Written by M. Llaneta
Artwork by F. Angeles and A. Llaneta
It’s been a tough few months. A pandemic, further intensified by a weak healthcare system, has wreaked havoc on communities all around the country and has rendered many public services unavailable, or inaccessible. Government officials have failed to provide adequate support and compensation to those who need it: frontliners, essential service workers, and the poor. There have been numerous attacks on our democracy and free speech. It’s overwhelming, I know. With the rise of these new challenges has also come the rekindling of student activism. More and more, we see members of the youth speaking out and taking a stand, both in our country and all over the world.
However, student activism isn’t something that has only now arisen. Granted, modern technology has opened up new opportunities and avenues for people to contribute to causes and voice out their manifestations, but student activism has been part of our history as a nation for years. It was our students who, back in 26 January, 1970, gathered to protest as former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos gave his fifth State of the Nation Address, and again four days later, during the historic Battle of Mendiola. More and more protests and demonstrations were led by the youth of that time, which would be known to this day as the First Quarter Storm. Even further back, our independence is accredited to heroes who were only young adults when they began fighting for our nation’s independence from colonizers and imperialists.
Again and again, though, students are told to focus on their education rather than immerse themselves in politics and governance. Often red-tagged and discredited, student activists willingly face challenges onin the streets and in their homes. This is especially true for girls, who are made to understand that their only virtue is in being aesthetically pleasing or in being a good mother and wife. Women have been silenced and erased from history for too long. This toxic patriarchal mindset is even more prevalent in low-income communities, where a lack of accessible quality education ensures that traditionalist mindsets stick around. This, as well as so many other issues, needs to be addressed, and that's why we protest. Many still don't understand what activism truly is about, and what it aims to do. That's why it’s time to look beyond the placards, and beyond the cries of “Makibaka! H’wag matakot!”
Beyond crying out for justice, activism is education. Activism is understanding concepts beyond the scope of your privilege and the cultural context you grew up in. Activism is constantly educating yourself about the plight of the masses, the oppressed, and the minorities. With every new issue, and with every new concern, comes something new to learn about. Activism is constant growth, constant analysis, a constant challenge to connect what you’ve learned within the four walls of the classroom to the very real people whose lives are affected. It's expanding your horizons so you can reach out to those who need you—farmers, workers, the poor, indigenous peoples, women and girls, children, the LGBTQ+ community, and the poor. While activism can be destructive and is often viewed as such, it's also about building a better world and better systems that will serve the people. It's about providing opportunities, and teaching people to think critically. Activism is creation. It is education. It is passion.
So to every girl who reads this, I can only say to you:
Abante! Babae! Palaban! Militante!
Sources:
Jr, Reynaldo Santos. "TIMELINE: First Quarter Storm." Rappler. February 27, 2014, https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/51292-timeline-first-quarter-storm.
Palafox, Queenie Ann J. " The Role of Student Activism in the Philippine Independence." National Historical Commission of the Philippines. September 08, 2015, http://nhcp.gov.ph/the-role-of-student-activism-in-the-philippine-independence/.
ABS-CBN News. "The 7 Deadly Protests of the First Quarter Storm." ABS. February 28, 2020, https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/02/24/20/the-7-deadly-protests-of-the-first-quarter-storm.
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