The youth and the most unpopular president
It was probably the largest anti-Arroyo youth mobilization I’ve been to. Thousands of students from dozens of high schools, colleges and universities in Metro Manila, including several hundreds from UP Diliman, converged at Plaza Miranda and marched together towards Mendiola to air the youth’s collective and justified grievances against the Arroyo administration.
My day started mildly with an interview together with Airah at the Office of Student Affairs as a requirement for recognition of STAND-UP. Then we went back to Math Building to speak with students who have themselves walked out, and invited them to join the protest at Palma Hall and at Mendiola.
Before noon, dozens of students marched from the Math Building and the National Institute of Geological Sciences Building to join the hundreds of other students at Palma Hall lobby for a brief program before we all boarded jeepneys to Espana, Manila.
From Espana, the UP Diliman contingent were joined by hundreds of students from nearby high schools and colleges, and students from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Together, we marched along Quezon Boulevard, amidst some cheers and confetti from pedestrians and residents along the road, all the way to Plaza Miranda where the main program of the protest was held.
For around two hours we all chanted and listened to impassioned speeches from representatives of schools and universities, even from the largely bourgeoisie Ateneo de Manila, to sectoral representatives from Bayan Muna, Kabataang Pinoy Party and other mass organizations. At half past four, we all started to march in thousands to Mendiola.
By the time we all got to Morayta in front of Far Eastern University (FEU), the police unleashed their fire truck water canons and tried to disperse the thousands-strong warm bodies by pushing us back. It was agitating. It was the first time I volunteered to to join the front-liners to break through the police barricade. I’ve never felt so angry and agitated in a rally before. As we were linking arms, pushing and shoving against the policemen who were pushing us back, I wanted to burst and scream. All we had were our unarmed selves, our principles and our justified calls. And to that, the Arroyo administration answers back, not with long-term and genuine pro-people solutions, but intensified forms of repression and military intelligence operations against the youth in campuses across the country.
I’ve never felt more resolved in my involvement in the youth movement.
(Fine, to appease those who fear I might default on my studies, I’ve never been more resolved in pursuing law studies having realized how this administration has continually used the legal system and its technicalities to oppress and repress dissent, and maintain its hold on to power. I’ve never been more resolved realizing that the high cost of law studies, even in UP, has made it even more exclusive to those who can afford it, and are fortunate enough to have connections, to the detriment of the people who need legal education the most).
Agitated as we were, we decided to march back towards Espana and held a noise barrage amidst cheers from motorists and pedestrians. We were joined by contingents from COURAGE and MIGRANTE.
This President is a dead duck after 2010. If you still believe she will willfully hand over the administration to the next leader, you better think again. To survive beyond 2010 and all the cases that will definitely come her way, this President will simply not step down, unless it is certain the next administration will protect her. Such she knows we will not allow either in the next elections, (if there will be a national election two years from now). Friends, there’s no other way but to oust this corrupt and fascist administration. There’s no better time than now. Pinning our hopes on genuine change in 2010 is almost plain naivete.
And while she and her family spends our money, amassing billions of pesos from her family’s monopoly on government contracts and other such kickbacks, millions of Filipinos continue to fall below the poverty line amidst a worsening economic crises that has affected and has cut through all classes and sectors in society (except her family and cohorts, of course).
Kabataan, hindi na tayo pag-asa ng bayan. Inaasahan na tayo ng sambayanan.
[Pictures from Jonna Baldres]
Tags: corruption, economic crises, Gloria Arroyo, Manila, political dissent, political repression, rally, STAND UP, Youth Act Now, youth sector
“Kabataan, hindi na tayo pag-asa ng bayan. Inaasahan na tayo ng sambayanan.”
This is very true! The Filipino people is in dire need of the youth who will stand up against the anti-people policies and misdeeds of this corrupt regime!
Collectively, we can bring change, genuine change!
Join the SONA ng Bayan on July 28.
I only wished we were able to join you during that day. Eventually we will.
Nanatiling kasama ninyo ang mga estudyante sa DLSU-D sa mga layuning makapaglingkod sa bayan.
“sa banggaan ng interes, sa salungatan ng mga ideya, sa panahon ng digmaan, hindi katwiran o dahilan ang kawalang malay”
kabataan, paglingkuran ang sambayan, kumilos, makibaka sumama sa tunay na SONA ng bayan–July 28, 2008
If you could replace Gloria with any living Filipino you know, who would you replace her with? What kind of characteristics would you want from this person?
Leading questions I know, but as the rally shows a positive turnout, I can’t help but keep in mind why I’ve never supported an only rightist movement (propaganda galore) or ultra leftist movements (proof for example that reading through your blog I have not yet seen mention of any positive thing to come from her, would this mean that she has not done anything positive or would this mean you refuse to accept that such is possible?).
OK, to try to understand what the rally is fighting for, I’d like to go to the thesis presented by the rally - If we remove Gloria, then the economy will improve. If we remove Gloria, then UP will get a bigger budget. If we remove Gloria, then poverty will be reduced. If we remove Gloria, UP will not be commercialized. (and so on)
Already for me it seems that removing Gloria does not resolve any of these problems, in fact it will just install a far more incompet… less than desirable president. In my opinion, these problems are functions of far reaching and far complex problems: The economy’s performance depends on a multitude of factors (balancing her Fiscal policy and the BSP’s monetary policy seems to be so sound); The UP budget passes through the hands of lower house and congress and it is there where such cuts are most likely to occur. (and so on)
Therefore if replacing Gloria is a short term solution what should we do? People power? But would not another people power just show that Filipinos lack the foresight or intelligence to vote (and consequently protect their vote) for a president they actually want. (law question: if we collectively vote that none of the candidates for president are viable, what does the constitution provide?)
Anyway, if at this point you’re asking if I am pro-Gloria or anti-Gloria, then you probably missed the point. I am neither because I am pro-Filipino, I support Gloria for projects that cause long term sustainable growth (Infrastructure investment, Fiscal Policy, Transparency, Deficit management) and I am against her for projects that are ludicrously short term (Electricity subsidies, Food subsidies, focusing on short term capital investments like Call Centers). I support things that make long term sense for the Filipino people and I am highly critical and more inquiring on things that do not contribute to the future of this country.
My point is this, if we want this country to better, if I want to pin my hopes that the country will improve by 2010, we need to start changing ourselves. Mogley did get it right in his (her?) comment above: collectively, we can bring change, genuine change. And everyday I will make sure it starts with me.
Wrong mindset Peter.
This isn’t about Gloria as a person. This is about changing what Gloria as a president represents: a bulok government standing for the interests not of the many but of a few oppressors and foreign monopolies.
When we say Oust GMA, we say kick out the rep of a corrupt government. We say no to a puppet republic. We say no to betrayal of the people’s interests. When we say Oust GMA, we say fight for a society which is genuinely free, prosperous and peaceful.
As a UP student and alumni, I’m wondering how you can say that the mindset is wrong? Is it because it doesn’t agree with your philosophy or because it’s logically flawed?
Based on your statement, when we kick out GMA there will be no more “rep” of a corrupt government? How so? Will kicking out GMA kick out each corrupt government official? Would it not install just another corrupt official in her place? Would kicking out GMA ensure that there will be no more corruption in Customs? in BIR? in DPWH? in PNP? (and so on)
When we kicked out Erap and sent him to jail and successfully prosecuted him, should we not have shown the world that we have learned our lessons on corruption? Should we not have shown the world that we can legitimately prosecute a corrupt official? Shouldn’t we have already shown the world that we know what due process is?
Why not instead rally the Department of Justice for more justices and judges to prosecute such corrupt practices?
Why not instead rally the Sandiganbayan and the PCGG to do their job more effectively?
Why not rally your congressmen and representatives to pass laws that heavily (and effectively) penalize corruption?
Why not rally congress and the lower house to prosecute GMA for the crimes that she has committed?
Is this not how we should fight against corruption? Is this not how we can oust a corrupt president?
Why not instead vote for a president that fits your best criteria in 2010? In 2010, why not ask the LFS to go out in numbers and vote and to volunteer to protect our country’s vote? Is this not how we fight for a genuinely free, prosperous and peaceful country?
Changing the president, fighting corruption, all this starts with each Filipino. If each Filipino voted for the president that represents our stand on corruption then we have achieved our goal of genuine change. If each Filipino had the characteristics that embody the fight for corruption, then we can go about each day and be sure that there will be no corruption in Customs, in BIR, in DPWH, in PNP …in our country.
In my opinion, this is how we solve a bulok government and this is how we change a president. It starts with me, with you, with each one of us.
Who said ousting the President will solve each and every one of our society’s problems? No one ever said it is the end-all of the campaign for genuine change. But removing the President from office will definitely provide the democratic space that is needed to implement policies that will genuinely alleviate the country’s current situation. Expecting such reforms, all that you’ve mentioned, to come from this administration is plain naivete, really. It is exactly her who willfully fails to stop them and worse, perpetuates all the ills you’ve just mentioned.
The individualistic approach of changing the system and demonizing collective and militant action is, I’m sorry to say, the same things pro-Arroyo propaganda are harping. It’s like calling on people to mind their own businesses and shun any thought of collective action. It only serves to keep people’s minds off the kind of corruption the administration is doing. It only serves the purpose of preserving the status quo. Individual efforts must be translated into collective action.
Waiting for 2010 is probably something that is very easy for you, and me, living in relative comfort, to say, but for millions of Filipinos who continue to suffer under this administration, the urgency is burning strong. Telling people to wait it out borders on being insensitive.
History will tell you that your style of changing the kind of system we have will NOT work in the long run.
[...] From Victor Villanueva of Bikoy.net [...]