What does it mean to be a student leader?
Having popularity, charisma, and other suitable characteristics can surely catapult a candidate into a position of power. But genuine leadership is not reflected in such surface-level traits. It is something that runs deeper in an individual’s personality, capability, and commitment to service.
The world needs leaders every day. But in a time of great crises and social disruption, leadership goes beyond providing mere guidance and making routine decisions — it becomes a matter of survival. It becomes a choice of waging the struggle in the line of fire.
Consider our current situation here in the Philippines. The government, which once encouraged people to go out and spend to save a battered economy, is now blaming us for the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the national debt continues to climb and our vaccination drive has been hijacked by line cutters and faux VIPs. Leadership, first and foremost, must reflect the interests of the constituents; much better, leadership should always involve everyone.
The Duterte administration’s negligence, incompetence, and persecution of its own people are what put us in such a dire national situation.
You may wonder what student leadership has to do with any of these issues. Solving the problems we face calls for efforts of a national magnitude. Unity, organization, and a coherent message that cuts through harmful state propaganda are vital in times of growing oppression.
However, efforts to establish these must begin somewhere. And the student movement provides fertile ground for these efforts to prosper. After all, genuine student power is realized when the student movement relies on the collective will of the people. Hence, the need for student-leaders who embrace the masses in the marriage of theory and practice.
History has shown us how powerful the student movement can be. During Ferdinand Marcos’ reign of terror here in the Philippines, rampant human rights violations, economic hardship, and political turmoil drove students into various forms of activism and protest.
Students, therefore, with their progressive ideas and youthful energies, became an important part of the resistance and campaigned relentlessly for democratic rights and freedoms.
Beyond the scope of democratic institutions, there were also those who chose to join the armed struggle. Indeed, crisis generates resistance, and a government that chooses to silence its people and serve foreign interests only harms the cause for peace and prosperity.
Being a student leader should not be about beefing up résumés or gaining celebrity recognition. To be a student leader means being at the forefront of the struggle to amplify the calls of the youth and the oppressed.
Often, leading the fight against a corrupt and bloody regime meant risking one’s life. Marcos’ dictatorial rule extinguished innumerable brilliant minds that would have served our nation well.
Yet we wonder why so many incompetent and self-serving politicians dominate the levers of government today. Clearly, high grades and intellect are not enough to be of genuine service to the people if you only have your self-interest in mind.
Thirty-five years after the Filipino people toppled the Marcos dictatorship, the dangers students and student leaders face are still present. Last month, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that 65% of Filipinos agree it is “dangerous” to print or broadcast anything against the Duterte administration.
This view is not without basis. Five years under Duterte have seen intensified and institutionalized efforts to silence, arrest, and even kill government critics. The “whole-of-nation” approach, through the NTF-ELCAC, which disguises state terrorism as counter-insurgency quickly became a war against our hard-won rights, albeit continuing anti-democratic attacks across various regimes.
Once again, the student movement finds itself at the receiving end of attacks from state forces. Clandestine “propaganda orientations” done within NSTP classes, blatant red-tagging, surveillance, and death threats are just some of the sinister weapons in their arsenal.
For the Duterte administration to train its ire on the country’s students speaks to its growing insecurity and desperation to hold on power. Remember that President Duterte is now working hard to salvage his legacy of failure by ensuring that a favorable successor will take his place. However, a vigorous mass movement will make that more difficult than it has to be.
Therefore, students should militantly amplify the calls in holding the Duterte administration accountable for its crimes against humanity, failure to deliver on its promises, and blood-debts. This is not the time to recoil and second-guess ourselves. We must draw inspiration from those who came before us and channel our energy towards the achievement of genuine change and progress.
We must unite the youth to imagine and create a necessary and possible alternative future.
Student leadership is not monolithic and institution-based. We all have diverse roles to play in the advancement and protection of our rights and freedoms.
For instance, student councils and other representative bodies must strive to articulate and serve the interests of their constituents and the broader community. Student leadership goes beyond events organizing and crafting publicity materials. Elected student leaders should fight for the student body’s needs, push back against anti-student policies, and provide suitable alternatives.
Most importantly, they must immerse among the masses; study society outside the theories indicated in our books. Holding a council position should not just decorate resumés. It is a responsibility to be always vocal, reachable, and proactive in bringing the change we deserve. They should always serve us unwaveringly. They must be held accountable at all times.
To the campus press, continue holding those in power accountable and helping the people make sense of issues that will affect their lives. Those who intend to exploit society for their own benefit will always come after the courageous truth-tellers. So remain steadfast in service of the people no matter the threats, intimidation, and affronts to press freedom.
To student formations and organizations, always place your purpose and principles at the core of every activity, initiative, or event. Never settle for half-baked efforts, do away with problematic application processes, and always extend a hand of friendship to fellow organizations.
And to you, dear reader, since we’re all students of life and our lived experiences, the mountains we climb get steeper every day. But we must persevere and exhibit leadership even in little ways. As said by former University Student Council Chairperson Lean Alejandro:
“The struggle for freedom is the next best thing to actually being free.”
As election season in UP Diliman nears, it is crucial for the student body to pick those who are ready to fight for the democratic rights and welfare of the Filipino people. We have seen how disastrous and exhausting a crisis in leadership could be. Let us not repeat the same mistakes.
May we digress from the stereotypical tradition of UPD’s campus politics as “bardagulan.” While not ignoring the differences in opinion and ideological lines, let us transform student politics into an emancipatory practice and liberating experience. We can only do so if we organize our collective power in making Duterte pay for his crimes. Now, all students must resolutely mobilize with the broad united front of the masses to oust the tyrant Duterte.
Through this, we can ensure that students gain genuine victories in the elections. Hence, the need for genuine student leaders who will lead us in the right track of the future we will build.
