"Katipunan notes"
(Or seeing those who trying to go beyond
from their pampered settings)
Started on a balmy afternoon somewhere at Quezon City, students from various schools converged in the main throroughfare for a "deviant" kind of action.
That instead of "heartbroken"-driven monolouges and personal rants, these students rather voiced out a national opinion such as opposing the controversial burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the "Heroes' Cemetery."
Quite deviant for today's setting, thinking that not all students, or millenials care to talk about politics or national issues. And some would even shrug it off in favour of something that pleases them like parties or stormy relationships, what more of getting tired of seeing a flood of posts regarding the pros and cons of that goddamn burial to those of Martial Law and its questioned legacy.
But for this person and others concerned, the issue has to go beyond from the feud between the ones in bright reds* from Batac and the mellow yellows from Tarlac; that the burial has to do with the system and its treatment of those times given that they both scoffed and benefited from it.
For in the end, all of them still represents the order deemed dilapidating if not rotting and has to be dismantled. Be it from the Aquinos, Marcoses, or even Duterte, they all swore to protect the old order while trying to accommodate those from the people, particularly those who voted as their presidents. But come to think that although one after another did spoke against the oligarchs or promised for agrarian reform, then how come names like Jaime Zobel de Ayala or Henry Sy dominated? Or how come haciendas like those of Luisita or Looc exist? These situations means a call for people from all walks of life to assert the alternative, and in it does not limited to ballot boxes nor press releases from elected officials; for today's democracy has to be laocratic in character, what more of becoming bayanicratic!
And also to thinj that having a youth that is aware from its surroundings meant an attempt for an awakening, if not a spring after a winter of almost forgetfulness, simply because they sought the realities of life and has to confront in the spirit of asserting a righteous and just society rather than moving on and think as if nothing matters to their hedonistic lives with some smattering of idealism that is, limited to their mere personal desires.
That in seeing them at those recent events, or perhaps at earlier ones such as upholding human rights to those of scrapping yearly tuition increases, isn't it nice that they voice out a societal rant in front of the streets far from the usual heartbreaking nonsense in front of those drinking coffee or beer? In fairness life, no matter one is trying to escape from it, will always be affected by politics be it from the prices of goods at thr supermarket to those of cellphone load for some free data in Facebook; and also to think thsr if democratic processes is for the adult if not limited to those of suffrage, and worse, seeing same old bullshit, then will the youth remain contented in its apathy?
Perhaps soon an alleged "concerned citizen" will lobby that voting age has to be 35 or even 40. For 18 or even 25 is too young and meant to be in their fantasies.