03/09/2026
This International Working Women’s Day, Montreal took to the streets and Anakbayan made a speech under the theme “Resistance, Liberation, and People’s Freedom Movements in 2026”.
We stand in solidarity with the struggles of women against fascism, imperialism, and wars of aggression. We honor the marginalized women, migrant women, and Indigenous women of the world.
The youth continue to struggle against the reactionary state, from red tagging to labour export. Philippine labour export forces an average of 8000 Filipinos to leave the country everyday to become overseas workers because of landlessness, unemployment, lack of job opportunities, and poverty in the country.
Many of these people are migrant women workers who face many immense challenges. Many have been relegated to working in difficult jobs, for long hours and low wages, and in precarious situations. Migrant women workers fight against exploitative employers and recruitment agencies, as well as state policies that keep migrant women workers as cheap and disposable labour.
On this day, we think of young militant women and community leaders like Chantal Anicoche, a 24 year old Filipino woman and community leader from the US, was abducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for her activism earlier this year. She was moved by her compassion and sense of justice to return to the Philippines to learn about the bombings, attacks, and operations by the AFP on peasant and indigenous communities in Mindoro. She was held in AFP custody during one of their attacks, and she was later released due to global pressure. The crack-down on activism through her capture was very evident and very disturbing. Her spirit for justice, liberation, and fact-finding in the face of state repression—something that we should all embody.
Babae, ang lugar mo ay sa pakikibaka!
Women, your place is in the struggle!
