Thanks for reminding us, Ms. Ria Bautista by Leftist, Merck Maguddayao: Independent musician Ria Bautista, known as the vocalist/drummer of alternative band Paramita, became a hot item on social media because of her “anti-tibak” post on Facebook during the President’s State of the Nation Address. It also coincided with another “anti-tibak” Twitter post by comedian Vice Ganda. Their posts unnerved a number of street activists. The point, however, is, what is “anti-tibak?” Let us review the lead paragraph of Ms. Bautista’s post: “Kung puro protesta pero wala namang inihahain na solusyon edi wala din kwenta. Its just a bunch of people whining. I dont wanna rain on the protesters parade (no pun intended) but really, impeachment nanaman? So, wait, may ipapalit ba? Hindi naman pagkilos ang sagot sa problema pati na ang pagpapatanggal ng mga nahalal na mamuno. Avoid the problem before it happens and that means we must become more VIGILANT. Keep an eye on those in power BEFORE they do something stupid.” Is there any “anti-tibak” slur there? Apparently, yes, because there is an apparent rejection of street protests and the filing of impeachment cases initiated by tibak congressmen. But wait, did she say that we reject activism altogether? Is her statement smack of McCarthyism, that is, in a nutshell, branding activists/leftists as evil people who deserve to be jailed and killed by the State? The point in Ms. Bautista’s post is not about the form of activism per se; it is about the substance of activism. “Puro protesta pero wala namang inihahain na solusyon [ay] wala din kwenta” is precisely correct. Activists must not only be anti-ruler, but anti-system. We must not only seek for the removal of a corrupt or pro-capitalist leader, we must also articulate the “solusyon,” the alternative. “Avoid the problem before it happens” is precisely what we in the Left are supposed to do. That’s why, at least in the left bloc where I belong, we neither supported PNoy and the Liberal Party nor any candidates/parties in 2010 (with the exception of Leftist candidates/parties we endorsed) because we know they are “the problem” to begin with. Vigilance, of course, is the number one virtue of activists, that’s why we steadfastly call for the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill, for the disclosure of all government records YEARS before the DAP and PDAF issue had surfaced. Ms. Bautista sustains her correct observation: “What I see here is we are also part of the problem, its not just the presidents fault. We have become a generation of apathetic whiners. And if the only solution we have is street protests, then protesters will never run out of jobs because theyll never run out of things to complain about.” That’s precisely the point. In this age of social media, activists, advocates, and political pundits are reduced to being apathetic whiners. They even have courses on “cyber-activism,” reducing political action to 140-character tweets and short shout outs. Ms. Bautista is also correct that we must not reduce our action to a singular mean—in her perception, street protests. Strategies for change are formless. What we must wage is a Revolution, which entails the education, organizing, and mobilization of the working class and the oppressed people. If what we do is merely phrase mongering guided by a dogmatic view of theory, then we are reduced as mere whiners, not revolutionaries. In the succeeding paragraph, Ms. Bautista showed her disenchantment to street protests: “Yes it is close to impossible to change the system and corruption has become tradition in this country but unless we learn from OUR mistakes not just our leaders and actually do something about it rather than take to the streets, history will continue to repeat itself.” Ms. Bautista’s view is not unique. In my experience organizing workers, at the onset most, if not all of them, are not inclined to elevate the struggle to a higher level. In fact, emergent activist workers get the flak from their co-workers for going against their employer. It is a reality we have to confront. We cannot allow the revolutionary class to share Ms. Bautistas, a middle class artist, disenchantment. We cannot just treat the workers we organize as fillers or warm bodies. This is the mistake of middle class advocacy groups: They will just contact organized labor groups as mere warm bodies, say, to the anti-pork advocacy. This is also how elite parties delivered EDSA Dos, organized labor are mere warm bodies and the end result is the continuation of their rule under a newly-installed leader. The Left must confront this disenchantment—napag-iiwanan na tayo ng Latin America at Europe. Lastly, Ms. Bautista hits the bulls eye: “If we want change, we should start with OURSELVES; the way we think, the way we act. We cant make a difference if we all remain the same.” Her conclusion is not the “Ako Mismo” reductionism which is also articulated by ABS-CBN: “Ako ang simula ng pagbabago,” that is, change reduced to the individual. What Ms. Bautista is calling for is collective change. We must indeed change old perspectives and habits. We must go beyond old methods in waging revolution. We must go beyond old interpretations of theory. If we remain stuck in the ‘same old, same old’ ways, then we’re going to the dogs. We have to wage not only political or organizational battles; ours is also an ideological one. And, as Ms. Bautista rightly points out, “we should start with OURSELVES.” https://facebook/notes/merck-maguddayao/thanks-for-reminding-us-ms-ria-bautista/10152170224732085 - I am hoping beyond hope that this will enlighten all my Activist/Leftist detractors, critics, and lecturers.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 10:00:01 +0000