The aMaSONAs are coming this July 23

July 23 marks the next State Of The Nation Address or SONA for short by President Rodrigo Duterte but unlike any previous SONA even from the past presidents, not all are impressed regardless of some of his actions that he already implemented.

It was only recently that President Digong has many misogynistic remarks that got most women concerned. It started when the president saying that women should not hold high positions in the government. It only shows that the president does not care about qualifications but on gender. Thus, #BabaeAko campaign was born.

Because of the removal of CJ Maria Lourdes Sereno from her position, the campaign became more aggressive in protesting the president. According to the initiators of #BabaeAko, this is very scary because the president always attacks his critics which are mostly women with government positions.

The initiators believe that the president is scared of women having a government position that is why he wanted to change the constitution through implementing Federalism. For them, this action is self-serving. The president already ignored the Magna Carta of Women and broken many promises like ending contractualization and not giving peace talks.

On July 23, the women groups will unite for the People’s SONA. The People’s SONA is also simultaneous event whenever a president delivers a SONA. The progressive theologians believe in Vox Populi Vox Dei which is Latin for “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

This time, the theme is #BabaeAko AMaSONA (Anti-Misogyny Activists sa SONA). It will be joined by many women groups including Gabriela, Voices of Women for Justice and Peace, Association of Women in Theology, Bai Indigenous Women’s Network, etc.

The People’s SONA would not be complete without an Effigy. The effigy will also follow the theme after the president’s statement; shoot the female rebel in the vagina. The Artists Circle that will be composed of women will make an effigy that looks like a woman’s sexual organ and there will be a bazooka coming out of it. According to the Artists’ Circle, their statement is “the president was also born out of his mother’s vagina; he should be ashamed of his mother’s vagina.”

Although the women’s’ groups have diverse statements, they are unified because of the president’s chauvinism. If the president does not get affected by the critics and attack them directly, he would not appear like a sore loser. Even the past presidents have critics but they never retaliate.

The video above mentions their public statement.