity cannot cover the fact that there are thousands of people who are protesting, who are fighting, his tyranny and dictatorship," he said.
"I think he's still very popular. I would say majority are still supporting. But I think there are also some people who have already some sort of change of heart. It may not be as drastic, but eventually there will be more. He cannot fool the people forever, that's a fact," he added.
"'Pag dumating na ang oras na talagang kaharap na natin ang problema at hindi na kayang itago ng popularity o ng kanyang mga troll army sa social media, tingin ko sasapitin din niya yung mga sinapit ng mga nakaraang administrasyon (When the time comes that we are faced with a problem and his popularity or social media troll army cannot hide this, then he will suffer the same as the previous administrations)," he continued.
Villanueva also said that Duterte's administration is worse than it's predecessor, citing the supposed "deteriorating" human rights and socioeconomic situation in the Philippines.
"He even called on Congress to impeach and remove the Chief Justice. This is a total disrespect to the rule of law and also to the checks and balance of the government, to the equal branches of the government," he said.
"So this is even much worse than the previous record of the previous administration. And so we are here today to tell the Philippines that he should stop doing this," he added.
Lee Cheuk Yan, former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, also compared Duterte to Marcos, saying there are more deaths under the present administration.
"We do not welcome him, we do not want him in Hong Kong. We want him to go back home," he said.
Duterte is in Hong Kong to meet with roughly 2,500 of the around 220,000 members of the Filipino community in Hong Kong. This is the second time in almost a year that Duterte visited Filipinos in the region.
BAYAN Hong Kong hold rally against supposed tyranny in the Philippines. (Argyll Geducos/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Around 50 activists, led by BAYAN Hong Kong-Macau chair Eman Villanueva, trooped to Middle Road in Hong Kong and aired their sentiments against Duterte's supposed tyranny.
According to Villanueva, Duterte may be popular but the President's fame cannot hide the administration's supposed failure to deliver on its promises. He also claimed that Duterte's popularity among Filipinos in Hong Kong is slowly waning.
"Some people are saying that he is still very popular. But that cannot hide the fact that the economic and social conditions in the Philippines is worsening and is not getting better. His popularity cannot cover the fact that there are thousands of people who are protesting, who are fighting, his tyranny and dictatorship," he said.
"I think he's still very popular. I would say majority are still supporting. But I think there are also some people who have already some sort of change of heart. It may not be as drastic, but eventually there will be more. He cannot fool the people forever, that's a fact," he added.
"'Pag dumating na ang oras na talagang kaharap na natin ang problema at hindi na kayang itago ng popularity o ng kanyang mga troll army sa social media, tingin ko sasapitin din niya yung mga sinapit ng mga nakaraang administrasyon (When the time comes that we are faced with a problem and his popularity or social media troll army cannot hide this, then he will suffer the same as the previous administrations)," he continued.
Villanueva also said that Duterte's administration is worse than it's predecessor, citing the supposed "deteriorating" human rights and socioeconomic situation in the Philippines.
"He even called on Congress to impeach and remove the Chief Justice. This is a total disrespect to the rule of law and also to the checks and balance of the government, to the equal branches of the government," he said.
"So this is even much worse than the previous record of the previous administration. And so we are here today to tell the Philippines that he should stop doing this," he added.
Lee Cheuk Yan, former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, also compared Duterte to Marcos, saying there are more deaths under the present administration.
"We do not welcome him, we do not want him in Hong Kong. We want him to go back home," he said.
Duterte is in Hong Kong to meet with roughly 2,500 of the around 220,000 members of the Filipino community in Hong Kong. This is the second time in almost a year that Duterte visited Filipinos in the region.