The Duterte administration succeeded in shifting the attention of student activists from the pandemic to “peripheral issues,” a political science professor said on Monday, Nov. 23.
“Tingin natin yung aktibismo sa Pilipinas, yung mga nagrarally lang. We should break from that mold,” he said.
Prof. Anthony Andrew Divinagracia, who is from the University’s Department of Political Science, said these peripheral issues include ABS-CBN’s shutdown, the controversial Manila Bay white sand project, and the Anti-Terrorism Law.
“This is unnecessary. These are part of what we call the unnecessary action,” Divinagracia said during a webinar on youth and pandemic.
While he believes that student activism is a part of the country’s political development, Divinagracia stated that activism in the Philippines is “too templated” and should be changed.
“Tingin natin yung aktibismo sa Pilipinas, yung mga nagrarally lang. We should break from that mold,” he said.
“May mga aktibista rin in their own little way, they are striving for change,” he added.
Dissent is not necessarily wrong, according to Divinagracia. However, he argued that “emotional outbursts” should still be accompanied by reason and refinement of one’s “brand” of activism.
‘Still on top priority’
Some student activists refuted Divinagracia’s claim, saying those peripheral issues are connected to the pandemic as far as their campaign framework is concerned.
“The campaign framework [of progressive groups] shows that all of these issues are connected with each other but it puts the pandemic on top of the priorities,” Anakbayan member Gene, not her real name, told TomasinoWeb.
Kabataan Partylist member Paulino, not his real name, stated that they have been calling for mass testing and a safe return to physical classes in dealing with the pandemic.
“While it is true that the recent typhoons landed a devastating blow on the masses, we still have the pandemic in mind when it comes to organizing and giving relief efforts,” Paulino told TomasinoWeb.
Both emphasized the importance of student activism amid pandemic, stressing that it “exposed the rotten system” of the society as masses continue to die and suffer on the hands of the “incompetent government.”
“The call to be organized is strengthened during these times since every day… [T]he goal as we end this pandemic is to end this oppressive system as well,” Paulino said.
League of Filipino Students member Chloe, not her real name as well, described activism as a counter-check and wake up call.
“Without activism, the government can manipulate itself against the people rather than [be] pro-people. It can manipulate itself to serve for their own interests rather than the masses’ interests,” Chloe told TomasinoWeb.
The webinar series, “Quaranteen: Narratives of the Filipino Youth Amidst a Pandemic: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities,” was organized by the UST Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts and Letters, and UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung-Philippines.
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