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It has been two long years since the historical event placed the Philippines into the limelight and demonstrated the exceptional intrepidity of the youth, loaded with the spirit of courage and armed with prayers in ousting a corruptor.
I was on my way home when the NO votes on the impeachment trial was revealed. A feeling of disappointment and sadness filled me. Less than an hour after I got home, my classmates phoned me to request the boycott of our class by tomorrow to attend a mass rally. Despite of anger and disappointment, I said to her NO. Nothing was in my mind and I didn’t know what to do.
On that morning, different departments and colleges had pledged their support to boycott the class while we were at the classroom discussing my major subjects. After the class I went to the office of my organization and found out that they had been discussing all about the 11 – 10 verdict on the impeachment trial. When they asked me about my stand, I told them we had to rely on our lawmakers and we really had nothing to do with it.
I must admit that I suppressed myself to not be involved in that kind of political tension, as my parents always told me not to join as such. But so long as I excluded myself to the struggle of our nation to regain its lost democracy, there is still a burden in me to shout of what I really want to do. I’d be a hypocrite if I said that there were never times in my life when I dreamed of becoming a nation's leader. And inherent in such a big dream is the love of country. But now, I’m here denying the real desire in me? “It’s not right!” I told myself. That huge imagination helped me to intensify my desire to fight for our freedom. And that struggle must begin in my heart. Paranoid as I may seem, the next morning I decided to campaign for a Voice It program to express the opinion of current issues.
On the 20th of January, we (my classmates and I) decided to wear black. We are eager to join the youth rally as we went along the road to Mendiola, and we are given stickers by those people who also went to join the rally. It was a moment of shared grief and also a moment to find strength in friends. All I noticed was that the majority of faces were young like my own, shouting their collective plea for justice. It was my first time to join a mass action and it was a great one. And I sensed that something more was in store for me.
As we got closer and closer to Mendiola, nobody really knew what would happen next. And simultaneously on EDSA, they were also waiting for Ex-President Estrada to leave the Malacañang. Some celebrities like veteran actor Pen Medina who were supposed to work beside us shook our hands. It was the time when students and professionals share in their collective feeling. Others were dancing and singing. It was a very special time for the youth of our country who never stopped believing that we would answer the fight for a brighter tomorrow.
Now, it was just one of the memorable events in my life. Time will pass and tears will fall, but these pleasurable experiences of mine will always be the portrait of a new revolution. I’d rather have a million times of this battle than to stay in my classroom, without acting. The real meaning of my obligation to my country is as a youth who will participate in nation building. As they say, that there is no substitute for truth and justice. One thing I believe is that we are one of the most notable segments of the population in the country, and we are most eager to realize our purposes, and that we are the youth of today.
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Rodolfo L. Magaru Jr.
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