Students and workers from the Philippines, together with supporters in the United States — including members of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP)— have organized over the past several weeks around several individual cases, winning important victories, including distributing CHALLENGE to raise awareness of the Party’s politics.
The first campaign took place in Washington State to stop the deportation of Kuya G (“kuya” meaning brother). Despite suffering from serious medical conditions, including ulcerative colitis, and after months in a detention facility, he was scheduled to be deported to the Philippines. A broad protest effort emerged: medical professionals, including a PLP doctor, submitted letters documenting the danger to his health. Rallies were held at the detention center and the airport, and demonstrations took place at the Philippine Embassy and at the ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C.
As authorities prepared to place him on the deportation flight, protesters — aided by local union members — were able to move through the airport and reach the tarmac. Faced with mounting pressure and clear medical evidence, officials were forced to acknowledge that he was too ill to travel. He was removed from the plane, later released from detention, and is now receiving medical treatment. The victory demonstrated the power of collective action when workers and students act together.
A second case involved the arrest of a young worker from the U.S. supporting Indigenous agricultural workers in Mindoro. On January 1, the Armed Forces of the Philippines bombed the area, killing children and another student and displacing hundreds. The young worker was detained by the military for a month. Sustained pressure followed: protests were organized at the U.S. State Department, the Senate office buildings, and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., alongside actions nationwide. After weeks of mobilization, she was released and returned to the United States. Again, organized pressure proved decisive.
These struggles have prompted deeper discussion about the political trajectory of the Philippines. After mass protests forced the removal and exile of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to Hawaii, the succeeding Aquino government — representing landlord interests — was not supported by many on the left. The military, however, backed Aquino, and as many workers observed, liberal electoral change left fundamental conditions untouched. Within a relatively short period, first Rodrigo Duterte and then Marcos Jr. returned to power, continuing to serve U.S. imperial interests. Nevertheless, more work needs to be done to win workers to revolutionary communist politics. Debates continue around the characterization of the Philippines as semi-feudal, even as the central role of the urban working class is increasingly acknowledged.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post, under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, recently ran an editorial praising the military buildup in the Philippines as a necessary measure to protect trade routes — a clear example of how the ruling-class media promote imperial expansion. At the University of Maryland, the TerpCHRP group is working to build a campaign opposing military funding for research and development on campus, recognizing the university’s role in supporting war-making infrastructure.
These developments underscore both the possibilities and the challenges ahead. Victories have shown that organized workers and students can win concrete gains, but broader political clarity and sustained organizing remain essential.
