Protest actions in New York disrupted the visit of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, his foreign secretary Theresa Lazaro and his ambassador Jose Romualdez to attend the United Nations’ 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

News outfits Ang Bayan and Bulatlat reported on March 11 and 12 that Marcos and his cronies were were ambushed with demonstrations upon their arrival in New York City on March 8 by more than 200 Filipinos at the Philippine Consulate General. The rallyists also marched to The Pierre Hotel where Marcos was staying.

Marcos has no right to speak on the concerns of women as his corrupt regime traffics and sells out working Filipina women, according to BAYAN USA, a national alliance of 50 progressive Filipino organizations in the US.

“Working Filipina women continue to fight against corruption, fascism, and for a free Philippines. Here in the US, Filipinas wrongfully detained and abused by ICE, such as Alma Bowman, Tita Rebecca, and Ligaya Jensen, fought for their freedom and demanded the Philippine government be held accountable.” BAYAN USA said in a Facebook post.

Filipino residents in the US also denounced the hypocrisy of Marcos speaking on the status of women while gender based violence and exploitation continue to worsen in the Philippines. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to ratify the international bill of rights for women, but such commitments remain largely symbolic without real systemic changes that address the exploitation and oppression faced by working class women and girls.

April Bautista of Gabriela USA said, “Marcos, how dare you come to New York City to speak on the status of Filipino women. . . The people who are starving, who are struggling, know the truth: you are using women as a selling point and a bargaining chip to secure your seat next to Trump’s feet. Marcos is the number one oppressor of women in the Philippines.”

The Filipinos, who also held protests in other cities, successfully delayed Marcos’s attendance at the United Nations. They also revealed that Marcos squandered thousands of dollars on a luxury hotel costing $17,000 or ₱986,000 per room per day.