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ILOILO City – Modern technology and social media have changed the lifestyle of young people. But the millennials of today can still learn from the life and works of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.
Prof. Rejie Palmos, coordinator of the Center for Peace Education at the West Visayas State University, said the national hero remains relevant.
“Rizal remains an inspiration to many people. For him, revolution was not only about using bolos or firearms but using the pen which was mightier than the sword,” he said.
The power of writing as a means to effect change is something that millennials can learn from Rizal, said Palmos.
The professor observed that young people today are very much engaged in social media and other forms of entertainment.
There is a need to “check and balance” what millennials think, say and write about, he stressed.
“This is also a challenge for educators. We have to counteract the culture of violence in social media and in the many things that we do,” he said.
Rizal constantly stressed he did not want violence and wanted change founded on a peace, said Palmos.
“We have to make him an inspiration. Before we speak bad words, before we post on social media and before we interact with people in a not so good tone, we have to reflect on Rizal’s relevance,” he said.
The theme of last month’s 121st commemoration of Rizal’s martyrdom was “Rizal 2017: Mabuting Kaisipan, Susi sa Kaunlaran.” Palmos said it was “about positive thinking or having positive minds.”
Millennials should bear in mind that whatever they feel and do are important, he said.
“If you always think of the good things about people, if we do things that are good for people, we feel the positive vibes, the positive energy. But if we don’t think well about them, if we always feel negative towards them, that is not good,” said Palmos.
In this city, a ceremony on the 121st death anniversary of Rizal was held at Plaza Libertad on Dec. 30, 2017. Guest speaker Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, regional police director, recited a line attributed to the national hero: “The youth is the hope of the motherland.”
But Binag lamented that a considerable number of drug surrenderers in the city were the youth.
Of the 3,393 drug surrenderers in 2017, 1,330 (40 percent) were aged between 18 and 30 years old, Binag revealed.
“Siguro ang lesson natin doon talagang may challenge sa matatanda,” said Binag.
Binag stressed that the older generation should share the responsibility of making the youth the hope of the motherland.
“We cannot let our youths navigate the road to positive change by themselves. We have to show them the true north. We have to share our wisdom with them, culled from years of experience and learning from mistakes,” he said.
For his part, Mayor Jose Espinosa III said the city government was also implementing measures to protect the youth, among them “limiting party hours” up to only 2 a.m.
Espinosa issued Executive Order No. 146 ordering all establishments dispensing alcoholic beverages in this city to close by 2 a.m.
The “unregulated dispensation” of intoxicating drinks results “in the improper and harmful conduct and behavior of consumers,” the mayor said in the order. (PIA-Iloilo/PN)
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