The War Is Over
In the Philippines, one of the world's longest running communist insurgencies is being worn down by the passage of history.
On July 27, thousands gathered in Quezon City to protest during Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s state of the nation address (SONA). The SONA protests are a recurring show of force for the Philippine left, the strongest left in southeast Asia.
Every year demonstrators gather to denounce issues ranging from inequality and poverty, to human rights violations and corruption. As has also become tradition, two marches, each of comparable size, took place — one inspired by the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the other consisting of everybody else.
Benedict Anderson wrote that the turbulent history of the Philippines gives observers a feeling of “historical vertigo,” and the SONA protests are no exception — they are a dazzling condensation of historical periods.
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