microcosm, macrocosm

Yes, it's time again. Actually I was debating if I should resurrect this blog. Given recent circumstances, I think a post here is timely. Thank God that finally I found some room to post this.

Part 1: The Microcosm

Freshman elections. I only realized that campaign season was on when one of my COE frosh friends sent a text message to everyone asking them to vote ________.

Not surprisingly, I did not really recognize anyone on either the TAPAT or SANTUGON slates. Still, the events of FE campaign week 09 are still the same things that I saw being played out when I was a freshman. Same cadence in RTRs. Same answers to national issues. Same lengthy resumes...we LaSallian really do begin leadership training at a young age. Still, I don't think freshmen are too young to begin learning to make cohesive platforms, and to pitch them to their batchmates. It's not that high school credentials don't matter when picking freshmen representatives. Though track records are a good thing, the point still is platforms and representation. Inasmuch as we need to train leaders, we also need to train participants. Can it be a challenge to the youngest leaders to find ways to get their batchmates involved beyond just the nominal levels of being listed under their batches?

For the first time this year, I saw what I consider an en masse disruption of RTR activity. Unfortunately for this freshman batch, the last day of campaigning happened to fall on the first day of the University's PAASCU accreditation. Now I am really not sure if this is disadvantageous, as seen by the RTR groups that had to postpone their classroom visits because of the presence of the accreditors. Or is it advantageous in the sense that the accreditors could have some first hand insight into how involved DLSU students can be in campus politics? I do hope they will not be disappointed.

Some of my freshman friends asked me, "Ate, do I have to vote derecho or straight?" I feel that this is one sign that we are teaching some of our freshmen to value "party loyalty" as a voting criterion more than actual ideology or platforms. Sometimes these kids feel they have no choice in the matter of voting: it's either yellow and blue, or red and orange. It need not be always the case. While it may be nice to see sweeps in the various college assemblies, it need not be at the expense of truly informed choice.

One sign of hope though: while discussing these things with my friends, one guy said, "Ate, di ko alam kung sino pa ang iboboto ko...pero basta, boboto ako!". Now there's something for you: no pressure with parties as of yet. But a need to exercise his right of suffrage? Yes!

Part 2: The Macrocosm

Botong Lasalyano! Sulong Pilipino!. This campaign was launched just a week ago. I really wish I could have blogged about this during the actual campaign, but I had no way of doing so till tonight.

I wasn't really planning to attend the launch, actually. I just happened to find my way blocked to the central plaza, where I usually hang out with my friends from one of my orgs. However, Mr. Lysander Rivera and Ms. Amelia Galang saw me trying to circumvent the cordon, and suggested that I attend the gathering. Thank God I sat in. Though the program consisted mostly of addresses from various officials in the DLSU community and the national scene (even Mike Enriquez of GMA-7!), it was good in the sense that we young people may have gotten some insight into the importance of our role as voters.

So the aim is to get almost all DLSU students of voting age to register. I think this is probably one of the best initiatives I have seen from the SC this year. With the multipronged approach (RTR, pin selling, TV coverage)I think a good part of the DLSU community was reached. Personally, my favorite part was the pin selling, proceeds of which went to the One La Salle scholarship fund. These button pins begin with "Gusto kong bumoto para sa..." and list causes such as kalikasan, kabataan, kababaihan, sining, katotohanan, karapatan, edukasyon, LGBT, kalusugan, and others. Pick your advocacy anyone? My buddies and I got 3 to 4 pins each, and lined them all up on our bags.

I hope that after the registration phase of the campaign that the SC will engage is some voter's ed. We had a Kamalayan forum some months back (featuring Juana Change), and perhaps we can have another one. Invite the presidentiables? Senatoriables? Or anyone worth listening to?

And since the school is covered in yellow...

It's pretty amazing how many of us young people can really feel something about the passing of Corazon Aquino. Most of the students in residence in DLSU were not born in 1986 (probably all of batch 106 was not even conceived yet). Yet many of us students were either raised by parents who knew how it was to be on EDSA. Otherwise we heard of it from school. Maybe we will never fully understand how it was to be facing up to the Marcos regime. We probably never will. That doesn't mean though that we cannot honor one of our nation's prime movers. Not just by wearing yellow. Not just by attending her funeral procession. Carrying on the legacy she left would be the greater honor.

Panahon natin ito.