DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A chorus of chants from young people holding handwritten placards filled Orcullo Park, which showed that a sizable number of participants in Davao’s protest rally against corruption held last September 21 came from students of Davao universities.
The rally organized by Citizens Rage Against Corruption drew hundreds of participants including activists, religious, teachers, Martial Law survivors and most of all the youth.
They come from University of Mindanao, University of Southeastern Philippines, Ateneo de Davao University, University of the Philippines – Mindanao, Holy Cross College of Davao among others, representing organizations and student councils, making their statement in creative forms from speeches, poetry, songs and even punk-style dancing,
Their energy and presence in the rally showed that as students and as young Filipinos, they are seeing themselves as catalysts of change in a country shaken with corruption and repression.
For now, their learning brings them to the streets, with a responsibility to act, question and confront the realities beyond the academic classroom and learn what affects the country and their communities.
“Being a student is not confined to an echo chamber, it’s already a form of activism. Even in the education crisis, we are striving for greater heights, even though the system itself oppresses and represses us,” said CJ, a student from UP Mindanao.
“Mobs, picket rallies, they serve as an alternative school because there, you hear, you learn the real struggles of the real Filipinos.” added Sabel, a student from Ateneo de Davao University who attended the rally.
CJ, Sabel and the rest of the students heard from leaders of sectors talk of how government corruption has affected their community. She noted the presence of teachers, church people, people working in industries, grounded the youth of the lived experiences of the people.
“Everything in life…. you don’t just learn in school. Everything you do in life is supplementary to what you learn,” observed Jal and AG, two alumni members of Ateneo who joined the rally.
The students said that showing up at rallies is an important step to understand the struggles of the Filipinos.
“Through these rallies or student involvement, just by showing up, you’re already there acknowledging, or even if you don’t show up, you feel the guilt of what the Filipinos are struggling for. Just by showing up here, it’s essential because we’re voicing the problems we’re experiencing,” Sabel stressed.
“As a student, you should extend the knowledge you gain from school and your education to the community, especially when it comes to politics, and because your knowledge is power, and your voice can be the voice of other people,” added Marie, a student of the University of Mindanao.
Beyond rallies, action
While rallies spark awareness and solidarity, these youth also acknowledge that this would not suffice to address their grievances. For them, real change must be pursued through policy engagement, lobbying and collective action.
“Personally, I don’t think rallies would suffice for change, although it really is a big help since it is a big eye-opener to the public, but I feel like more research and different institutional policies should be studied since it would give us a lot more options than just doing rallies, and the more options, the better for us to fight against corruption,” Marie explained.
“If we do not show up here in the streets, this wouldn’t equate to a policy lobbying. Our government officials or people in power won’t be able to see this if we do not let them know through here,” CJ added.
“Change is not linear. It’s a process. And by joining these rallies, we’re actually sparking change not only in our students, but in the masses themselves,” she added.
In the aftermath of the nationwide protests, some lawmakers and policy advisers have pushed for more measures of transparency in government contracts, auditing and government officials’ SALN reports and reforms such as passing the Ant-Dynasty Law.
The rallies joined by the youth has been a continuing learning experience, with every step in the streets, every voice raised, every issue they take a stand, contributing to a larger struggle — an unfolding social transformation where they embody the motto: ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.(davaotoday.com)
