Last September 25, 2020, the Junior and Senior High School Departments gathered virtually at a webinar spearheaded by the Senior High School organization, “SBS Idinayale”, which was called “KapeTalks: A Bitter Reality check”. It was organized to commemorate those who were the victims of Marcos’s regime, and recognize the parallelism of it to today’s government.
The program started at exactly 1:15PM with a short prayer led by Royce Ann Cuyco of 11- HUMSS, and the Philippine National Anthem led by Maria Sophia Javier of 12- HUMSS. The emcees, Chelsea Antalan and Royce Ann Cuyco, then called the president of Idinayale, Ms. Chelsea Mejillano for the opening remarks.
The webinar began with Ms. Rey Valmores–Salinas, a transgender activist, a full time organizer of Gabriela, and a national spokesperson of Bahaghari. Both are well-known organizations that fight for women’s rights and gender issues. She talked about the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride March 2020 and their peaceful protest, the police brutality enacted on the infamous ‘Pride 20’, and the parallelism between the Marcos and Duterte regimes. After her talk, she graciously answered questions of not only the Bridgetines, but also those who were watching the webinar through Facebook live.
The second person to give their talk was Atty. Neri Javier Colmenares, a human rights lawyer and the chairperson of National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL). He presented a PowerPoint about the dangers of the Anti-Terrorism Law, its violations, and its legal parameters. He also spoke about his experiences under the brutal government of Marcos, as he was the youngest victim that was tortured.
Last to speak was Mx. Micah Simon, a youth leader and counselor, a student at UP Diliman, and a volunteer teacher at Bakwit School and Save Our Schools Network. She talked about the Lumad schools and the problems those schools are facing right now. Before she ended her talk, she highlighted the role of today’s youth in our society, and how others can help amidst the issues that are happening today. The webinar ended with the emcees closing the program, as they called on the moderator of Idinayale, Ms. Jillian Mae Fernandez, for the closing remarks.
Written by: Bianca D. Estacio, 10 – St. Gertrude