HERE WE go again. Another presidential State of the Nation Address (SONA), and, right on cue, the usual suspects emerge: pseudo-communists, “useful idiots,” and Salted Caramel Frappuccino-infused, social-climbing “wokes,” all carrying the same tired slogans and placards lifted from the 1970s as they stage yet another predictably repetitive rally.
Speaking of the state of the nation, there is no denying that many public officials have behaved less like genuine leaders and more like traditional politicians obsessed with enriching themselves through “maletas” of you-know-what instead of serving the people. The Philippines is blessed with abundant natural resources, yet it has been impoverished by corruption and self-serving governance.
From questionable flood control projects to alleged insertions and manipulations in the General Appropriations Act, or national budget, the country continues to reel from one scandal after another. Yet, despite these controversies, many politicians remain preoccupied with impeaching the Vice President.
Since time immemorial, the familiar chants have been: “Ibagsak ang rehimen” (followed by the name of the sitting president) or “Ibagsak ang tuta ng Kano.” Today, these slogans are obsolete, predictable, and largely irrelevant.
“That raised clenched fist is just so passé, so pathetic in its obsolescence — the holdout of a bygone era when student activism was the ‘in’ thing and those who raised their fists in protest were glorified as catalysts of reform. Now, listen to the chants of those who recently took to the streets — an absurd remix of the melodies of the 1970s.” (Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, currently dean of the Graduate School of Law of San Beda University)
Moving on, colleges and universities have long been identified by critics as among the primary recruitment grounds of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front. Under the banner of “student activism,” impressionable young people are allegedly drawn into left-leaning organizations such as the League of Filipino Students and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines.
Many of these recruits are reportedly taken to training camps for immersion and ideological indoctrination. Some eventually become armed fighters, while others are groomed for roles in party-list organizations such as Kabataan and Gabriela. Still others become what critics describe as “useful idiots,” frequently seen participating in rallies and demonstrations.
The usual defense, however, is that the University of the Philippines simply teaches “critical thinking.”
Joining the New People’s Army to overthrow a legitimate, democratically elected government and replace it with what critics describe as an outdated ideology is not an exercise in “critical thinking,” but, in the columnist’s view, an act of sheer stupidity.
If you have noticed, many of those who regularly rally against anything that does not fit their narrative are often naïve and highly impressionable “Iskolar ng Bayan” students — what critics call the classic “useful idiots.”
It is worth noting that the Communist Party of the Philippines and its allied national democratic organizations have long devoted significant effort to organizing within major universities and schools. According to former members and their own published statements, their objective is to indoctrinate young people into embracing armed struggle.
The convenient explanation often offered is that institutions such as the University of the Philippines are simply teaching “critical thinking.” However, joining an armed rebellion to overthrow a legitimate, democratically elected government and replace it with an ideology that many consider outdated is not, in this columnist’s view, an exercise in critical thinking but a serious misjudgment.
What continues to fuel the insurgency are misguided and restless young people in universities and colleges who see themselves as “woke.” Lacking direction yet eager to embrace a cause, they are allegedly influenced by aging professors into romanticizing revolutionary ideals and adopting an ideology that has largely been abandoned by many of the countries that once championed it.
It is ironic how these “useful idiots” consider it fashionable to sympathize with insurgents while seemingly failing to realize that the democratic freedoms and lifestyle they currently enjoy could disappear should the CPP-NPA-NDF ever gain control of the country.
Ahay — say goodbye to Frappuccinos and Salted Caramel Macchiatos. These self-styled woke social climbers would instead find themselves in re-indoctrination camps, forced to “cleanse” what would be branded as their bourgeois attitudes and mindsets./PN
