Youth group marks Heroes’ Day with protest vs China’s WPS actions

A youth-led movement staged a protest rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City on Monday, coinciding with National Heroes’ Day, to denounce China’s recent aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.

The demonstration, organized by the Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement, featured a die-in protest, performances, and the pelting of rotten tomatoes at replicas of Chinese ships. The action was a direct response to the 11 August incident where China Coast Guard vessels used water cannons against Philippine Coast Guard ships conducting a resupply mission in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).

FDNY convenor and spokesman Giselle Albano said the protest, dubbed “Kadamay para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” (Solidarity for the New Hero-Fisherfolk), sought to defend the welfare of Filipino fishermen and oppose China’s “bullying” in the contested waters.

The group also condemned what it called China’s “distortion of the truth” about the naval encounter, saying it was an attempt to sow doubt among the Filipino public and discredit Philippine troops.

FDNY vowed to continue holding protest actions in front of the Chinese Embassy as long as China “fails to respect the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), disregards the 12 July 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Award, and continues its bullying and harassment of Filipino soldiers and fishermen.”

The movement also urged Filipinos to unite against China’s “false propaganda” and to support the policies of the Marcos Jr. administration concerning the West Philippine Sea.