Progressive groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) staged a protest rally in Manila on April 9, 2026, during the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan. The groups condemn the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran and what they described as continuing crimes across the region.

In a statement by Bayan, the recent attacks on Lebanon expose the “duplicity” of the ceasefire declarations. It also decried that the conflict is driving up oil prices, raising the cost of food, transport, and electricity, further eroding workers’ wages while placing overseas Filipino workers in grave danger.

Marking the national day of valor, protesters said the occasion serves as a stark reminder of the profound cost of war. They invoked the memory of the Bataan Death March as a testament to the suffering inflicted by imperialist and fascist aggression.

(Photo and text: Elmer Valenzuela)