Kolektibismo dapat, diba? :D

 August 20.

I always have free Thursdays, but his semester I actually wanted to attend an Alternative Classroom Learning Experience (ACLE). For one, it’s been more than a year since I last attended an ACLE, And also, one of my professors said, “You should come. During our time, we fought for that.” Another one said, “As a journalism student, you should attend. You need it, and it’s actually a privilege.”

I was about to ask people for suggestions, but one of my friends’ post containing “Ramon Bautista” made me automatically promise to come to his org, UP Praxis’s ACLE called “Ako Mismo o Kolektibismo.”

As of this writing, I never had the interest even just to visit Ako Mismo’s site. In fact, aside from catching my attention the first time I saw the commercial on TV, I had become indifferent and suspicious of the campaign’s motives. So to learn more about the rhyme and reason behind Ako Mismo’s popularity, I decided to attend the symposium.

I’m not a fan of those dog tags a lot of people are now sporting. However, Sir Ramon Bautista explained that those tags are supposedly given/sold only to those who gave pledges and promised to remain true to them. He said that its main aim was to conquer social apathy especially that which is prevailing in the Filipino youth. Naturally, the campaign has its critics. To present the other side of the story, Rolando Tolentino (CMC’S Dean! O_O) showed the different aspects of the campaign approach to the youth, including the campaign’s timing (nearing elections), celebrities involved, the target market, language used and so on.

It was really an enlightening experience. I was able to see both sides. I was able to learn more about the issues in the society, about the attempts to get the youth involved and active in addressing these issues.

I’m still not enthusiastic about it all. Because of more than two years of listening to the various talks and discussions about social issues conducted by different student groups, I did realize that to make a significant change in the society, we should have a  collective effort. Certainly, Ako Mismo’s ideology of individualism would not be of any significance, would it?

Sir Ramon cleverly answered this question. It was actually one of the things that stuck in my mind. He said that, as we all know, the Philippines is suffering from a cancer of the society (since Rizal’s time, actually). He said that Ako Mismo’s role then is to act like a vitamin supplement, a small dose taken everyday. It doesn’t provide a drastic remedy, but still it does good to the body. He said that the goal wasn’t really to bring a huge and dramatic change in the society–it just wanted the Filipinos, particularly the neocolonialized, technology-savvy youth to have the initiative and desire for improvement and for them to participate in social issues. The student reactor in the panel (I forgot his name) then pitched in on the analogy saying that this cancer can possibly be cured by chemotherapy–a radical, painful, and costly process.

Indeed, it takes more than a dog tag, a pledge (eg. “Ako Mismo ay hindi na mang-aaway ng kapatid.“/”I myself will not fight with my sister/brother.”) and rock concerts to advance social change this country badly needs. It would take a collective effort, compromising, Divine guidance, effective and honest leaders, a lot, lot more. And just like a chemotherapy procedure, the patient is bound to lose cells and be on the brink of death. But this option is probably better than to rot helplessly in this sick state.

PS: I think Sir Ramon Bautista is really cool and funny. Haha. Astig.
“People thought Ako Mismo will be used for the political motives of three people–Edu Manzano, Manny Pangilinan, and…. me.” (:

Haha I’m such a Brewster. XD