They say that every generation has their own defining moment.
Our parents had theirs in EDSA 26 years ago.
Thanks to them, we deem our freedoms as a given. However imperfect our democracy may be, we remain a free people with our rights intact due to their sacrifice. As our parents faced down tanks and dismantled a dictatorship, they have given us a precious inheritance of freedom.
26 years after, it is now our turn for a defining moment.
We are challenged to prove that their sacrifices were not in vain. As we relive the spirit of EDSA, we are tasked to use our freedom in order to let the marginalized experience theirs. Our idealism must confront the urgent challenges of our time. We must secure peace for our university, rooting out the scourge of fraternity-related violence that has taken many lives. We must secure equality regardless of gender or background, showing that anybody with a heart for service can lead. We must secure progressive change in our leadership, rejecting as opportunism an independence not rooted in principle.
Our parents had us in mind when they fought for democracy.
Let's show them how worthy we are for their sacrifice.
25 February 2012
