Ikaw Iskolar, Aktibista ka ba? :
A Forum on the History, Essence and Forms of Activism in U.P.

.....Before I entered the University of the Philippines, I can always hear many ideas of people about this school. The common stereotypes are nerd, genius, geek, smart, intelligent-I think I am speaking of the intellectual too much. Well, one thing that really is distinct about the students of U.P. is that they really speak-out their minds. They are aware and vigilant of the current issues and they fight for what they believe is right. Many people I know always tell me to be very careful in U.P. because I might get brainwashed and be led astray to wrong beliefs and ideas where there is no such thing because I believe that all ideas are correct according to your own thinking and we all have different opinions. It’s just a matter of knowing what to take in and learn from or not. They generalize that students there are all activists and usually join the rallies and a lot of student strikes. Not all are activists but yeah, rallies are already part of the lifestyle of many of the students. What I certainly admire about this prestigious school is that freedom of speech is very much exercised and respected.

.....I am just a freshie now but I really learn a lot, not just inside the class but most importantly, the things happening in our society. I admit that when I was just in high school, I was not interested on the news. I will only listen or read the news when it was required on a certain subject. I was only interested at the entertainment portion of the newspaper. I was most of the time ignorant and surprised when the news finally reached me. But I am so glad that I am no longer like that today. U.P. has really inspired me. I already have the desire to update myself as much as possible and if I can not watch the TV patrol or read the newspaper, I would just read from the internet just so I am not left behind.
There are usually papers given away at the AS, the CAL or everywhere almost everyday. Small papers that talk about big and important issues like taking action on cha-cha and the (mis)education, babaeng nakakadena who are Karen and Sherlyn, asserting the student’s right to representation and so much more. I am always eager whenever I receive these papers because I want to hear the opinions and ideas of the different students to widen my perspectives and help me criticize my own judgments as well on things.

.....I got to ask my grandmother who is a graduate of UP about the condition of the university during her time. I asked her if even at her time, there were already rallies and strikes just like today. She told me no. I was surprised because it was the time of President Marcos and I was wondering how could that possibly be. She explained to me that it was before the martial law and the students were still satisfied with the system. How different it is now. Almost all the students now are not satisfied. More and more people are protesting about the 300% tuition increase and other matters which are greatly affecting the education.

.....When I first heard about the seminar, “Iskolar, aktibista ka ba?” I did not know whether to say yes or no because honestly speaking, I don’t want to join rallies and I believe that there are other ways of showing your protests and love for your country other than joining the rallies. The usual interpretation of people including me when you talk about activism is that it always have to do with rallies. After the seminar, I have learned more what it is to be an activist. Mr. Dante Ambroiso of the dept. of History defined activism as protests and a need for change. But at the same time it’s not just about contradicting something but also giving an alternative or a solution to the problem. You don’t protest just for the sake of getting heard or known but rather you do it because you know other ways on how to solve the issue on hand or how to deal with it. It’s true that the students before were usually the sacrificial lambs and that is still true today. The parties explained that it is not just because youth is the future of the generation but the idealism that is intact in you. I have observed this on some forums and sites on the internet. One particular forum involved alumni of U.P. They were talking about their experiences in college and their present situation. They said that before, they were also very idealistic about the Philippines and they wanted to serve their own land but as they graduated and faced the real world, they have become realistic and practical in life. In order for them to survive and support their family, they have to work abroad or foreign companies. So where’s the idealism now? I believe that despite being realistic, deep down in you, you can still be hopeful and dream what you have dreamt before. Never get tired reaching your aim in life. Make it your motivation to keep on going forward. There shouldn’t be an exception on who can only participate or become active in our society because as a member of it, we have the responsibility to move.

.....All the three parties did not have any concrete or clear definition of activism and when asked which has the best form, they said there isn’t let alone better because there’s no higher key. They respect each other’s reforms. It’s how you address the issue that is important. They all have the same goals and visions, it’s how they plan to reach them and solve the current issues that they vary. Mr. Rain Sindayen from the Stand-Up party believes that activism isn’t nice because it is not convenient. You are acting because you are looking at the long-term effects. He also believes that mass demonstration is not the way because you will only get what they are capable of giving. He may have a point but he can not say that mass demonstration has never been effective because it has during the people power and the people have gotten what they wanted. But of course we also have to be practical; we can’t expect that every time we go on rallies or strikes, we can have what we asked for. There is such thing as the participatory mode where you yourself have to change too and have motherhood values like patience and honesty because in doing so, you will influence many people to do the same which will eventually revolutionize the society for the better. You can not just do it on your own so you must be organized in order to mobilize effectively.

.....The Kaisa party which is represented by Ms. Kriska Kalingking showed 3 kinds of people: a philanthropist where you just give fish to the needy, a developer where you teach people how to do it and a liberalizationist where you explain why you are doing it and at the same time you teach and help. A developer and liberalizationist are what we should be if we really want to be a true activist. You need to have a sense of activity to be able to push your goal and a sense of politics to be constantly aware of the current issues. The party believes that U.P. people are not apathetic because in nature we react and it is within us. It’s how we react that matters. We can react without doing anything. It depends on the person. Change is within all of us. Being an activist, you excel toward progress and you become part of the change in society. You can be an activist not just through rallies but through conversations, blogging where you share your knowledge and ideas to make other people think and informed, writing articles and many other simple ways to make the people vigilant and knowledgeable. In order for our public sphere to be strong, we must give attention to deliberation dialogue, proper agreements and engagements. We must be involved and not be ignorant.

.....As iskolars ng bayan, we should use the intellect as the primary tool for social change. We must educate ourselves first for us to understand more our rights as citizens and know our responsibilities. We need to be critical and analyze everything so that we will not easily be fooled and we can give good ideas and possible solutions to the problems. I have learned that we must look beyond the memorized script and the platforms and look at the sincerity and real purpose of what there is. We must also see beyond the personality and look back to the principles. Voting will exercise our right and increase the accountability. Keeping this in mind while choosing the next President for our country will indeed help us. Political parties seem the same but you can see the real difference on how they analyze and deal with the issues responsibly.

.....There are so many kinds of activism and it is a choice if you want to be an activist. It is voluntary. You must have your heart on it and not because you were forced to. Now I know what to answer when asked if I am an activist. Yes I am, but in my own way. I will defend myself and let not my rights be stepped on and let the truth always prevail despite how small it may seem.


words: 1620 words