Youth told: Be like Andres Bonifacio

CEBU, Philippines —  During Andres Bonifacio's 155th birthday, Mayor Tomas Osmeña calls on the youth to “be like Bonifacio" during his speech at Plaza Independencia yesterday morning.

"The leaders who moved our country (at the) forefront were young people. Our culture today does not pay attention to the youth, I think this is really something we have to reflect as to which direction we are going," Osmeña said.

He added that Bonifacio did “the impossible dream as he was a nobody and yet he stood up, founded and led a movement and tried to unite 7000 islands.”

"He stood up for something, he stood up for you and me," he said.

Osmeña also mentioned Jose Rizal, Don Sergio Osmeña, and Manuel Quezon as some of the leaders who also made their mark at a young age, just like Bonifacio.

"May there be others, especially the young, who will be like him," he said.

Commissioner Dr. Clodoveo Nacorda, of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission, said Gatpuno Andres Bonifacio was born on November 30, 1863 in Tondo, Manila.

He is one of the three founders of the Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, the first organized revolutionary group against the ruling Spanish regime.

Bonifacio was elected as the group’s first "supremo."

"He was only 33 years old when he and his brother Procopio were mercilessly killed (through) the order of Emilio Aguinaldo," Nacorda said.

"May Bonifacio's short but very significant and heroic life continue to inspire us to love our country above self and to sacrifice for her own good," he said.

The event was ended by a flower offering to the statue of the celebrated hero, led by the Cebu City Government officials, police directors, veterans, scouts and other distinguished guests.

Meanwhile, several youth activists have "revolted" through a protest rally in downtown Cebu against the planned implementation of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) for senior high school students.

National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP)-Cebu Coordinator Dyan Gumanao and other youth activists said they strongly condemn the implementation of the mandatory ROTC in schools because “it will lead to campus militarization and red tagging” and “will never be a solution to promote patriotism,” contrary to President Duterte’s claim.

“ROTC will lead to militarization. Mandatory ROTC will breach the law that no military should ingress in school premises. State armed forces will be given a free portal to even intensify red tagging and attacks among students, teachers, and schools that question the policies of the government”, Gumanao said in a text message.

Gumanao defined red tagging as “the association of individuals and organizations to communist groups” and stated that “it has been used before as a source of military intelligence” to monitor the activities of the students as they exercise their democratic rights.

Duterte, in his speech in Cavite last November 22, said that if the lawmakers would not legislate, he will resort to creating an Executive Order to make ROTC mandatory among senior high school students, if it is legal to do so.

Howell Villacrucis, spokesperson for Kabataan Partylist Cebu, said that this move proves Duterte’s “desperation”, since students are starting to stand up and criticize him.

“Usa ka manipistasyon nga si Duterte, as a president, is desperado na siya. Nahadlok na siya kay nagka-grabe ang kritisismo against niya ug nisugod nag barog ang mga estudyante.  This is his way to control students,” Villacrucis added.

Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has signed Republic Act 9163 in 2002 that made ROTC, along with Literacy Training Service (LTS) and Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS), optional for students following the death of Mark Chua in 2001.

Chua was murdered after exposing the UST-ROTC corruption issue. — Isabella G. Obor, John Kendrick Prieto Ceciban, USJ-R Interns/GAN (FREEMAN)