Coverage by Ma. Janelle V. Correa
San Joseño youth spearheaded the city's participation in the Never Again, Never Forget, a nationwide candle-lighting campaign, on Saturday, September 21, at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine. The event was held in honor of the lives of Martial Law victims as well as to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Martial Law Declaration.
Buhay ang EDSA Coalition served as the primary convenor for the solemn event. The Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) and Akbayan Youth (AY) are among the 15 youth organizations across the country that participated in the program.
The event started with a heartfelt prayer, followed by the citation of the preamble of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. Afterward, the candle-lighting ceremony commenced.
Student leaders, campus journalists, and youth leaders in the city also shared their testimonies regarding the significance of commemorating the Martial Law Declaration and honoring the memory of its victims as members of the younger generation.
In an interview, Youth Resist member Frank Dela Torre Araneta shared that the importance of remembering the event is to help recognize the human rights violations during the Martial Law Era as well as to mourn with the victims' bereaved families.
"Ito 'yung mga dapat hindi natin kalimutan na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan, 'no, 'yung pagkilala doon sa mga human rights violations na patuloy na yumuyurak sa mga pamilya nila. [...] Sa bawat araw na 'to, patuloy nila 'tong naaalala, at sana, samahan natin silang alalahanin 'yon, 'no, na sa isang pangarap nating lipunan, 'di na natin kailangan pang maranasan itong muli."
Meanwhile, Akbayan Youth member Mary Loida Ramos said that the key to engaging more of the nation's youth to join these social movements is to thoroughly understand the community and help explain to younger generations and ultimately share a goal of identifying and addressing gaps in the society together.
"The key to encouraging more young people to participate in social movements is to help them understand the true state of our society. This foundation is essential for motivating others to join us in addressing the challenges we face."
For the program's closing remarks, Edrize Macorol, lead vocalist of the band STELA, heartily sang for the attendees. Some of the songs Macorol had performed include Zild's Dekada '70 and Rivermaya's Liwanag sa Dilim.
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