ONWARD

Paul Angelo Fabia

this country. As a Filipino, it made me want to study harder, work better, and be more compassionate, more helpful, more inclined to the causes I believed in more than ever before.

I t was exhilarating to remember how exciting it was one Thursday morning. That day had a feeling of uncertainty to it, but the outlook that was forward-looking seemed to drown it out. Almost everyone on my feed was posting graduation photos as they beamed for the cameras. Here I was, planning to continue on with pursuing Political Science right at the dawn of a new age.

I thought it had sunk in, but it wasn’t until ‘Liwanag sa Dilim’ blasted through the speakers during our graduation rites that the weight of what my choice had made itself known. With shoulders taut, we were asked to stand. In the sea of white, a chorus of voices rang as the oath of allegiance was being recited. It made me further contemplate about the state of our nation’s youth beyond the walls of our schools. The way modern avenues of gathering information had influenced - and sometimes even tyrannized - our minds. The rampant spread of fake news and the constant attack on the free press caused me to wonder if pursuing one of my passions was worth it, or if there would even be a free press that’s intact once I was done with college.

Twenty-four hours later, I was still on the fence about whether or not to take Political Science or journalism, although I have told people who were keen enough to ask that I was leaning towards the former. The course - both in life and academics - that we were about to take would impact not just us as individuals, but the collective family of society as well. My grandmother came up to me. She congratulated me, “You should have taken medicine as your course,” she said, and went on. A commuter that took a seat across from mine made small talk during traffic. The topic went to career. She asked me what my dream profession was. When I said I wanted to be a lawyer, she grinned and said, “Good. That’s where the money is.” I was about to say that I wouldn’t be in it just for the money, but for passion; the political, social, financial, and personal aspects consecrated on our decisions ultimately hung in the balance.

Certain recent events, and the weight it had brought upon the scales of everyday living had been cathartic. One could think of a hundred different concerns the country’s facing that would span generations: from the skyrocketing of prices for basic commodities and fresh produce to the re-emergence of rising covid cases that had repeatedly shook the economy to its core. According to the Palace, they were setting their sights on having full-fledged face-to-face classes by November this year. It was a good target - given that the green light would be given for a “ligtas na balik normalcy, or for healthcare to be considered a top priority.

Daily transportation would also be an upheaval since a lot of us would be subjected to it daily from here on out. Fares had increased almost the same time gas prices did. Not to mention the overload of vehicles that was one of the tipping points for triggering climate change. It was said that the future of the world belonged to the youth, but would there even be a future for those who inhabit it if it was on the brink of destruction? Greed and recklessness, after all, was humanity’s downfall.

So, what’s next? I have been in deep thought about this since I left the school grounds last week. It was like crossing the line between senior high school and everything that went beyond that. An era might have ended, but progress does not. And while we are on track towards a new journey, we have to still heed to what is right, fair, and just. As an idealist, the results of certain recent events has

Prior to those that preceded us, these certain events have changed the course of our lives and the future of our nation. A lot has already happened. The results of such recent undertakings must not hinder us from pushing back and pushing through thus, it should make unity, equality, and justice a part of reality instead of mere lip service. The power is with the people, and the future belongs to those who would harness it in the palm of their hands.

Every peso spent and every effort made wasn’t in vain. We just have to move forward until those blurred lines between what was certain and what was not were drawn, those that have existed in our educational and justice system, healthcare, social settings, workplaces, and even in the comfort of our own homes. With all of the present uncertainties at hand, one thing’s for certain: We, as students, would continue to stand strong and keep steadfast with the responsibility that destiny had brought upon us.

We ought to be on the right side of history - smack in the middle of the frontlines of democracy - guarding truth, liberty, the rights of every individual, and all else that would matter.