Holy Week is a time for reflection and repentance—a commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ.
In the Philippines, it holds the same significance, but for urban poor communities, it is also a time to amplify the worsening conditions faced by many Filipinos.
Multisectoral groups, spearheaded by the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY), took to the streets to demand liveable wages, employment and regularization, lowering prices of goods, housing security, and human rights, among others, during the annual protest-action, Kalbaryo ng Maralita, held on Holy Wednesday, April 16.
Beyond food, hunger for workers’ rights
Think tank and research group IBON Foundation said that the P645 minimum wage, particularly in Metro Manila, is only 53% of what a family of five needs to meet for their basic needs.
IBON also noted that a P1,225 estimated average family living wage (FLW) is needed to live decently. Meanwhile, the average nominal minimum wage in other regions is only P470 or P755 short of the estimated FLW. All regional minimum wages are short by more than 50%, with BARMM being the lowest, where the P361 minimum wage is 82.5% short of the P2,058 FLW.
“Tuloy tuloy na hinahaplit ang mga maralita nating kababayan sa walang habas na pagtataas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at serbisyo… Paano po makakahabol ang kapipiranggot na kinikita ni Juan Dela Cruz? Paano makakasambot ang halos wala sa minimum na kinikita ng mga tinatawag na [impormal] na mga mangagangawa na hindi pa aabot halos sa kalahati ang kanilang kinikita?” Elmer ‘Ka Bong’ Labog, president of Kilusang Mayo Uno, asserted.
In a recent survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS), an estimated 14.4 million Filipino families consider themselves “poor.” Labog said that if each family has an average of five members, that means around 60% of the population is experiencing hunger.
This situation is further aggravated by the rising unemployment rate. As of February 2025, the Philippine Statistics Office reported a 3.8% unemployment rate, or about 1.94 million Filipinos jobless.
“Itong pasyon na ito ay nagsasaad kung gaano katindi ang kagutuman, ang kahirapan ng malaking bilang ng ating mga kababayan. Kung ang Semana ay pagsasakripisyo ni Hesukristo, ganyan din ang dinaranas ng higit na nakakarami nating kababayan.” Labog stressed.
“We will not stop”
IBON also reported that involuntary hunger has doubled under the Marcos Jr. administration from 11.6% or some 2.9 million families in June 2022 to 27.2% or 7.5 million families in March 2025.
“Hanggang ngayon hindi kayang punuan ang aming mga hapagkainan. Hindi nga kami makakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw dahil sa matinding korupsyon na kinakaharap natin,” KADAMAY secretary-general and Makabayan senatorial candidate Mimi Doringo asserted.
Doringo added that a severe lack of funding in basic social services, including education, healthcare, agriculture, and transportation, is worsened by corrupt “Judases” and “Pontius Pilates” in the government.
During the protest, the cultural group Sining Kadamay (SiKad) also staged a street play reenacting Jesus’ suffering to symbolize the calvary of the poor.
Actors wore a mask of Christ’s image while carrying a cross wrapped with barbed wire and red-stained banners bearing calls for the distribution of land to farmers, the abolition of NTF-ELCAC, and an end to the Public Transportation Modernization Program (PTMP).
For many urban poor communities, Doringo affirmed that they are committed to breaking the chains of poverty through collective action and solidarity. All these sufferings and hardships will come to an end, just as when Christ rose again, they reflected.
“Ipaglalaban namin hanggang ang krus na ito ay lumiit na bilang pasanin ng mga mamayang Pilipino at hindi kami titigil.” Doringo concluded.
