Staying active, discerning, and responsible beyond anticorruption rallies

The dust is still settling from the “Trillion Peso March” on Nov. 30, a demonstration of collective discontent across the nation. As the headlines fade and the crowds disperse, a disheartening question surfaces: Will this outpouring of public sentiment lead to a reckoning, or are we once again condemned to witness a tragic recycling of history?

The sheer scale of the protest evokes memories of past people power movements, those defining moments when Filipinos united, poised to forge a new path. Beneath the initial surge of hope, profound cynicism lingers, born of repeated disappointments. Time and again, we have rallied with legitimate outrage, only to return to square one, grappling with the same fundamental challenges.

The bitter truth is that we have repeatedly failed to learn the lessons from our experiences. The cycle is painfully predictable: outrage builds, protests erupt, and then, inexplicably, we do the same all over again. We return to the polls electing traditional politicians—many from political dynasties—perpetuating the very systems we claim to despise.

It is sobering to consider that we define ourselves as Filipinos not just by heritage, but by our choices. Yet, our collective political trajectory shows we often make the wrong choices, leading us down paths that only reinforce the problems we seek to overcome.

In everyday life, perhaps our “essence” as Filipinos lies undefined, passively accepted, or shaped by external circumstances. We exist, going about our routines, often disconnected from the broader political landscape, our national identity a given rather than a chosen reality.

However, during moments of intense national crises and mass protests, we choose to become Filipinos. In these rallies, we embody an essence of courage, solidarity, civic responsibility, and a fervent desire for change. Yet, once the protests subside, once the adrenaline fades, we seem to revert. We become, in a critical sense, “un-Filipinos.” The engagement dissipates, replaced by apathy, disengagement, and a familiar willingness to tolerate the very grievances that sparked our outrage.

This regression is a consequence of our choices. The collective will forged in the streets dissolves into individual resignation. We retreat from the active definition of our “Filipino-ness,” allowing the political landscape to be shaped by those who do not share what we passionately expressed during the demonstrations. Our post-rally choices betray the essence we embraced.

So, when will we ever genuinely learn to be authentic Filipinos? When will our collective essence, forged in the fires of legitimate outrage, translate into consistent, sustained choices that break the cycle of disappointment? Authenticity demands not just momentary passion, but enduring commitment to the values we claim to espouse.

The weight of this repeating narrative, this unfulfilled promise of change, bears heavily on many. Everything that is happening in our country often feels circuitous, a Sisyphean struggle where we push the boulder of reform uphill only to see it roll back down, demanding yet another monumental effort.

We stand at a crossroads, where the echoes of the Trillion Peso March still reverberate. It is a stark reminder that our future as Filipinos is not predetermined; it is being forged by our collective choices. Only when we consistently choose to live the essence of active, discerning, and responsible citizens, long after the protest signs are put away, can we truly hope to break free from this exhausting, circuitous path and finally become the authentic nation we yearn to be.

REGINALD B. TAMAYO,
Marikina City