​The hypocrisy of Marcos Jr.’s 5th SONA: Arrests outside expose the true state of the nation – KARAPATAN

[KARAPATAN Public Information]

PRESS RELEASE

29 July 2026

Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general,  09173162831

KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580

The hypocrisy of Marcos Jr.’s 5th SONA:
Arrests outside expose the true state of the nation – KARAPATAN

Rights group KARAPATAN condemns the detention and filing of complaints against protesters arrested during the rallies held along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City in connection with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Of the 51 individuals arrested by the police, 42 have been released on Tuesday, including all 12 minors. Nine individuals remain detained at Camp Karingal. Five had undergone inquest proceedings over charges of malicious mischief and direct assault. Two paralegals who responded to the arrests and sought to provide legal assistance to the detained protesters were also slapped with complaints of obstruction of justice.

KARAPATAN reiterates its condemnation of these arrests as illegal, warrantless, and violent.

"The stark contrast between President Marcos Jr.’s fifth SONA and the events that unfolded outside the halls of Congress exposed the hypocrisy of his supposed report on the state of the nation," KARAPATAN Secretary General Cristina Palabay said.

For hours, Palabay said, Marcos Jr. spoke of government programs, economic development, security, social services, and national unity. He presented an administration supposedly responsive to the needs and grievances of the Filipino people. Yet conspicuously absent from his lengthy address was any mention of the worsening civil and political rights situation in the country, which was made even more glaring by what was happening just outside Batasan, according to KARAPATAN.

"While Marcos Jr. spoke of a government that supposedly listens to the people, police forces arrested those who exercised their right to speak and protest. While he invoked unity and the collective strength of Filipinos, 51 young people were being hauled into police custody. While he spoke of citizens’ participation and vigilance in government, those who took to the streets to raise legitimate grievances were met with violence, arrest, and criminal charges," Palabay said.

The protesters were airing legitimate concerns over the country’s worsening economic and political situation, corruption, poverty, human rights violations, militarization, and continuing attacks on democratic rights. KARAPATAN said that Marcos Jr. chose to silence the people who were raising them.

"The arrest of protesters outside the SONA therefore exposes what the President’s speech sought to obscure: the reality of a government that claims to listen but suppresses dissent, claims to uphold democracy but attacks the right to peaceful assembly, and speaks of the welfare of the Filipino people while ignoring the human rights violations committed against them. The worsening crisis and poverty confronting millions of Filipinos were likewise obscured by promises of progress and development, as well as band-aid solutions that fail to address the root causes of the people’s hardships. These include projects and initiatives that serve foreign interests, such as the Pax Silica initiative, while leaving the country’s fundamental economic and social problems unresolved," Palabay said.

The filing of criminal charges against nine protesters, including paralegals who were performing their duty to provide legal assistance to those arrested, further demonstrates the government’s continuing disregard for people’s rights.

"The government must immediately drop all charges filed against the nine individuals and cease all forms of harassment and intimidation against the protesters involved," Palabay said.

KARAPATAN demands accountability from the police officers and officials responsible for the illegal and violent arrests and detention of protesters.

"The true state of the nation was obscured in the President’s SONA. It was clearly seen in the streets, in the voices of people who protested and continued to speak out against injustice and violations of people's rights. The people will continue to resist, for as long as the Marcos Jr. government is oppressive, corrupt, puppet, and fascist against the Filipino people," Palabay said.#

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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.  It was established in 1995.