The UP Asian Center in partnership with the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA), will be holding "Viva Palestina! A Solidarity Event for Palestine" on 22 March 2026. The discussion and side events will be held from 1 - 5 PM, while the solidarity concert will be from 5 - 8 PM, PST (GMT+8), at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium. Tickets are priced at 150 Pesos, but donations more than the amount is welcome. Proceeds from the event will go toward supporting solidarity campaigns and initiatives for the Palestinian cause.
ABOUT THE EVENT
While October 2023 marked a decisive flashpoint that drew global attention back to Palestine, the crisis did not begin there. It is the outcome of decades of occupation, forced displacement, and systematic dispossession. The Al-Aqsa resistance emerged within this long struggle against entrenched military control and U.S.-backed Israeli aggression. By 2025, the siege on Gaza had escalated into a crisis of global proportions. Israel has used starvation as a weapon of war, the settler-violence and military raids in other occupied territories marks an unprecedented level of human suffering and mass civilian death. U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace,” composed of billionaires and technocrats, has proven to be more illegitimate after the recent inclusion of wanted war criminal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their proposed “master plan” advances glossy redevelopment schemes even as the territory itself is being systematically devastated. Israeli forces have continued bombing shelters, undermining ceasefire efforts and reinforcing the humanitarian catastrophe. Thousands have been killed, more than 80% of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and hospitals, schools, and essential infrastructure lie in ruins.
Our own government is expanding its military and economic ties with Israel. Under Marcos Jr., the Philippines emerged one of the largest buyers of Israeli arms in the Asia-Pacific, with over USD 1.05 billion in imports —weaponry that is deployed domestically in counterinsurgency operations, militarizing and displacing local communities. Marcos was also invited by Donald Trump to join the “Board of Peace,” while plans for direct flights between Israel and Manila further cement these ties—all as destruction continues across Palestine. As a nation shaped by centuries of U.S. imperial domination, Filipino solidarity with Palestine must be stronger. We draw strength from the unyielding courage of the Palestinian people who refuse to be controlled or silenced.
The Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA) is a network of Filipino organizations and individuals dedicated to building people-to-people solidarity with Palestine. Last year, we marked our 10th anniversary with the campaign “From the Philippines to Palestine: Fight for Freedom, End Genocide,” highlighting the shared struggles of Filipino and Palestinian peoples against U.S. imperialism and for national liberation. Through public awareness initiatives and collaboration with advocacy groups, peace organizations, and international networks, we strengthened unity and coordinated joint actions in support of both peoples’ struggles. We also commemorated the second anniversary of the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood, mobilizing networks to resist Zionism and U.S. imperialism, and actively endorsed the International People’s Tribunal for Palestine, “Right to Resist: The Palestinian People vs. The Zionist Occupation and The U.S. Government,” held last November 22-23, 2025 in Barcelona.
As part of our ongoing months-long campaign, we are organizing Viva Palestina! A Solidarity Event for Palestine on March 22 (Sunday) aimed at broadening public participation through cultural exchange and connecting with diverse Filipino communities advocating for Palestine. The full-day event, venue to be announced, will begin with a discussion among students, youth, cultural groups, and community members from various universities and academic networks. The day will continue with workshops and side-events led by Filipino-Palestinian partners, Palestinian refugees, and advocacy organizations, and will conclude with an evening cultural program showcasing music, art, and performances as expressions of solidarity.
1 - 3 PM | Palestine and the Philippines: The Struggle for Self-Determination and Liberation
NOEL CHRISTIAN A. MORATILLA, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor, Asian Center, UP Diliman
Dr. Noel Christian A. Moratilla is the Dean and an Associate Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. He earned his Ph.D. in Philippine Studies in 2015, after completing an MA in Education from the same university. Before he was appointed Dean, he served as Deputy Director of the UP System Office of International Linkages. He is an advocate for the rights of Filipino migrant workers and promotes the alignment of internationalization initiatives with national priorities. Dr. Moratilla's academic interests lie in resistance literature, Marxist and postcolonial theory, testimonial narratives, and diaspora studies.
SARAH JANE S. RAYMUNDO
Assistant Professor, UP Center for International Studies
Sarah Raymundo is a full-time faculty member at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Center for International Studies. She is engaged in activist work with BAYAN (The New Patriotic Alliance), the International League of Peoples’ Struggles, and serves as the Chair of the Philippines-Bolivarian Venezuela Friendship Association. She is a member of the National Executive Board of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and currently the External Vice Chair of the Philippine Anti-Imperialist Studies (PAIS). She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal for Labor and Society (LANDS) and Interface: Journal of/and for Social Movements.
DELEN DELA PAZ, MD
Retired Associate Professor, UP College of Medicine
Dr. Delen Dela Paz is a public health physician, a retired Associate Professor at the UP College of Medicine, and President of the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA). She will lead the discussion together with the PPFA secretariat.
HON. RICHARD LOBO
Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Manila.
Hon. Richard Lobo is the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Venezuela) in Manila. He will give a solidarity message to Filipinos supporting the struggle of the Venezuelan people.
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
SALAM Palestine • UP Guitar Guild • Concerned Artists of the Philippines • SIKAD
Salinlahi Youth and Children’s Collective • Kaiser • Jerms • Danny Fabella • TONEEJAY • Ania Sabine.
Latag • Anima Tierra • Amanda Echanis • Morobeats • Chikoy Pura • Tambisan sa Sining
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
This event is organized by the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA), in partnership with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, SALAM Palestine, and the UP Asian Center. It builds momentum toward the March 30 commemoration of the Great March of Return, amplifying calls to end the blockade and uphold the right of return in Palestine.