SAMASA Blog

I am amazed and emotional to have found this site.

http://west115pup.ning.com/profile/eman

Eman's section is especially great, with the Tambisan music player attached to it.
All at the same time, memories of seeming-endless struggles as a student leader-activist come rushing back. I'm still here, in our common struggle for genuine democracy and nationalism. We've found several areas of work, but the common vision is there.

Samasa is the offshot of Masa, the progressive student political party of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in the 80s. I ran for CSC councilor under Masa in the 1990 elections, where I placed 10th. Twelve councilors filled up the slot. Around 40 candidates ran for councilors. After my election, the Executive Board lead by Danilo Belo (president), Hilda "Dang" Felipe (vice pres.) unanimously elected me as the CSC Secretary General. Among my colleagues in that batch were Tina Godoy, Grace Gapasin, and Red Constantino. When Danny and Dang graduated the next March, I succeeded as the president. Our term was primarily focused on the RP-US bases treaty campaigns and other advocacies. I ran again the next year and emerged as first, not for president but for councilor. That was a strategy because I would later be drafted to the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), where I stayed for the next three years.

Samasa stands firm to its commitment. We the alumni can only look back and pick up from where we paused. Most of the erstwhile staunch militants are gone. Some have either succumbed to the status quo or joined another ideological groups; some were gunned down by the fascist regimes, some lied low; some are still there, either in the revolutionary or the parliamentary movement. Some of us chose the academe, the progressive cultural movement. Some failed to finish their degrees. Wherever we have gone now, the progressive movement is still there, reaching out, reminding each of us: kumusta na?