UP STUDENT, HUMINGI ng PAUMANHIN DAHIL sa PAGSUPORTA NOON kay DUTERTE: “I Regret Making That Choice.”



Humingi ng paumanhin ang isang estudyante ng University of the Philippines – Diliman dahil sa pagsuporta nito sa kandidatura noon ni Rodrigo Duterte sa pagkapangulo.

Ayon kay Jeremiah Tomas, katulad lang siya ng nakararami na napaniwala sa pangakong pagbabago ni Duterte.

“Like many, I ate up his promises of radical change, and his shallow narrative of our struggles as a people. And like many, I have to live knowing that my stupidity led directly to the growing culture of fear, oppression, and death that I now dedicate myself to opposing.” ani Tomas.

“In light of this, I ask for two things. First, I ask for your forgiveness. Second, and more importantly, I ask for your patience to understand something I’ve learned since I left the DDS: that every voice raised against Duterte matters.” ani Tomas.

“It is never too late. It must never be too late,” dagdag pa ni Tomas.

Samantala, si Tomas ay tumatakbo ngayon bilang councilor ng University Student Council sa ilalim ng KAISA UP.

Photo Via Facebook Post

Narito ang buong Facebook post ni Tomas:

To my fellow Iskolars ng Bayan

Yes, I wanted a Duterte Presidency in 2015, and until the early days of 2016. I’ve been seeing my old posts being revived and circulated online, and I won’t deny that this was the mindset that I carried at the time.

Like many, I ate up his promises of radical change, and his shallow narrative of our struggles as a people. And like many, I have to live knowing that my stupidity led directly to the growing culture of fear, oppression, and death that I now dedicate myself to opposing.

Nothing can erase the effects of my vote.

But at the same time, nothing can push me to act more than knowing that I’ve been used by a monster.

In light of this, I ask for two things. First, I ask for your forgiveness. Second, and more importantly, I ask for your patience to understand something I’ve learned since I left the DDS: that every voice raised against Duterte matters.

His moves to silence his critics are a sign of desperation —not dedication, as I believed not too long ago. He fears opposition, and most importantly, he fears the that his base will learn better than to buy into his propaganda.

This is why I need to believe that it isn’t too late to align with the struggles of our People. At this point, my challenge –our challenge– is to convince and inspire others to stand with us for human rights, for democracy, for accountability.

It is never too late. It must never be too late.

Again, I WAS a Duterte supporter and I regret making that choice. I thank all those who have taught me otherwise; to my professors, organizations, friends and peers, salamat sa pagmulat.

And to the party that promises hope, I pray you aren’t so quick to give up on a person who hopes to make amends.

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