📷: Kabataan Partylist | FB
As the nation braces for the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Kabataan Partylist delivered a sharp rebuke to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s remarks on class disruptions, challenging what they describe as the administration’s normalization of poor disaster response and misplaced priorities during climate-related crises.
“Lugi ang kabataan sa bilyon-bilyong flood control projects na nauuwi sa korapsyon. Lugi tayo sa mga dinastiyang kakampi ng negosyo, na binebenta ang Pilipinas sa mga dayuhang kumpanya habang dinadambong ang ating kalikasan. Ito ang dahilan ng sakuna,stop blaming nature!” said Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co.
Co denounced what she called “criminal negligence” in disaster planning, asserting that the damage wrought by typhoons and flooding stems not from nature alone, but from profit-driven governance and environmentally destructive projects.
“Man-made disasters have man-made solutions, di lang ginagawa ni Marcos Jr. kasi inuuna niya ang kita kaysa ang taumbayan,” Co added. “Sa SONA, ipaglaban natin ang pagtigil sa mapanirang reclamation at infrastructure projects, pagwakas sa korapsyon, at paglaan ng sapat na pondo sa edukasyon, serbisyo, at iba pa.”
President Marcos Jr. had earlier expressed concern over students losing time in class during disasters, citing online learning as a potential solution. Co countered that automatic online classes unfairly burden students, especially those from low-income communities.
“Di dapat pinipilit ang kabataan maghabol sa klase kung gobyerno naman ang may kapalpakan sa sakuna,” she stressed.
“Walang sayang sa pagkansela ng pasok kung kaligtasan ang isinasalba. Karapatan ang edukasyon, hindi karera. Di tayo aabot sa ganito kung inaksyunan na dati pa ang krisis sa klima.”
Kabataan Partylist calls on youth and the public to demand accountability in the upcoming SONA—not just in disaster response, but in upending corrupt systems, halting destructive reclamation projects, and prioritizing life, education, and climate justice. (ZIA LUNA)
