IT HAS been six months since the nation ousted a president from office.
I can still remember the various rallies students, University officials, and employees attended, together with people from all walks of life, in which they chanted, street-danced, and partied.
I can also remember how valiantly many educational institutions transformed the streets, specifically Edsa, into a big classroom where freedom and justice were taught. And UST was among them, led by no less than Rector Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P. When the University released a statement calling for Erap’s resignation, many were shocked because it was so unusual for UST to publicly give its stand on a controversial issue.
True enough, Edsa II made it possible for small voices to be heard. It made people experience nationalism that otherwise only very few understood.
***
Last July 23, President Macapagal-Arroyo gave her first State of the Nation Address (Sona) amid rallies.
However, it was not really her Sona that caught my attention. It was the rally outside the Batasang Pambansa where different sectors of society converged to air out their concerns.
***
Trying hard to listen to the speeches delivered by the leaders of various groups, I and Ace, Varsitarian sports editor, struggled to keep body and mind alert to any outbreak of violence while making out the faces of the Thomasians who participated in the rally.
Hoping to find a lot of Thomasians in the rally, I found less than 40 Thomasians. There was only one Central Student Council (CSC) officer.
***
Sometimes, I can’t understand why some things don’t work in the University. Often, I blame the CSC’s alleged inefficiency, sometimes the administration’s lack of support, and sometimes the student’s apathy.
By nature, the Dominicans are conservative. They never want to do things rashly without thinking twice, thrice, or 10 times about their course of action because their action will reflect on the whole Dominican community.
Meanwhile, on the part of the CSC, it’s a simple case of not really being there when the situation requires it. When their leadership is sought, they don’t provide it. In the same manner, when they say they support a certain thing or event, chances are, it’s just a press release. In fact, when you go around the University and ask the students about the CSC, they will give you a blank face.
On the other hand, the students, even if the administration supports something and the CSC is there to give its all, are indifferent. How many symposia, University-wide activities, and major events have gone unnoticed by Thomasians? Often, teachers still need to bribe their students with bonus grades just to fill a small hall for a symposium.
With all these in mind, I’m seriously thinking if the Edsa phenomenon in UST was just a press release. I’m wondering if the Thomasian community only joined because everybody was joining. Was there really a sincere effort to stand up for one’s conviction?
However, if Edsa II really meant something, it should translate to active participation of the University in national issues. UST must be vigilant or else, even its sacrifices during Edsa II will be squandered.
***
I feel nostalgic about Edsa II.
The very small Thomasian contingent in the Sona rally, which supposedly came with CSC backing, disillusioned me since it was a far cry from the participation of Thomasians in Edsa II. There are many possible reasons: the lack of information by the CSC, apathy, or simply Thomasians felt the issue was not as critical as EDSA II.
I don’t want the Edsa spirit to fade in the hearts of Thomasians. But how to keep it alive, I do not know. I have been trying to figure out what’s wrong—the conservative administration, the inefficient student government, or the apathy of students. Maybe, the different sectors should bend a little—for the administration to be more open-minded, for the student government to stop offering lip service to critical issues, and for the students to at least give the administration and the student government a chance to lead them and make them feel that they belong to a community.
