Chained, Tied in Strings

The youth is paralyzed.

Very often, the media portrays adolescents and teenagers holding placards with blunt literature who scrape the streets in opposition to the present administration. It demonstrates a clear picture of political activism, telling that the youth is so much involved in political and social issues. But in truth, the majority of the youth is secluded from concerns of society. Only the activist groups show some signs of violent uprising. Nonetheless, very little change is effected.

Once, President Ferdinand Marcos permitted student protests in the streets without restraints. Even then, more and more students joined the mass rallies against local elite. Thus, on Sept. 1972, Marcos declared Martial Law to suppress the impending “social outburst”. However, more than three decades later, the chains that the ex-president tied remains.

In the Philippines, Marcos’ chains became patented to the current government. Political killings, media killings, death threats - all of which share strength of the binding power of fear. Fear is implanted into the culture, aiding those concerned motionless/actionless. This leads to youth passivity that eventually allows imperialism, feudalism and capitalism to take over the society. Today, our gloomy conditions continue to perpetuate an oppressive system of government.

On one hand, some groups resist the system through “diplomacy”, while others prefer mass protests and violence. Either way, all appear to be ineffective in toppling down an inverted Malacanang. From such criticism, may we strengthen national democracy and empower the national democracy can only be achieved through “the reformation of political and economic conditions.”

However, it seems that reformation is far from real. Anomalies plague the social theater, as villains are more likely to conquer. The youth will never be motivated to act since the system they are in is never motivating. Cited are three conditions that prevent youth action and highlight the country’s backwardness:

First, there is hate that emanates from within each individual, against the rotting government system. Graft and corruption pollutes our politics. The citizens in turn are the ones who suffer from the politicians’ greed.

Secondly, the prevailing political problems continue to exist and show no signs of ceasing. Filipinos, especially the young ones, get sick and tired of the spiraling cycle of election-regime-impeachment-reelection. One would expose an issue of corruption then the government will dismiss it. Another would reveal political misconduct, which would eventually be left unsolved. It is as if the government is unwilling to resolve its own internal decay.

Third, it seems that the youth see no hope in procuring such motivating conditions. If they do so in taking resistance, it is only short term and superficial; still, the strategies fail. A frightening system excavates a hopeless and helpless youth. Clearly, a manipulative string can tame a marionette into passivity and docility.

Perhaps, the reason why student resistance feels lukewarm, despite the flagrant militarization of select urban and rural areas by a “creeping Martial Law”, is that Martial Law itself is undeclared. Does the youth need to be set behind bars before it acts out on itself? When it decides to move and alarm the masses, it could be too late.

We cannot let these ‘chains and strings’ incarcerate us. History would illustrate how the youth became an indispensable catalyst for change. Now that the present political system is intensifying its campaigns of a “theatrical Philippines”, the students are called upon to formulate new modes of participation. In this world, “to remain passive is a grave transgression.”