Dear mothers, fathers, families, and graduating students:

It is a moment of pride, joy, and reflection as students prepare to take the stage at every graduation rites. Yet for many schools, the ceremony has also become a platform for something deeper.

Lightning rallies are significant movement that represents the militancy that has shaped generations of student activists. But why is this done, and what does it truly signify?

For years, students have stood on the frontlines of the people’s struggles, using their education not just as a personal achievement but as a platform to amplify the calls of the oppressed. Student activism has always been a vital force for change, a conduit through which the youth express their outrage against injustice, their defiance against repression, and their hope for a better society. It is in these platforms where the cries of workers, farmers, jeepney drivers, and urban poor communities echo alongside the chants of students. These moments of defiance are a reminder that the struggle does not end within the walls of the university—it extends far beyond.

But as these movements become more visible, schools are increasingly red-tagged and labeled as “communist hotbeds”. The government and its mouthpieces repeatedly claim that student involvement in mass movements is dangerous, that joining protests or supporting progressive causes is wrong. But why? When students seek to study and understand the historical roots of these movements—when they question the social inequalities that permeate society—they are labeled subversive. Why is it that when we speak of investigating exploitation, of advocating for the masses, we are branded as terrorists?

These questions cannot be dismissed. Why do some students choose a more radical path, even joining the New People’s Army (NPA)? Why do others dedicate their lives to full-time activism? These decisions are not made lightly. The NPA’s existence is often portrayed by the state as a simple matter of rebellion, but in truth, it is a response to decades of unresolved landlessness, exploitation, and state violence.

As Jose Maria Sison once said, “The NPA is the result of systemic exploitation and oppression that pushes the people to take up arms.” Many who choose to join the ranks of the NPA or become full-time activists do so because they see no other avenue for meaningful change in a system that continues to fail the most marginalized.

The framework that shapes this activism—guided by Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism—offers a critical perspective on the nature of state power and class struggle. It teaches that the state exists to protect the interests of the ruling class, and that the fight for liberation cannot be achieved through reform alone. Genuine change requires collective action, the kind that can only be sustained through the hard work of arousing, organizing, and mobilizing communities. This is why lightning rallies happen, why protests continue, and why full-time activists dedicate themselves to the cause of the people.

Activism, guided by these principles, seeks to challenge the ruling class and empower the masses to seize control of their own destiny.

So to speak, student activism is not merely about isolated protests or academic exercises; it is about understanding the material conditions that shape our world and organizing to change them. The lightning rallies we witness at graduation are just the visible tip of a broader, more profound movement aimed at dismantling the structures of exploitation and building a more just society.

To the families: you did not raise your children to mindlessly follow. You raised them to think critically, to question authority, and to stand up for what is right. You did not fail. Their decision to take up this fight is their own. If the struggles your children face seem overwhelming, they are no different from your own. The social crises you endure—the rising prices of basic goods that burden you, the looming jeepney phaseout that threatens your livelihood, the low wages and lack of job security for your older children—these are the same injustices that these young graduates are confronting. The oppression and inequities that weigh heavily on you are inseparable from the causes your children have embraced. When they raise their fists during their graduation, it is a declaration that their fight is also your fight. By standing by them, by understanding their path, you are already contributing to the movement in your own right.

To the students: the world may tell you that your journey ends here, but we know better. The cycle of life does not conclude with the granting of a diploma; it is simply a crossroads, a moment of decision. Whatever path you choose, may it always be in service to the people. Most importantly, choose the people over profit, choose the fight over complacency, choose to challenge the systems that perpetuate inequality. This is not the beginning, but a continuing struggle.

To the full-time activists: we owe you so much. Your sacrifice, your tireless efforts to organize and educate, are what keeps the flame of the revolution burning. In a society that glorifies individual success, you chose to live among the people, to fight for the collective good. Like those who came before you, you are the lifeblood of the movement. On days when you feel uncertain, remember that your work, though often unseen, is invaluable. You are the backbone of this struggle, and your achievements—every protest, every meeting, every decision—are more meaningful than society would have you believe.

Let us not shy away from these glaring and demanding questions, nor from the struggles the students represent at every lightning rallies, protests, and decisions they make to dedicate oneself to activism or even to armed struggle—these are not acts of recklessness. These are acts of resistance. These are choices made in the face of a system that seeks to deny the most basic rights to its people. These are choices that demand to be understood, not demonized.

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