Sona outfits, protest art: Kabataan leaders wear hope

CEBU CITY, Philippines — While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 27, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co and University of Santo Tomas student leader Raven Racelis used their outfits to put youth issues and political calls into the spotlight.

Designed by young artists from Panday Sining UP Diliman, the outfits featured illustrations of students, workers, and farmers, alongside imagery representing imperialism, corruption, war, and environmental destruction.

The outfits carried the theme “Pag-alabin ang Pag-asa,” (Enflame hope), the silver anniversary theme of Kabataan Partylist.

Co’s outfit used fire as its central image, and depicted young people from different sectors alongside silhouettes of the Filipino masses. The design showed them confronting an eagle and a crocodile, which the group said represented US imperialism and corruption.

The back of the skirt featured missiles, falling money, and excavators to symbolize war, corruption, and environmental plunder.

The skirt was designed by Sophia Cabugoy of Panday Sining UP Diliman and UP Artists’ Circle Sorority, a fresh graduate of UP Diliman’s Associate of Arts in Visual Communication program.

Attire of resistance

The outfit also reflected Kabataan’s opposition to developments that it says threaten the country’s youth, including corruption and the proposed Pax Silica initiative, which the group has criticized over concerns about US involvement and the expansion of AI data centers and microchip manufacturing in the Philippines.

“Habang sinusunog ng imperyalismo at burukrata-kapitalismo ang lipunang Pilipino, patuloy na magliliyab ang pag-asa ng kabataan upang labanan ito,” Co said.

(While imperialism and bureaucrat capitalism burn Philippine society, the youth’s flame of hope to oppose them will stay ablaze.)

The outfits continue Kabataan Partylist’s yearslong tradition of using its Sona attire to amplify its positions on issues affecting Filipino youth and the country, turning the annual presidential address into another platform for political expression.

READ: A Sona for real life

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