In the call for change, the voice of the youth is often disregarded – What do they have to contribute to the discourse, anyway? – One can blame this on the ever-present dispute between generations of old and new; a conflict that has now reached a critical, maybe even truculent, stage.
Today, the fight is not only about the shifting of traditions and customs of the Filipino people, it has transcended into a highly political realm.
In the recently concluded Speech Cup 2017 aptly named “Badhi: Kung Hindi Tayo, Sino?” last February 18 at the UP Film Center, UP Diliman, student participants from 16 schools from all over the Philippines proved to their spectators (the older generation) that they have something to say.
“’Wag tularan, ‘wag tularan / ang nasirang kaharian: / mga islang nilunod sa gawain ng kasamaan, / krimen, pananamantala at karahasan / sino’ng sasagip sa mga buhay na nasasayang?” begins each contestant of the Oral Interpretation category. The words were from a piece called “Sugo” penned by Gio Potes. The students’ cries leave everyone in the room feeling haunted. It was reality amplified by a solitary spotlight and poetic tongue.
But it does not stop there.
Student participants of the Speech Choir category were all about making stances: “Bayan kong kumakapit sa patalim/ nagkakaisa pa ba o sadyang hati-hati? / Lipuna’y napapanis sa harap mo/ sa mukha ng / pwersang pagbabago / at ang ipapalit sa halip / ay DIGMAANG walang maliw. / DIGMA ba ang siyang karapatan, / ang dahasin ang bawat karahasan?” With only a few minutes onstage to creatively express their take on Gio Potes’ “Digmaan”, these students have tackled issues such as historical revisionism, fake news, and extra judicial killings, among many others.
These young individuals took the theme of Speech Cup 2017 to heart. They showed that the youth are not bystanders, simply waiting for ‘change’ to unfold. Instead of relying on fate, on miracles, or messianic figures, they take action. They write their own narratives. They create their own art. They determine their own futures.
But, alas, there can only be three winners for each category. The schools who floored the competition are as follows:
Oral Interpretation
- Champion: St. Scholastica’s Academy Marikina
- 1st Runner-up: St. Scholastica’s College Westgrove
- 2ndRunnder-up: University of Santo Tomas Senior High School
Speech Choir
- Champion: St. Scholastica’s Academy Marikina
- 1st Runner-up: University of Santo Tomas Senior High School
- 2nd Runner-up: Infant Jesus Academy
The University of the Philippines Speech Communication Organization congratulates all the winners and the participants of Speech Cup 2017.
Official event photos will be up on the UP SPECA Speech Cup Facebook page. For further inquiries, head on to UP SPECA’s official Facebook page or follow @upspeca Twitter.