Last April 19, 2017, UST Literary Society of the Department of Literature of the Faculty of Arts and Letters held “DANAS: The 4th UST Literary Society Social Issues Seminar on ‘Nation’-Building and National Liberation at Thomas Aquinas Research Center Auditorium. Speakers for this event were Prof. Nathania Chua from Ateneo de Manila University, and Scholar-Activist Adrienne Onday from the University of the Philippines. They tackled the importance of awareness in political issues, as well as the role of youths and their capabilities in making a difference.
Real Battles are won Offline
Onday urged the young members of society who have the luxury of being educated to use their privileges to reach out. Onday noted that one must not act only for attention then perceive the magnitude of its impact afterward. “What we must do is build the weapons we have: if you write, use your words. If you draw, use your lines and your colors to illustrate what you want the world for them to see” she said. “The point of protest is to bring awareness and attention [as well as] outrage to the pre-existing issues of killings and to the failed justice system.” Onday said. “Having a right is just as well exercising this right to enact this obligation to protect the rights of other people.” Chua underscored that people must take their online advocacies and platform into the streets. “At the end of the day, you cannot eat your tweet. Hashtags have helped in calling [for change], even in the legislative,” she said, citing the debacle that stirred on social media in an attempt of the government to tax beauty products, leading to #DontTaxMyBeauty online campaign. “If you are going to limit yourself only in your social media accounts, there will be nothing. You have to think about your impact.” “The more you are with together, the more greater impact you can cause […] People create bigger ripples of change together. You have to surround yourself with the people who will enable you to make the right thing,” Chua said.
