At the University of the FUBAR Nation
“My legs were weary; sweat dripped, and my voice from chanting slowly faded. Pero grabe kasi’ yong emosyon na at this point in time, andun’ yong rush of anger and courage” (But my emotions then were just that intense, there was a rush of anger and courage), cried Jamil Callabes, a 20-year-old Public Administration student at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
The fire inside the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus has reached a burning fervor that has left many speechless: rarely does the UP Office of the Chancellor (or any UP administrator, for that matter) publicly exclaim their endorsement of university-wide walkouts.
Megaphones soared through the walls of sound that were the thousands of students participating in the walkout, eventually leading to a final protest at Palma Hall, home of the UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP).
Students’ cries for their respective advocacies resonated in every corner of the campus and beyond. “The atmosphere was a bittersweet moment. I could feel the frustration and anger at corruption,” recounted Jamil.
By the time afternoon came, the facade of Palma hall was already filled with students shouting: “Iskolar ng Bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!”—an ageless and favored chant during protests.
Students opened their umbrellas as the rain began to pour, while members of student publications, local media, and the national press continued to arrive en masse. Banners and flags blotted the sky as onlookers watched and supported the protest from afar.
Some expressed a sense of optimism. “It's about time,” said Samuel ‘Bene’ Gayondato, a 19-year-old philosophy student in UP Diliman. “I walked away with a renewed sense of commitment to continue the fight—magpapatuloy ako sa pagdalo sa mga mobilisasyon” (I'll continue to join the mobilizations), said Jamil.
Whereas Ron Dexter Clemente, current student regent of the UP System Board of Regents, had the following to say:
“Naway magsilbi itong inspirasyon sa mga Iskolar ng Bayan sa lahat ng mga units, o sa lahat ng mga kabataan na estudyante- ipakita natin yung laksang lakas ng kabataan, at sana ay na-ignite ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan ng UP Diliman-ng five thousand students na nagwalk out sa kanilang mga klase ngayong araw, ang diwa ng militanteng paglaban ng mga kabataan kontra inhustisya sa lipunan.”
(Hopefully this serves as inspiration to the Scholar of the Nation from every unit, or even every young student- let’s show the absolute strength of the youth, so that the Scholars of the Nation of UP Diliman-those five thousand students who all walked out of their classrooms today, may ignite upon the youth the spirit of anti-injustice in our society.)
Others, however, remain cynical about the nation's current condition. “Fucked Up Beyond All Repair” (FUBAR) was the description given by journalist Roberto Coloma, a UP alumnus and former editor-in-chief of The Collegian.
Nevertheless, the students—though soaked from the rain—remain undampened in spirit, entering Palma Hall and singing “UP Naming Mahal” before the official end of the protest. Afterwards, the students commemorated the occasion with group photos and videos with their respective student organizations, before returning to their respective classes, ready to fight another day.
This marks another development in the unfolding saga of our nation—and with each new story, another domino falls.
Sean Cruz is an Economics undergraduate at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila. As a social scientist, he uses his knowledge of economics to address contemporary social issues and bring criticism to the immoral, unethical, and irrational.