al lagman sr

7/21/2019 Al Lagman SR

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ONE UP, ONE FIGHT!

Uniting a Democratic Studentry in Responding to Contemporary and EmergingChallenges in the University and Beyond

Presented by

Angelo A. Lagman, Student Regent Nominee

IV-BA Communication Research



“I remember (wo)manning the barricades in front of the Faculty Center

with other students and faculty members. Long metal tubes attached tothe huge LPG tanks used in the Chemistry department transformed the

tanks into flame throwers. These and the self-igniting molotovs (there wasno need to light the molotov prior to throwing them) created by Physicsprofessors were our defensive weapons in case the military entered UP

again. We stayed 24 hours at the barricades sustained by food brought inby the residents of the communities around UP. I was particularly touchedby the hot pan de sal delivered to us one early morning by the owner of asmall bakery. The communards, as we called ourselves then, were ecstatic

when low flying air force helicopters fled after students using theEngineering and AS rooftops as launching pads released lighted kwitis

against the invaders of UP’s airspace. DZUP became the Tinig ng MalayangKomunidad ng UP Diliman with student announcers taking turns to give

updates on the situation in UP, commentaries on the Marcos governmentand playing the infamous tape of Marcos purportedly singing

“Pamulinawen” to Dovie Beams, an American starlet rumored to have anaffair with the President. Bandilang Pula, the paper of the Diliman

Commune, came out published by the students using the printery of theUP Press.

These bits and pieces are not sufficient for they do not do justice to thehistoric event that was one of the defining moments of my UP generation.

”

-Prof. Judy M. Taguiwalo, Notes on the 1971 Diliman

Commune1

History has unceasingly become witness to definingmoments showcasing the overwhelming strength of a peopleunited in achieving a common goal. People who hail fromdifferent geological domiciles, political views, social standings

and economic classes are inevitably drawn to realize a singleend and, with actions to substantiate their hearts, make onedefinite stroke to change the unacceptable.

The story of the Diliman commune is a story exactly likethat. The past, whether recorded in history or not, has again andagain been the time of harmony in discord, of unity amidstdiversity – of action in spite of repression. The People PowerRevolt, the Anti-Cybercrime Law Campaign, the One MillionPeople March, the Save Mary Jane Veloso Petition and eventhe Pacquiao-Mayweather Fight has been the most recent

recorded examples of such moments.

The Youth, particularly the current roster of UP students,have been blessed with the advent of the age of information,which has broken and continues to break the boundaries oftime, space and even crack the shackles of imprisoned andenslaved minds.



Unfortunately, this gift – most importantly in itsmanifestation in social media – has cultivated a sense of selfinstead of a sense of a community; a sense of one’s own cliqueinstead of a sense of all. The moment that anyone or any groupbelieve in their hearts that they are themselves alone; that they

detached from the rest of the world – is the moment they die.

With the manifestation of the “me, me, me generation,”2 many are made to believe that expressing one’s own soul isenough to change the world. However, what must alwaysremain is that to uphold what is good, right and just for all – onemust always listen first before speaking.

Edgar Jopson, although part of moderate minority, wasthe elected leader of the radical National Union of Students ofthe Philippines (NUSP)4. His brand of leadership struck a chord

with all and proved that movements are most effective whenformed and built through the action and opinions of the mostnumber of students. Lean Alejandro, the unforgettablepowerhouse activist of the Martial law-era, is well-rememberedand highly-respected by his peers and enemies alike. This wasbecause of his refusal to dictate ideologies instead of explainingand letting the listener arrive to his own conclusion; because ofhis “pakikibagay” with people of all political ideologies, andsocial and economic standing.5 These men chose to unite,rather than divide, amidst diversity.

The University of the Philippines is a perennial exampleof diversity. We are already born with different complexions,different places of origin, different religions, different social andeconomic standing in life. From the moment we decide to enterthe University, we make choices that makes us more differentfrom each other. Campuses that are seemingly detached fromone another; courses that are seemingly a sole island amongthe ocean; organizations that do not cooperate enough;fraternities that are historically at odds with each other, areamong the factors that have divided and continue to divide theUP studentry. These realities are contrary to the sworn duty ofUP and its students – of serving the people, of being scholarsfor the people, of using mind and hand for our beloved nation.

It is my prime belief that UP must be united. The world-at-large is a big one, the national arena itself provesunconquerable for a single UP student, and even allied politicaland social organizations membered by UP students remainincapable of subverting an unjust system and perpetuating good



mitigating changes. It is a clear and categorical truth: UP mustbe united if it is to serve the people, to be the conscience – theheart – of the nation, if it will be able to use its ideas andresources to restitute a continually decrepitating motherland.Because no single ideology holds all that is good, right and just.

What is genuinely beneficial, right and just for all will only bemanifest if all will participate in the forming of opinions andactions to be undertaken.

The Office of the Student Regent, as the sole voice of theUP studentry in the Board of Regents, has the gargantuan taskof listening to almost 57,000 students6 in the whole UP Systemand ensuring that each of these voices resonate as one clearand strong voice calling out for genuine change and fighting for

justice – from the four walls of the classroom, to the streets withthe struggling masses of the Filipino people – fighting to

ascertain that this united voice does not go to waste, andbecome another chapter to a story of what unity can achieve.

For this task to be fulfilled, the OSR as aninstitution must serve as an open space which understands thediversity of each and every constituent and acknowledges theirpotential to contribute to the collective identity of the Universityin creating genuine change; an office that unites itself with theFilipino people and the struggles of each sector in society; anoffice that responds to the effects brought about by globalizationyet recognizes its place in a larger global landscape and itspotential in catalyzing progress.

For this vision to be realized, the mission of theOffice of the Student Regent is to be a clear voice of reason anda strong voice of representation that upholds and defends theinterest of all constituents, as students and as Filipinos, bydeveloping comprehensive consultation mechanisms andcreating avenues for individual and social development inharnessing the potential of each Iskolar ng Bayan in respondingto the challenges of the times as one collective force of change.

The task is daunting, but achievable. For the Office of theStudent Regent to be able to realize this vision and fulfill thismission, it must fortify itself as an institution from the inside out.

With its primary task of representing the studentry – thebiggest stakeholders in the University – the Student Regentmust reorganize the structure of the Office to strengthendemocratic representation among studentry. The structure of



the Office must be opened to direct representatives from theranks of the studentry in every constituent unit and autonomousunit in the University. This also entails exhausting means toexpand the membership of the Commissioners of the Regent 7 and including organizations, fraternities, sororities and

publications with experience, skills, and interest to help theOffice carry out its mandates.

Recognizing the importance of student councils insupporting the Office of the Student Regent since its earlybeginnings, the Office must strengthen its links with all studentcouncils and establish more efficient and effective means ofcommunication; first by placing council liaisons and ensuringconstant coordination for council concerns and studentconcerns, and instituting regular dialogues with student councilsaside from the semestral General Assembly of Student

Councils(GASC). It is important that the Office maintain itsimpartiality, and as the sole representative of all students, itmust ensure that every student voice is heard regardless ofbackground, affiliation, and belief.

The OSR must also take into account the voices of theother sectors in the University, since we cannot discount the factthat these sectors, together with the students, forms thecommunity we have in the University whose struggles andvictories are inextricably linked to us. This can be achievedthrough forging ties with different sectors, by finding sectoraland community liaisons who will be in constant coordination withthe Office in sharing their concerns with the students.

Being a part of the highest policy-making and decision-making body of the University, the Office of the Student Regentmust be critical and competent in assessing every policy thataffects the studentry and the stakeholders of the University. TheStudent Regent must initiate the creation of policy assessmentand review teams that allow students, undergraduate andgraduate alike, to synthesize their learnings from theirrespective fields and apply them with the goal of discreditingrepressive policies and advocating for policies that inspireprogress in the University. It is an oft-quoted notion that theStudent Regent is a minority in the Board of Regents becauseof having maverick stances on issues and policies, but being insuch circumstance should not deter us from being a clear voiceof reason and a strong voice of representation for the students.More importantly, the Student Regent must be able to engagethe members of the BOR – especially the Sectoral Regents –



through effective dialogue and concrete exposure to the studentsituation, in order to promote collaboration in tackling problemsthat affect all stakeholders in our University.

Below the tower where the Board of Regents is situated,

we find a multitude of people suffering from unemployment, lackof or non-existent social services, high cost of education,discrimination, violence, and continuous conflict. The Office ofthe Student Regent must inspire the studentry in realizing thatthe problems we face in our University are not so much differentin the struggles of the people, which are rooted from greed,social injustice, and oppression. The OSR must promotecooperation among different student leaders and students allover the country, including our neighbors in the ASEAN, tocreate a stronger call for our inalienable right to education. TheOSR must show a picture of the social conditions of the

oppressed sectors to the students, by organizing forums, focusgroup discussions, exposures, and integrations where studentscan see these oppressions firsthand. Alternatively, thesesectors must also be accommodated by an open University forthem to know more about the academe and its students, andwhat we can do to help them win their fights.

It is so much easier to go with our own ideals, to fight ourown fights. There have been many great inventors and heroesof the world that succeeded in making their mark and creatingtheir own stories. Albert Einstein, Jose Rizal, Ninoy Aquino, andMalala Yousafzai were incredible on their own. But withoutbeing able to understand and unite with the people in their callsfor progress, freedom, and justice, the world would be the sametoday – we would still have many scientific drawbacks, wewould still be a colony, we would see more world dictators, andmany girls will still be unable to go to school – being able tounite made all the difference.

The idea is simple. We, as students and as citizens ofour nation, must transcend all of our boundaries that prevent usfrom creating a collective identity in fighting for what is right.Whoever we are, wherever we come from, and whatever we aredoing, we are called to use our voice in creating one collectivecall for lasting progress and genuine change. History hasunceasingly become witness to defining moments showcasingthe overwhelming strength of a people united in achieving acommon goal. History is waiting for us, as one collective force,in showing our defining moment that this generation has yet tosee.



Endnotes:

1Taguiwalo, Judy M. “Notes on the 1971 Diliman Commune”,Presented to the Forum, “We, the Communards: 40 years ofcontinuing struggle” organized by CONTEND-UP, February 23,

2011, Recto Hall, UP Diliman. Accessed at: http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2011/02/notes-on-1971-diliman-commune.html 2Stern, Joel. TIME Magazine. “Millenials: The ME ME MEGeneration”. Accessed at: http://time.com/247/millennials-the-me-me-me-generation/ 3Richtel, Matt. The New York Times. “Growing Up Digital, WiredFor Distraction”. Accessed at:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

4Bantayog ng Mga bayani. “Jopson, Edgar Gil M.” Accessed at:http://www.bantayog.org/node/126

5“When the underground‟s so-called Higher Organ ordered himto use the USC in the campaign “against the US-Marcosdictatorship, Lean argued his case: We are the council. We arenot the LFS (the militant League of Filipino Students). We allhave roles to play. That role is not the USC‟s, Felipe says.

“Regardless of the battle— whether he was fighting againsttuition increases, campaigning for the boycott of the 1984Batasan elections, or the financial impositions of theInternational Monetary Fund, Lean always trusted the people,Bongolan says. „That was his true north. He was not

corruptible.‟”

Uy, Veronica. Interaksyon. “LEAN ALEJANDRO: 10 ThingsThat made this UP Student An Iconic Leader of His Generation”. Accessed at: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/43561/lean-alejandro--10-things-that-made-him-an-iconic-leader-of-his-generation

6University of the Philippines. “About UP”. Accessed at:

http://www.up.edu.ph/about-up/

7The Commissioners of the Regent or CORE is the official

volunteer arm of the Office of the Student Regent, UP System.

http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2011/02/notes-on-1971-diliman-commune.html




http://time.com/247/millennials-the-me-me-me-generation/




http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0



http://www.interaksyon.com/article/43561/lean-alejandro--10-things-that-made-him-an-iconic-leader-of-his-generation

















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