On making a stand

The role played by student councils has changed over time. From the fundamental task of promoting the welfare of the students, history has seen how this was transformed to higher forms of service- to the students in the micro level and to the Filipino masses in general.

The youth particularly the students are always in the forefront of the struggle with unrelenting vigor. They have stood up in resistance when Marcos blatantly ruled the people with hands much harder than iron. During that period, mobilizations were attended by hundreds and even thousands of youth, their fists clenched high in the air as they marched in the streets with battle cry for freedom, change and justice. Such act is crucial for it’s a way to register your position (opposition or support) on certain issues with regards to the national conditions. Mass action is a manner of showing force, too. Time and again, history would tell that collective action is an effectual way to achieve something. However, I must stress here that activism and service need not to be in the streets. Activism comes in many forms.

The repression of the people during martial law pushed the students to walk out of their classrooms in order to learn and see the reality in the streets, in factories, in the countryside and other dejected areas. They learned about the marginalized sectors and the glaring repression and exploitation. They became a potent agent for transforming the society. Alongside their resistance, they pushed forth solutions to the obtrusive political and economic crisis during the period. In the realization of their influence, Marcos ordered the deferral of student organizations and publications, except for fraternities as Marcos himself was a frat man.

Conventionally, student leaders hold activities to consolidate the students and strengthen the community spirit in the campus. It is also expected that they will represent the students in the pursuit of their interests. The question on how the students will be represented will always be answered through a democratic consultation (though this one is litigious as people have different interpretations on it). This way, the pros and cons of an issue will be discussed so that students may give their stance. However, there are instances when the student council needs to function beyond merely reflecting the students’ voice. Its role must not be confined with purely mirroring the stand of the majority for there are times that the majority is not always right especially if it obstructs the rights of the minority.

It is imperative to bear in mind that our individual standpoint will not matter if it is not voiced out; stance is futile without action.