Resist Martial Rule in Everyday Practices, Redeem the Atenean Activist Spirit
2
Resist Martial Rule in Everyday Practices, Redeem the Atenean Activist Spirit! Today, September 23, 2010, marks the 38th anniversary of the official declaration of Martial Law under the Marcos Regime. In light of this noteworthy event in Philippine history, we commemorate the student activists who stood against and sought to overthrow the tyrannical regime of President Marcos - bearers and defenders of the tradition of democracy that engendered autonomous political spaces otherwise stifled by the dictatorship. What student activists faced back then were visible manifestations of tyranny. Battling against the facade of a constitutional authoritarianism, student political activism was clear in the very discursive groups they would assemble in their own respective schools, knowing they were facing an almost indomitable power yet determined to struggle against it unwaveringly. This brilliance in thought translated into its praxis. Never before has Philippine history seen an influential student-led movement which took to the streets and declared their clear condemnation of these societal powers, whether it be that of bureaucratic neo-liberal capitalism or of dictatorial politics. This was the period in Philippine history wherein students thought in extremities: either to spend their whole education challenging the very abusive structures in society in which they are embedded in and feel they cannot escape from, or to literally subject themselves to a silencing violence. Student activists of today are faced with a situation that is different but strikingly similar to what their forebearers faced thirty eight years ago. Although no longer explicit, these forms of tyranny still exist today , albeit in a more dangerous manifestation: as an unseen power which emanates from within and beyond each space of Philippine politics. We believe that although these unseen powers can no longer be identified with a sovereign, oppressive, and militarized body of a dictatorial identity, student activism is still significant today. As what is evident, a majority of the student body of Ateneo has ceased to participate in questioning these forms of authority, mainly because such spaces for participation have now been replaced by tyrannical procedures that, in an invisible and institutionalized method, seek to silence or punish any form of questioning that could pose a threat to the identities of authority that such institutions possess. We therefore find ourselves in a worse situation than we were in 38 years ago: that of almost indirect docility towards this tyrannical rule of campus politics, which in turn extends towards national politics. This docility is manifested in our absolute inaction, in our apathetic stance towards issues that face our society, especially those who are marginalized, today. We therefore strongly adhere to the principle that students must identify and launch a concerted effort to antagonize and resist dissipated yet institutional ized forms of unnecessary policing and surveillance inside the campus that seek to excessively and futilely control, define, and supervise all f orms of action, even if it means to question the assumed givens of student life inside and outside the campus. We call on all Ateneans to be vigilant against such practices of authority, since these very forms of official policing coupled with a body of almost unquestionable and repressive rules creates an apathetic and overly subservient student. This kind of student is then created to perpetuate the unjust social conditions even outside the campus. We are lamenting this current state of the Atenean in which he is unable to think against the institutions that he assumes are given, wherein he is therefore unable to locate the root causes of social ills. Consequently, much of his seemingly political actions are misdirected and counter-revolutionary. In our crusade to rekindle student activism and to bring back genuine student politics within the student body of the Ateneo, CRUSADA firmly believes that Ateneans should contemplate as to how to locate and begin resistances to these dissipated forms of repressive authority--to not be complacent with the present processes and institutions that govern our own modalities of life as students and instead be able to pose questions as to why such forms of authority exist and as to their purpose. CRUSADA calls for the participation of students in such spaces, to be able to question these institutions and their authority, and to pose alternatives to the present procedures of these institutions.
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Transcript of Resist Martial Rule in Everyday Practices, Redeem the Atenean Activist Spirit
8/8/2019 Resist Martial Rule in Everyday Practices, Redeem the Atenean Activist Spirit
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/resist-martial-rule-in-everyday-practices-redeem-the-atenean-activist-spirit 1/2
Resist Martial Rule in Everyday Practices, Redeem the Atenean Activist Spirit!
Today, September 23, 2010, marks the 38th anniversary of the official declaration of Martial Law under the Marcos Regime. In light of this noteworthy event in Philippine history, we commemorate thestudent activists who stood against and sought to overthrow the tyrannical regime of President Marcos -bearers and defenders of the tradition of democracy that engendered autonomous political spaces otherwise
stifled by the dictatorship.
What student activists faced back then were visible manifestations of tyranny. Battling against thefacade of a constitutional authoritarianism, student political activism was clear in the very discursive groupsthey would assemble in their own respective schools, knowing they were facing an almost indomitable poweryet determined to struggle against it unwaveringly. This brilliance in thought translated into its praxis. Neverbefore has Philippine history seen an influential student-led movement which took to the streets and declaredtheir clear condemnation of these societal powers, whether it be that of bureaucratic neo-liberal capitalism orof dictatorial politics. This was the period in Philippine history wherein students thought in extremities: eitherto spend their whole education challenging the very abusive structures in society in which they are embeddedin and feel they cannot escape from, or to literally subject themselves to a silencing violence.
Student activists of today are faced with a situation that is different but strikingly similar to what theirforebearers faced thirty eight years ago. Although no longer explicit, these forms of tyranny still exist today ,albeit in a more dangerous manifestation: as an unseen power which emanates from within and beyond eachspace of Philippine politics.
We believe that although these unseen powers can no longer be identified with a sovereign,oppressive, and militarized body of a dictatorial identity, student activism is still significant today. As what isevident, a majority of the student body of Ateneo has ceased to participate in questioning these forms of authority, mainly because such spaces for participation have now been replaced by tyrannical procedures that,in an invisible and institutionalized method, seek to silence or punish any form of questioning that could posea threat to the identities of authority that such institutions possess. We therefore find ourselves in a worsesituation than we were in 38 years ago: that of almost indirect docility towards this tyrannical rule of campuspolitics, which in turn extends towards national politics. This docility is manifested in our absolute inaction, inour apathetic stance towards issues that face our society, especially those who are marginalized, today. Wetherefore strongly adhere to the principle that students must identify and launch a concerted effort toantagonize and resist dissipated yet institutionalized forms of unnecessary policing and surveillance inside thecampus that seek to excessively and futilely control, define, and supervise all forms of action, even if it meansto question the assumed givens of student life inside and outside the campus.
We call on all Ateneans to be vigilant against such practices of authority, since these very forms of official policing coupled with a body of almost unquestionable and repressive rules creates an apathetic andoverly subservient student. This kind of student is then created to perpetuate the unjust social conditionseven outside the campus. We are lamenting this current state of the Atenean in which he is unable to think against the institutions that he assumes are given, wherein he is therefore unable to locate the root causes of social ills. Consequently, much of his seemingly political actions are misdirected and counter-revolutionary.
In our crusade to rekindle student activism and to bring back genuine student politics within thestudent body of the Ateneo, CRUSADA firmly believes that Ateneans should contemplate as to how tolocate and begin resistances to these dissipated forms of repressive authority--to not be complacent with thepresent processes and institutions that govern our own modalities of life as students and instead be able topose questions as to why such forms of authority exist and as to their purpose. CRUSADA calls for theparticipation of students in such spaces, to be able to question these institutions and their authority, and topose alternatives to the present procedures of these institutions.
8/8/2019 Resist Martial Rule in Everyday Practices, Redeem the Atenean Activist Spirit
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/resist-martial-rule-in-everyday-practices-redeem-the-atenean-activist-spirit 2/2
