My University and Student Activism in the 60s

Protest Rally in Manila | Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Sometime in 1968, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila) or PLM student government invited the late Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, a Senator and a progressive mind who attracted the youth clamoring for social change. I was there when he gave a rousing speech, and I thought this man would one day lead this country. As we all know, that did not happen; instead, he was assassinated and later honored with the name of the international airport where he was gunned down in 1983.

Philippine student activism of the 60s and 70s came in different colors, a spectrum of radicalism. The PLM student body represented that spectrum. We had radicals in various guises and pacifists who believed in change that starts with oneself, not a bloody revolution. The PLM community was tightly knit, and though different groups espoused different ideologies, we showed tremendous tolerance for each other. Our shared core values ruled our minds and kept a check on our passions for various ideas.

My friends espoused different ideologies, but my spiritual bent moved me closer to a group that practiced the spirituality of yoga. While my other friends marched in the streets and shouted slogans against the government, my group meditated for peace and universal love. I was no reactionary either, because deep in my soul, I wanted social change based on a deeper foundation of spirituality. Without that foundation, any change would result in more of the same.

The real reactionary at the time was the PLM administration, which showed little tolerance for activism. When we showed our social discontent during the first baccalaureate graduation in 1971 where some of us carried placards and were told not to march up the stage, but did so anyway, it incensed the administration which decided to blacklist all of us; and for a while, we were persona non grata in the school campus. The most egregious was about Liliosa Hilao, who was a schoolmate and a year my junior, who was denied academic honors posthumously after her murder by the military for her beliefs. She suffered justice twice denied in death.

The PLM administration did not understand its student body, for it could have been worse. We were a tinderbox, poor, intelligent, and now enlightened. We demanded social justice, yet we showed a restrained expression of discontent. We didn’t burn down our buildings or vandalize government property as happened in other places. We were reasonable in expressing our demands, but nobody listened or tried to understand us. We were ungrateful for our free education, which was the prevailing sentiment. My answer: What do you expect after you have honed our critical thinking and opened our eyes to the plight of our people and country wallowing in poverty and social injustice?

During Marcos’s reign, the country suffered from quiet discontent and expressed muffled dissent for fear of violent repercussions. We saw the change from the old, silenced oligarchs to a new ruling class under the so-called New Society. Meanwhile, ordinary folks, especially the poor, were now poorer. Again, it was not a real change, but the same menu served on a different plate.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR   Dr. Fernando B. Perfas is an addiction specialist who has written several books and articles on the subject. He currently provides training and consulting services to various government and non-government drug treatment agencies regarding drug treatment and prevention approaches. He can be reached at fbperfas@gmail.com.