Have the Iskolars ng Bayan Gone Soft?

Some students were not complacent...maybe I thought that rallies were not heard and seen by deaf and officials and other people to whom we want to make our points get through.We were aware, but we thought about the hard-earned tuition that our parents were trying to give us at the time and exams were so difficult that only ten in the class can pass...We wanted our diploma, then give our selves to the country.Look at us.We are still in the country serving the poor in the government hospitals.We want to remain, to give our selves,to be mentors to students who were like us, do research for the good of the society who were mostly poor like us.We have meager incomes but what the heck!We are happy to give to common tao, more than what rallies we could do as students

Hi, I am currently going to UP (and hopefully I'm going to graduate soon) and I hope I can give you an idea on what we, present iskolars ng bayan, feel about the problems in our country. Of course, we are concerned. Well, I, for one, being informed about the problems our country is facing since I am a journalism student, feel very frustrated at what is happening. But I don't think rallies and demonstrations is a better solution that doing a good job at what you are doing. In UP, all we ever hear from most of the student leaders - most of them are activists - is that we should go to the streets and rally. Rally, rally, rally. I think - and maybe most other UP students, too - that taking to the streets is an outdated solution. Perhaps the street parliament worked during the time of Marcos, and others who more or less ruled during those times. But at this day and age, when almost anybody will go to the streets for Php200, the rally has already become more of a problem that a solution. I assure you that most UP students do want what is best for the country. As students, we all play our own roles. I, for example, do my best to get trained to become a responsible journalist in the future. Same goes for the engineering student, and the public administration student. They are doing what they can do now so that, in the future, they will be the best they can be and not be like the present journalists and politicians we have now. On a less ideal note, perhaps you will also understand when I tell you that UP students mostly don't trust their student leaders. This last elections, less that half of the entire student population voted for the student council officers. Maybe because the student leaders are also on their way to also becoming trapos like the so-called leaders of the country. These are the student leaders who urge us to go to the streets and rally. Of course, we don't follow. I, for one, would rather give my best shot at becoming competent and professional at whatever I will do someday. That way, I WILL be giving back my service to my country, and in concrete terms too.

I doubt that it's more of going softy about issues... perhaps the Isko and Iska are becoming proactive. Anyways, I think if you are to compare the kind of educational facilities we have to other universities you would really think twice. I mean, I honestly was awed about the need for me to learn about skills on certain technologies, and when I compare myself to a contemporaries I tend to wish I knew them way back in college.

Now that you mentioned it, I think they have gone soft. During my time in UP, fewer and fewer rallies were being for every year i was there. I don't know what's happening to the students and I smell a high rise of apathy towards national issues. what ever happened to producing the leaders of tomorrow?! tsktsk...