LOS BAÑOS, PHILIPPINES – Hundreds
of students flocked to the DL Umali Auditorium this morning to attend the
symposium entitled, “Youth Republic IV: Youth Empowerment” where three people—Alex
Castro, Lourd de Veyra and Ramon Bautista—would talk about various timely
concerns for the youth.
For the opening message, Arthur
Kent Holt, the second-time USC councilor, went to the stage and gave an
inspiring speech to the students. He first defined what the Youth Republic is. “It
is a form of organization, government affirmation governed by the youth,” he explained.
He specified the three important
points which are very integral to Youth Empowerment: leadership, service, and
standard. Leadership, he said, was the “capacity to translate vision into
reality.” Later on in his message, he added, “You not just lead people; you
lead people with a standard. [...] As an Iskolar
Para sa Bayan, you are a vital part, a vital power part, of the society.”
Alex Castro, a BS Psychology
graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman and the vice chair of its
University Student Council, was the first speaker for the symposium. A bisexual
woman, she thoroughly discussed about the topic of gender equality. She tackled
the “thirteen un-empowering statements” that we use most of the time, without
the slightest idea that they are actually considered “oppressive” for the LGBT
community.
Majority of what she mentioned
might seem relatively harmless in the surface, but she reiterated that they are
actually oppressive statements. It’s wrong to pattern all relationships in
heterogeneous ones and to label other people’s sexuality, Alex Castro emphasized,
among many other things.
“What we want is that at the end
of the day, you treat us equally,” she said.
The second speaker is Lourd de
Veyra – a musician, journalist, and broadcaster – focusing on the topic of “non-apathy.”
He said that the part of Alex Castro was the only serious one the audience
would be hearing in that symposium, pertaining to the laughter and cheer of the
students because of his humor and wit.
He voiced his concern about
service and excellence, and how the former is being more exemplified in UP,
when excellence is the one that should be attended to first.
“Nagbago na ba ang mukha ng pakikibaka?” he asked. Then he cited
some cases that were serious in nature and showcased the reality. Lourd
inquired: when you turned your display picture to black, were you able to feed
people in Somalia?
While his speech was humorous in
some parts, it was very serious in nature. Again, he made an interrogation that
would make one pause and ponder: What are we doing with the internet? He said
how it became what it is now because of the industrial revolution and constant
struggles, but people nowadays would only use it to google Justin Bieber, who,
he went on, was the most searched person in the history of search engine.
He also mentioned the concept of “nosebleed”
for us Filipinos, and asked why we would make fun of someone when he or she is
saying intelligent things, or perhaps uttering unfamiliar words with deep
meaning.
“Kailan pa naging masama ang katalinuhan?” asked Lourd. Then, to put
a closure to his brief lecture, he said: “Bago
natin palayain ang bayan, palayain muna natin ang kamangmangan.”
The last speaker was Ramon
Bautista, who was met with wild cheers by the students as his name was being
announced. His topic was all about “literacy.” He discussed the social media,
and how it is characterized by his modification of the 3Gs: guts, glory, and
gold.
He compared this with his own
experience. Because he had the necessary guts and self-esteem, he was able to make
videos of himself together with his friend. Soon enough, it transformed into
glory when he started to become famous. Lastly, it was turned into gold once
sponsors poured in and bought his videos, and when he finally became a
celebrity.
Ramon Bautista played some of his
videos, particularly: Dan Michael Master Magician and his music video. Later
on, he stated three very important things needed for one to be empowered: to
study hard, to build relationships, and to steer clear of love.
As a parting message, he gave
this advice to the students: “Huwag
umibig.”
