📷: Kabataan Partylist / FB
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Atty. Renee Co, House Assistant Minority Leader, unveiled a protest-themed outfit ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, continuing the youth party’s tradition of combining fashion and dissent.
Marking Kabataan’s Silver Anniversary theme “Pag-alabin Ang Pag-asa!”, Co’s attire depicts the organized struggle of Filipino youth against imperialism and corruption. The skirt, designed by young artist Sophia Cabugoy of Panday Sining UP Diliman and UP Artists’ Circle Sorority, features fiery imagery: students, workers, and farmers bathed in flames, silhouettes of the masses ablaze, and symbols of resistance.
On the front, youth figures confront an American eagle — representing U.S. imperialism — and a crocodile — symbolizing corrupt bureaucrat-capitalists. The back portrays missiles, falling money, and excavators, denouncing war, graft, and environmental plunder.
“The world is burning because of the self-serving interests of the US warmongers and their local partner, the corruption-ridden Marcos Jr. administration. We will not have it; the youth will fight their destructive fire with our fiery hope,” Co declared.
Cabugoy explained the design as a visual outcry against Pax Silica, U.S.-driven AI data centers, and unchecked corruption: “Ang pananamantala ng US at mga kurakot ang kadiliman sa kinabukasan ng kabataan ngayon, kaya ipininta natin ang pag-aalab ng pag-asa para labanan sila.”
The protest attire underscores Kabataan’s call for accountability and youth resistance, framing art as a weapon in the fight against imperialism, corruption, and exploitation. # (RRN)
