September 11, 2019
Your Excellencies:
Warm greetings!
In the afternoon of September 20, 2019, the last working day before the 47th anniversary of the declaration of the Marcos Martial Law, idealistic young Filipinos shall lead fellow citizens in collectively resolving to never again allow a dictatorship to take place in this country.
We want the nation to remember that it is the abuse of power that has led to the worst form of criminality, and that it is usually the young who suffer. Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, young victims of multiple rape and double murder in the hands of a mayor and his police escorts 26 years ago, suffered their gruesome fate because power was unchecked.
That is why all democratic checks on power must be safeguarded at all costs. Recently, young activists, community leaders, and intellectuals have been tagged as terrorists and delinquents; harassed during the last electoral campaign; and now are the object of the proposed monitoring and militarization of school environments.
Like all Filipinos, the youth decry extrajudicial killings, question why there are intensified bombings in the countryside, and are at the forefront of protests against Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea. We are the most adamant against government abuse and corruption. We are likewise at the forefront of the workers’ struggles for higher wages and better working conditions, farmers and rural folks’ quest for land reform and rural development, indigenous peoples’ fight for self-determination and ancestral domain, and the global effort against climate change. We yearn for peace that is based on justice and genuine respect for human rights.
Yet the priority of this administration seems to be tightening the lid on dissent from the young. Instead of encouraging the development of the critical faculties and the creative abilities of the young generation, this government wants conformity from us, without rendering itself accountable to the people in return.
But it is the young people’s right to rise to the stature of our heroic forebears, to demand that this country’s leaders act patriotically, and that government policies promote the welfare of the poor and the marginalized. It is our right to demand authenticity from this government, and that its elders be the first in truth-telling.
An accountable government prevents victimization of more Eileens and Allans by promoting courage among the young. Conniving officials can be blunted from releasing more criminals into the system by a vigilant young population. Our future as a country can only be sustained if the young generation is taught to fight for, and not to compromise, the values that make for a great nation.
way of an intergenerational partnership. We can do nothing less.
In line with this, we humbly invite you to attend this rally, and encourage your constituents to participate as well. Your presence in this meaningful gathering for our country shall send a strong message of hope and courage to the Filipino people.
For inquiries, please contact Ayna Punzalan (0917 963 6063). You may also coordinate with the point person who is acting on our behalf for this endeavor.
We are looking forward to your positive response. Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
