September 21, 2018 marked the 46th anniversary of the proclamation of Martial Law.

In
line with this, groups from various sectors participated in the United People’s Action (UPA), a
solidarity and indignation event held at Luneta Park. And, the University of the Philippines,
having played a huge role during that infamous era, did not disappoint in this endeavor.

As a freshman in the university and a first-time participant in such mass movements, I

was surprised with the overwhelming turnout of people in front of Palma Hall, for the local
action. Almost the entire UP community was represented—the students, faculty, staff, alumni,
and even jeepney drivers were present. It was especially impressive to see different progressive
political parties organize together and unite in this accord. Having heard several stories about
how their contradicting stances clash, their unified participation made me realize how crucial
such movements are to show that people are willing to set aside their differences and coalesce
against a common adversary.

The awe, however, did not end in the campus. After the youth sector gradually gathered
in Morayta, I noticed how the energy did not deplete throughout the whole march to Luneta Park
despite the extreme weather changes, the snide comments and complaints from motorists, and
the ominous presence of the police force. Seeing the different sectors come together and organize
made me realize how immensely grave the nation’s socio-political situation is.

Students, faculty, staff, and several other civilians, did not march to the streets only to
commemorate the grave state of the country under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. The
September 21 UPA also saw the clamor of the Filipino people for change under the Duterte
administration, which—with the implementation of problematic policies—somewhat emulates
the tyranny being remembered that day. In essence, it was both a commemoration of and a
resistance to dictatorship—with the uprising one possibly worse than the former as the current
head of state is outright Machiavellian. And so, the call to end the numerous killings and
disappearances, to absolve the people of economic and socio-political oppression, to resist
against a similar tyranny, must echo beyond Luneta Park.

This may be best explained in the context of Aristotelian philosophy. According to the
esteemed philosopher, the destabilization of a state occurs when there is insufficient
representation of the different classes in the government. And, the thousands of people who
marched to the streets are clearly dissatisfied by the performance of the government in upholding
the welfare of its people. But what else can be expected of an administration run by the ruling
elite?

Such is a problem that our country has been facing for decades and will still probably
experience in the coming years should there not be a major reform in the way our government is
run. So much depends, not only on the rulers but also, on us, the citizens. In the face of
oppression brought about by the government, each citizen is called to invoke loyalty, neither to
the ruler nor to thyself, but to the state.