People often think of students from UP as rascals, disobedient to the law, and just happy-go-lucky people rallying all day to prove a senseless point. But more than that, what does “Iskolar ng Bayan” really mean?
Regarded as the premier and top university in the country, the University of the Philippines often hold admission exams that stringently filters the cream of the crop among the student body of the country. Yearly, one hundred to two hundred thousand students in the Philippines strive in the University of the Philippine College Admission Test or more known as UPCAT. Among these hundreds of thousands takers, only less than ten to fifteen thousand enter the university yearly. No wonder these students thrive inside the university to be critical and socially aware of the political atmosphere in the Philippines.
Moreover, what does it really take to become an Iskolar ng Bayan? For many, besides the fact that you have to be gifted intellectually, you also have to be a passionate servant of the mass. You have to become a servant of the people, that’s why it’s also called the University of the People. Many believe that Iskolars have paved the way to acts of volunteerism to various organizations inside the university, inviting and recruiting volunteers in and out of its campus to serve the people.
Notable UP Alumnus in Philippine public service
Clearly manifesting the willingness of UP’s student body to serve those who pay for their education, after all, it is the taxes of the people that pays for the functionality of its system. There are hundreds of the UP students striving in their field right now, better serving the people. Some pursued the field of governance and public service, like Leni Robredo, a graduate of UP’s School of Economics. Another great public servant from UP is Isko Moreno, Manila City’s mayor.
Notable journalists including Jessica Soho and recent Noble Prize Awardee, Maria Ressa also graduated from the prestigious university. Some from the entertainment industry are also included in the long list of notable alumni like Ely Buendia, Nash Aguas, and Venus Raj. Truly, UP is a home for people from different background and to people with different aspirations and goals in life.
The university is also home to people with various international awards including the Galileo Galilei awards of the International Commission of Optics, the Global 500 Roll of Honour, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Southeast Asian Writers Awards, and many more notable awards from international and national organizations.
Other than this, UP is also the home university of Patricia Non, the known catalyst of the community pantry. Starting in Maginhawa, Non placed the first community pantry for the “komyu” people of Bgy. UP Village and other homeless people that are in need of basic necessities like food and water. This is just a mere manifestation of how the people from the university bring their “Honor and Excellence” everywhere even after finishing their studies in UP. This act of volunteerism can be seen day-to-day inside the different campuses of UP from UP-Baguio to UP-Mindanao.
Together with their minds, Iskos are saught to act by their heart. This is a reason why many are involved in activism and revolutionary doings. Their inclination to the exploited farmers and workers of the country by heart have pushed them to fight for their rights. Calls including proper wages for workers, land reform, and an end to the systemic problem of exploitation have become their general calls to the government and people.
Many people deem to misunderstand these doings, Iskos who involved themselves in these kind of acts are usually tagged as communist by trolls and other people who refuse to act on pressing issues. Iskos are usually attacked because of their dissent, many have already died fighting for their lives, including many Iskos from the Martial Law Era of Marcos. Hundreds of Iskos becamevictims of torture of the government during this time just because they express their dissent along the streets where people could best see them.
Amidst this endless cycle of oppression towards activist, and Iskos in general, people of the University of the Philippines never end their battle for the good of the masses. Many students still participate in activism to end state oppression, while other who do not involve themselves still function as volunteers in various organizations in and out of the university.
The question still boils down to: what does “Iskolar ng Bayan” really mean. Being an Iskolar ng Bayan doesn’t just mean being part of the student body of the prime state university of the country, it still rounds up to the dedication, passion, and ideologies of the Iskos. Among these, one the floats the most is the dedication to serve the people and mass. Striving for the good of the majority never failed to stray away from the university itself, it became a defining factor in their institution. This dedication follows their slogan to uphold “Honor and Excellence”. To bring honor to the university by serving the country passionately, and become excellent in serving the people in your chosen field.
Questions and arguments still spark whenever someone speaks of Iskolar ng Bayan, having miscommunication and misinformation regarding it is still prevalent, one thing that makes Iskos shine is their perseverance to persuade people to understand them and become one with their goal to plough a better future for the Filipinos.
One thing that separates Iskos from the rest of the Filipino people is, surprisingly, nothing. Iskos aim not be separated from the struggle of the Filipino people, rather, they strive to become one with them. Fighting alongside the struggle of the mass, calling out exploitative doings of the oppressors, and helping in the liberation of the Filipino people in the shackles of hardship: this is what it means to become an Isko. An Iskolar ng Bayan is not only a student of the University of the Philippines but also a student of the whole country and its people. An Iskolar ng Bayan thrives in making a change for the Philippines.
Photo Credits: The Rizalene Blog