Ika’y Rosas, Kate Aubrey…

Ang pagdaramdam ko higit na nakakaaliw sa pugad ng iyong kaibuturan,

na pawang saklaw ng alinmang panaginip na hindi ko man kayang bitawan,

Simula ng ika’y makilala, aking buhay walang ibang nadarama

Kundi ang papawirin ng panaginip na dulot ng walang katapusang ligaya…

Minungkahi noong tayo’y magsimula, na iyo’ng tignan ang kaloob-looban ng aking isipan

Na sa bawat panahong ika’y makasama, tanging magagandang nakaraan aking maaalala,

At sa tuwing ika’y natutulog, iyong paghinga ay parang musika ng mga anghel

Na kailanma’y magbibigay buhay sa akin, na ang tanging kasama ay kapirasong papel…

Ika’y rosas, Kate Aubrey, biyaya ng kagandahan, dalisay at talino

Na sa bawat yakap at halik, napapawi ang lungkot dulot na iyong pagkalayo

At ang iyong bukod tanging ngiti ay halimuyak ng libo-libong sampaguita

Na tanging ikaw lamang ang aking sandalan sa bawat dalamhati’t pagiisa…

Hindi ko na alam kung tanging pag-ibig ito o katotohanang ikaw na nga ang aking buhay

Sadyang mapagpasya ang tadhana na nagbigay daan sa atin na hindi mawawalay

Kaya naman ating namnamin ang panahong tayo’y magkasama

Sapagka’t ito lamang ang nagbubuklod sa pagmamahalan nating dalawa…

Naaalala mo pa ba ang panahon na tayo’y unang nagkakilala?

Iyong dala-dalang French fries ang siyang unang naging paksa…

Sakay ng dyip papuntang UP, sabay tayo at magkatabi pa ang ating mga binti,

Natulog ka at sandal pa sa akin, ako nama’y natuwa at gusto namang halikan ang iyong mga labi

Doon na nga tayo nagsimula at ayaw na itong kuwento na matapos pa

Na sa bawat ugoy ng panahon ika’y laging makasama,

Sa kahit ano’ng problema at balakid na ating harapin

Nangingibabaw pa rin ang tanging pagmamahalan natin…

Ika’y rosas, Kate Aubrey, dahil sa iyo buhay ko ay tuluyang nagbago

Ikaw na lang halos lahat sa isisp at damdamin ko,

Tuluyang kinalimutan ang poot ng mundo at kalagayan ng ibang tao

Na sa’yo na lamang umiikot ang lahat-lahat, kaya namang nababaliw na itong puso ko…

Aking panalangin na huwag na itong matapos, at may bukas pa’ng harapin ang kuwento’ng ito

Na aking ipagmamalaki kahit kanino man, na ikaw ang tanging bida sa buhay ko…

Sa daloy ng ilog at patuloy na buhos ng ulan, aking namnamin ang pag-ibig na tunay at dakila,

Na dahil sa’yo binigyan ako ng pag-asa at tuntunin sa pagptuloy ng pakikibaka…

Ika’y rosas, Kate Aubrey, rosas ng buhay ko…

Mahal kita… sana mahalin mo rin ako…

Mabuhay ka!

Unexplainable sensation of joy — my love for you!

I never imagined a life that is so vulnerable! Always resolute to weakness. I make myself strong that others see me as a man undoubtedly firm and full of conviction. But now, I bow before you, very meek and unable to break through.

As I face my inevitable downturn, I look back and remember when I was different. Compare the present me from the previous. The once mighty proud lion is now a gentle and tame young boy. Yes, I have loved before, enjoying the conscious realization of unexplainable feelings and value the very essential periphery of life. But now, why is it different? Why I succumb to the fulfilling foolish reactions, still unexplained by human logic, yet devastatingly enjoyable! My passion of love is still the same, though, but I give a little bit more credit to what “love” I have now.

“The once mighty proud lion is now a gentle and tame young boy. Yes, I have loved before, enjoying the conscious realization of unexplainable feelings and value the very essential periphery of life.”

Let me put it this way, I’m foolishly, madly, desperately, vigorously, intimately, passionately, and most of all, truthfully in love with you. The fact that I’m in love with you this way, sets a difference with how I’ve loved before. The explicit and vulgar expression that I love you is so much that I irrationally detest my years of principled existence. I have never questioned the essential experience of bourgeoise love as much as enjoyable as it may seem, but with you, I don’t care anymore. I’ll do whatever I have to do, and set the standards of making you the love of my life.

To me, you’re like the epitome of goddess Athena, coming down to the mortal world and radiated me your everlasting beauty. You make me smile. You make me laugh. You make me giggle everytime you smile. You make me cry, not because of pain but out of the abundance of love you’ve given me. You make me sing, although I usually don’t sing. You make me twist and turn everytime before I go to bed, thinking would you be still there the next day? You make me gaze, a forever and ever gaze of your face so angelic and pure. You make me dream, wishing and hoping the dream would come true. You make me fly, up above the clouds to reach the heavens and enjoy your warm embrace. But most of all, you make me love, the love that only you can make. 

Now that this realization has come to its moral ground, let me raise this conscious act of loving again. The virtue of sacrificing everything just to have you is never comparable to the fact that you gave me a fraction of your life. I am nothing as compared to your other vestigial bandwagons. But you chose to stay. My insecurities can never compensate the success of the western wind to detest your insatiable vagrancies against me. The sensitive side of me rejoices as you remain fundamentally strong by my side. 

But I wonder, though, whether your concept of whirlwind romance still prevails between us or is this the culmination of your seriousness and fidelity? Sometimes, you make me think whether love is at its purest and absolution that encompasses us or is this plainly and purely empirical? I doubt, and I will doubt further. Not unless our vow of commitment penetrates the level of satisfaction between me, you, and everybody else. I want you mine, I want you mine bigtime! But I hardly see the conclusive generalization for this to feasibly happen. It’s as if I am crawling already among rugged stones just to reach and satisfy your demands. But I will never be tired, a kilometer or two, or even a mile and swim the vast oceans, just to have you. All I’m wanting is the exclusive isolation of loving me and me alone. Give me the confidence I’m asking and understand my complete human behavior of imperfection. 

Now and forever, I shall nurture this fact of emotional outburst and will forever be thankful for it. Let this kind of feeling grow amidst the failure of perfection and saturate within our hearts as we celebrate the love we both share. I know that we can make it, make it to the very last drop of sand in the hourglass and fulfill our passion of love. You know what we’ve gone through and you know what we need to go through. Hang on tight as we battle out rough seas and enjoy the roller coaster ride of the promise of love. I bow before you once again. I bow not because I adore you in its plainest content, but I bow before you out of respect and love. Stand by me as we face many challenges, holding your hands next to my heart, we will have the power of commitment that can forge unity and bind the majestic glory of love. 

I love you. No other three words can best this feeling. Love me as well, as I know you do and I know you will.

On the Global Financial Crisis

The essential question of how the Global Financial Crisis started and its subsequent effects to the different economies of the world can never be explained if we will not look into the dialectics of the success and failure of Capitalism and the policy of Neo-Liberal Globalization. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you a paradigm that will attempt to comprehensively answer the question “Is the Philippine economy strong enough to overcome this Global economic meltdown?”

Let me establish first the fact that no economy in the world, either a Capitalist or Marxist, that is not affected by the Global Financial Crisis. The US, being the number one Capitalist country in the world almost having the monopoly of supply and demand, import and export, is a vital world economy. It controls almost all markets in relation to trade and finance. It is therefore conclusive that this is the failure of the US led policy of Neo-Liberal Globalization. The effects of the Housing bubble, and its preceding dot-com bubble, was never imagined to be this devastating. The US being a finance oligarch has failed to answer or resolve this problem.

So the question is, should we still continue to become a US “puppet” economy or should we be dependent on our own industries? In answering this question, let us look into the dynamics of our own economy. Economists would say that our country is in the pre-industrial stage, where we are in the process of developing our own industries. But are we really in this advanced stage of development? If we look into our own industries, what kind of industries do we have that produces the real economic indicators? Or are we just simply producing raw materials for other export so that other countries can manufacture and return to our country as imports?

My friends, if we look into the dynamics of our economy, let us not be blinded by numbers and statistics alone. The real indicators are those which you can find in the countryside, peasants practicing backward methods of farming and workers engaging in basic industrial work. Let us look into our education and how it helps in the development of our country, is quality education be equated to vocational courses as how CHED and TESDA promote it to be? Let us look into our labor force, is underemployment and unemployment a factor for progress? Now, if our government boasts of the high GNP and GDP that the country has, is it because of our strong industries or because of millions of pesos our OFW’s remit to the country? Is it still another indicator on the Diaspora of people rather than staying and investing our country?

Now, before we become confident with the economy that we have, let us define our influence in global politics and economy. Let us define how we help the economy of the basic masses, let us look into how the government can help uplift poverty and rise above mediocrity. And let us think of real interest of the people rather than the interest of the few. In this time of a global phenomenon where we face an impending economic destruction, should we still attach ourselves with the most vulnerable economy or should we rise on our own development? Ladies and Gentlemen, think of our future! A pleasant morning to everyone!

Management 104

To my classmates in Management 104 as promised, here’s my report

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Development – is a planned step – by – step growth towards the perceived pre-set end.

 

2 Kinds of Development

 

1. Positive Development – from good, to better, to best
2. Negative Development – from bad, to worse, to worst

 

Organizational Development – is an intervention strategy that uses group processes to focus on the whole culture of an organization in order to bring about planned change.

 

CHARACTERISTICS:

 

1. Focus on the whole Organization – In order to achieve a strategic planned change a member or leader needs to have a holistic and integral overview of the entire organization
2. Systems Orientation – Active interactions of various parts of the organization; Familiarity of one department to another, Knowledge of the entire system of the organization
3. Use of Change Agent – People with the role of stimulating and Coordinating Change (Personntel Director, Supervisors). However, sometimes it is advisable and more effective to have an external agent to influence change
4. Problem Solving – Real On-going problems that requires “Action Research”
5. Experiential Learning – A process of learning by experience, interactions and by mistakes.
6. Group Processes – Group discussions, confrontations and procedures for cooperationo
7. Feedback – The process of evaluation and assessment
8. Contingency Orientation – the ability of the organization to be flexible to specific situations the organization encounters
9. Team Building – The process of integrating the elements of people, structure, technology and environment to the entire organization

 

STEPS/PROCESS OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

After performing the process of Decision Making:

1. Diagnosis of Needs
2. Collection of Data
3. Data Feedback
4. Action Planning
5. Team Building
6. Inter-group Development
7. Evaluation and Follow-up

Reference:

 

Andres, Tomas. Team Building and Creating effective work systems. New Day Publisher. Quezon City.1992

 

Davis, Keith. Human Behavior at work: Organizational Behavior.McGraw Hill

For any questions just leave a comment. Thanks.

Sa Luntian at Pulang Tanikal

(1st runner up winning piece during the Pahamapang 2008 “Sibol Competition”)

Dagundong at Sigaw, signos ng Pagbabago…

Bagsik at talis ng isipan, armas ng kamalayan… Makibaka… Huwag Matakot…

Ito ang uring sigaw na mapagpalaya, sigaw na siyang dala-dala sa luntian at pulang tanikala.

Mga saltik ng dila na tila’y walang katapusan, sa paghimagsik, patuloy pa rin ang laban.

Sa lansangan ng EDSA, Recto at Mendiola, mabagsik na panawagan ng iyong kabataang malapad ang kamalayan. Sa isang saglit, namulat ang isipan, sa mundong tila walang kasaganaan.

Ang bukod tanging Pamantasan, matalinhaga’t dakila. Pinagmulan ka ng mga bayaning makabayang, bayaning makabansa. Ang iyong angking galing ang siyang pumupugay, mapa – Pilipino man o dayuhan, sa sining man o agham. Na sa tuwing pagsilip ng araw, iyong pangalan ang siyang dumadalaw, sa aking isipan na nagbibigay buhay sa aking kamalayan. Kung kaya’t ang buong siglo mong kasaganaan ay iyong maipagmalaki magpakailanman.

Ngunit ano nga ba ang batayan ng tunay na kadakilaan? Ito ba ang buhay na dapat sundan?

Minsa’y napaisip ako kung ang Pamantasan ng Bayan ang siyang tagapagligtas ng mga suliranin ng ating lipunan! Kung siya rin ang lumuwal ng ating kasaysayan at siya ring bantay ng ating kalayaan. Ano nga ba ang hantungan ng ika-isandaang taon ng Pamantasan? Patuloy pa rin ba ang mungkahing pagbabagong katuparan? Sa dagliang tingin, tila makakayanan ang pagbabago ng dugmok na lipunan.

Subalit, aking napansin, na sa pagtuwid ng alon, yaong apoy unti-unting nilalamon ang dakilang rebolusyon. Na sana’y kandungin ka sa ulap ng unibersidad, siya pa ang nagsilbing ganid at tuluyang nagpasiklab. Inaabuso’t, namamatay ang iyong galing sa sistemang dulot ng pansariling angkin. Kunwari’y magagaling, kunwari’y matatapang yaong matatalinong Iskolar na kunwari’y pag-asa ng bayan. Sa kaniyang baluktot na kaisipan, tuluyang namanhid ang diwa ng pagiging makabayan.

Nasaan na ang pangako ng malayang Unibersidad, na sa pagdating ng araw, maging katwiran ka ng edukasyong dekalidad. Inaasahang ituwid ang baluktot na sistema at baguhin ang bulok na pulitika, iyong karanasan ang masilbing ilaw para sa taumbayan. Ngunit, aking napansin na imbes pagbabago ang hangarin, Tuition Fee Increase ang iyong idiniin. Ilang beses pilit baguhin, ilang beses ding pilit supilin. Ngunit itong tanikala patuloy pa ring hanap-buhayin. Ito ba ang biyaya ng kagalingan? O dulot lamang sa kagustuhang magpakilanlan?

Ngayon atin sanang isipin kung ano ba tanikalang dapat tahakin? Sa tanikalang may puso’t damdamin, sa pamantasang puno ng adhikain, kadakilaan pa rin ang sigaw at mithiin. Kung ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas ay sadyang pabaya, magiging dahilan ito sa kaniyang tuluyang pagkawala. Sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, ililibing sa limot at pagwawakas, sa nakaraang libong anino ng kamaong nakataas.

O, unibersidad ng bayan, ano nga ba ang pangako ng iyong ika-isangdaan? Sa kinabukasan, ang iyong Kabataan, sila raw ang pag-asa ng bayan. Sila raw ang maghahatid sa langit ng karangalan, o hihila sa kanya sa putik ng kahihiyan. Ngunit, kung ayaw mo silang tulungan, nararapat lamang na kami ang babangon at magpapatuloy ng himagsikan para sa kalayaang inaasam-asam.

Ayon na nga siguro na sa iyong ika-isandaang kaarawan, babalik at babalik kami sa mga lansangan. Upang ang iyong hangarin ng pagbabago ay makamit sa landas ng rebolusyon sasama kami at doon tutungo. Alam namin na sa pagdaloy ng buhay, ang kinagisnang kaginhawaan ay sa amin mahihiwalay. Sa iyong luntiang hangarin aming masilayan ang tamis ng iyong papawirin.

Iskolar ng Bayan… Tuloy pa rin ang laban…

Isangdaang taong isinisigaw, isang daan taong nangingibabaw…

Sa tanikalang luntian at pula, patuloy pa rin ang pakikibaka…

ACTIVISM, RAISING MY CONSCIOUSNESS

The first time I probably encountered the word activism was when I was still 5 y.o. But I had no idea what it meant or the significance of it. Both my parents were activists, my father was then the chairman of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in the entire PANAY region, while my mom was an advocate of women’s rights during her college years at The University of the Philippines in Diliman. They were both products of the Martial Law era that stirred a lot of idealist college students from the repressive Marcos regime. Despite of my parent’s active activism, I never knew they were actually both doing good in class. A friend of my mom once told me that she’s always absent from her classes just to attend rallies and integrate with the basic masses, but she would always top her class in all the exams and class recitations. My dad, on the other hand, had a knack for being the best student leader. He would convince students older than him to walk-out from their classes and demand for greater state subsidy on education and he does this with the consent from their professors. Sometimes, he would even invite their professors to go out with them in their rallies demanding for the increase in salary as the tuition fees would also soar high, one time, he even convinced their dean to go with them. My dad is also good in debates, he would usually argue with his professors about society and he usually wins it, one time, he even argued about the labor code with a lawyer and the lawyer was so amazed by his knowledge about the topic. My parents’ passion in serving the people did not end when they left their universities, rather they continued their commitment to become catalysts of change.

But this story is not about them, its’ about me…

Back when I was still in elementary, I always thought that activism is bad and it’s because of all the negative connotations of people about it. They say that if you’re an activist, you’re a communist and if you’re a communist, you’re a terrorist or an outcast of society. Well, whom am I to defy them? So, I believed them and had always thought that activism is really bad. I can’t blame my parent’s though, because my sister and I were usually left with our grandparents or my aunt and cousins when they’re not home. In school, when we talk about society in our HEKASI subject, I would always ask my teacher on why is there still corruption? Political harassment? Poverty? and why are there people, like my parents, who would always go out on the streets and shout their demands but no one even listens to them? And my teacher would answer, that’s because, coming from the old time phrase, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. But i was not convinced, I am not satisfied with that answer, I want to know why our country is still six feet below the ground compared to other countries who were worst than the Philippines before and during the Asian crisis. I want to know why are there people still suffering from poverty and economic crisis despite of their hard work, day and night, just to have one complete meal in a day. While there are also people who just sits in their air-conditioned offices, yet receiving a thousand times more than that of there laborers? Why is it necessary for a 7 year old kid to force himself work at the fish port and carry kilos of fishes at 2 o’clock in the morning, just to help his family contend from poverty, instead of going to school? Why are there farmers being killed or militarized, when they are already victims of massive land grabbing and were not given the promised land as stated in the comprehensive agrarian reform program or CARP? And why is it the government would just simply say that these people are too lazy and didn’t took the opportunity that education can given them, if in the first place the government didn’t do anything to make education affordable for all? I don’t think that a grade 6 student would not understand the irony in our political and social systems. With all these questions in ind, it really made me think of the harsh realities in our society.

I was in high school when my perception about activism has changed. I was invited to join the pioneer batch of the Junior Red Guards (JRG) and I was actually shocked to see that my childhood friends were my comrades in this organization. At first I though the JRG us just another extra-curricular club that can help me build my personality development, etc., etc. But is was wrong, historically speaking the red Guards of China played a very important role during the Cultural Revolution in rectifying the false ideas and wrong practices of the people. The from that time on, I had a 360 degree turn from being passive and dogmatic into being vibrant and dynamic. I am now an activist!

I was in second year high school that I realized by joining the JRG I can critically analyze the Philippine Society from the context rooted from the basic mass line and that is to serve the people. Constantly I joined rallies and big mobilizations, like that during the ouster of ERAP. I was in 3rd year high school that I became the chairman of the JRG, and as part of my responsibility, I had to compliment our actions with proper political guidance by constantly studying the Philippine society. A young as 15 y.o., I had my first encounter of Political Economy and the existing feudal system of the government. I was exposed to different lifestyles especially of the urban poor, farmers and of course the working class.

I had an experience in one of our basic mass integrations that I really felt the oppression and poverty brought about by the abandonment of the government’s responsibility in providing humanitarian and dignified living condition of the people, especially in the squatter’s area in our city. I joined my foster family in their everyday routine. We woke up at 1 o’clock in the morning and work loads of fresh caught fish from the port to the market and receiving only 10 pesos per load. By 6 o’clock, we had to go back home and do the household chores, washing, laundry, cleaning, etc. But its’ no easy task especially when there’s no ample supply of water and you’d have to fetch it at least two blocks away. Our breakfast is no little than half a piece of “pan de sal” and a cup of coffee. In the afternoon I had to go with my foster brothers to make an earning out of selling scraps of metal found at the port or by paddling a bicycle from the port to the market, or by simply helping our “Nanay” in vending lunch and snacks in the nearby universities and colleges. My experience in this exposure strengthened my foundation in the progressive movement. That is why I don’t believe when people say, the reason why these people remain in poverty is because of laziness. I believe that the most hardworking people are actually those I’ve met during my one-week integration with the urban poor, working their asses of day and night, yet receiving only a little less than a hundred per day. We can’t blame them if they can’t afford to go to school, because they had to work more than the time they can learn.

I graduated high school with a lot of achievements, I was the High School council president, managing editor of our school organ and president of various clubs and organizations. My involvement as an activist did not hinder me to achieve great things, and it has actually taught me ti be strong and confident. When I went to college, I immediately joined the LFS, aside from upbringing my father’s legacy, I believe that the LFS is one of the few student organizations that has a purpose and genuine sense of service. Tuition Fees, exorbitant fees and other ridiculous fees are the worst fear of the students, worse than receiving a grade of 5.0 or facing a terror teacher in your major subjects. And this was the challenge to the LFS, to counter demand the excessive increases of fees just to get quality education. This is nationalism for me and is far greater than any other foundations or institutions that gives only donations during calamities or disasters. Serving the people is uplifting them from the social status and we can only achieve it if we empower them with their skills and potentials. Through our collective efforts we can change society and we should let the working force be in the side of the students to transform our country.

My idea of activism is like you inside a well, what you see is only a big whole above, but in order for you to see the really beauty of the world, you need to go out of the well and discover for yourself the challenges life has to offer.

Our knowledge is nothing if we don;t apply it for the better good of the people, our potentials and skills are like raw meat that you have to cook first before savoring its taste. This is my idea of activism and I would like to share this to everyone.

The Rise of Reactionary Students

A response to the article ‘Decline of Radical Student Activism” by Ryan Recabar

http://johnryanrecabar.wordpress. com

It was a sunny day in the early week of June. Students are scurrying for their enrollment and freshmen students are wondering how to pass through the skewing process.

There was a boy, almost particularly vain and feminized in action, who is talking to a group of freshmen students waiting turns to pay for their enrollment fees.

The boy asked one of the girls, who was silent and almost trying not freak out because of the nerve racking enrolment process. “Ano STFAP bracket mo?” (What’s your STFAP bracket?)

The girl hesitantly replied, but almost ignored him out of embarrassment, “Ah, eh, bracket D” .

“What? Really? Poor family mo aw? (What? Really? Is your family poor?) The boy replied indignantly. But instead of minding the reaction of the boy, the girl just kept silent and waited for her turn. While the boy went to another group and rumored the unfaithful news he just heard.

Is UP really becoming an elitist? Is being elitist something wrong? Is UP forgetting the lessons from the past? Or is UP really being turned into a financial institution blinded by academic opportunities?

It really makes you a “someone” if either you’re a coño, elite, or a socialite. Walking along the hallways is different from being a “somebody”, whom everyone notices, from being a “nobody” where almost everyone doesn’t know you exist. Isolation is indeed a big problem especially for college life. However, the big question is neither popularity nor being friendly, the big question is, do people listen to you or not?

Some people say the advent of turning UP into an exclusive school for those who can afford has begun. Only the privileged ones can go to UP, and when we say “privileged” we mean those can pay. The UP as a premier state university is well applauded for her renowned academic excellence and academic freedom, two terms, which for decades made a difference from that of other academic institutions. Ideally, constituents inside the university are expected to follow as well. Being “Iskolars ng Bayan”, students are expected to perform at their best in whatever endeavors they desire.

But this is just a plain play-of-words and simple rhetoric, because UP is now seeing the degradation of critical minded students. When we say critical minded students, I’m not just referring to those who can articulate whatever issues may arise in the school, country or in the world. When I say critical minded students, these are students who can identify the demarcation line of what is being sensitive from arbitrary accusation because of some reactive emotions felt during a certain period of time. From those who silly-sally says they care for the students, well in fact, all they care about is how to be socially popular and well-known inside campus. From those who recruit fresh young blood because they say they are an elite group and a bastion of popular students. From those who say let the change continue but went on saying changing may take some time. And let time pass until change has become stagnant. From those who claim to be excellent but have isolated their mind inside a box, a box of standards and letting backward information consume their intellects. Are all these things make up what a critical minded student?

If other people say, let us work hand-in-hand with the government to let harmony reign among Filipino people. Have we forgotten the lessons of Edgar Jopson? An Atenista who felt the same thing, by writing a letter to the President of the Philippines, the youth can change the system. But by the principle of the ruling class and the semi-feudal and semi-colonial system, what Ferdinand Marcos replied is simply; “Why should I listen to you? You’re just a son of a grocer!”. Indeed, this is a thing from the past. But then again, are we undermining the capacity of our government leaders to THINK for themselves that the county is in deep shambles of economic and political crises?

If there’s one thing that we see as a problem right now, it is the reactionary thought of letting things be as they were and accept the fact of an unstoppable degradation of human dignity. Why worry things which we’re not affected with? Why fight against the government if we’re just students? Why would I sacrifice my time and effort in shouting in the streets in the name of some forsaken people if I can stay here in school and study, study, study? Indeed, the reactionary forces have risen to a new level of social influence. And it is a shame for these intellectual students to choose a path which they think is right.

It really is a sad thing that when we achieve a lot and gained the audience to listen for, we sometimes believe what we say is the ultimate truth. It doesn’t always conclude that when we graduate as cum laude, magna cum laude or even summa cum laude, we are always correct and have the right to mock at the freedom of the other people. Making judgments to people who fight for a cause Andres Bonifacio has started is blatantly and consciously arrogant.

Every one of us wants to become rich, right? We want to uplift ourselves and rise above the level of poverty! But the question is, at the cost of what or someone? The tuition fee increase is a very sensitive issue to the “Iskolars ng bayan” and even to the administration. People argue that the cost of education has risen relatively compared to that of the last increase in mid – `80s. However, you think simply at an angle where one sector is beneficial. Don’t you question where your money is? The taxes you’re paying for? The corruption this government has made? Think sensibly!

The rise of reactionary students is something activist shouldn’t be afraid of; it is something to be challenged with. What activists should be afraid of if the masses fail to understand the essence of the national democratic revolution.

Going back to that boy, pity that no Martial Law was declared in the present regime, and if so, you yourself can see the implications of what power struggle would mean. The rise of reactionary students is something activist shouldn’t be afraid of; it is something to be challenged with. What activists should be afraid of if the masses fail to understand the essence of the national democratic revolution. These so-called popular students are nothing more than just squirmy ants pestering on us everyday. Let our minds be focused on how to divert the attention to national issues and raise local issues to broader concept of mass movement. We may be small but our hearts are one with the people.

So let this discourse embark into a sea of debate and I challenge you only over a cup of coffee.