The old world is dying, and the new world order struggles to be born. 

Dissent remains the fitting response in the face of the state’s monopoly on structural violence and the continuation of class-based inequalities. Marked with dialectical contradictions, students worldwide, such as in Indonesia and the Philippines, are spearheading the conveyance of one certainty: neglected demands ignite revolution, and every display of defiance—including walkouts—is the people reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.

With the recent onslaught of typhoons and excessive rainfalls that revealed the anomalous flood control projects and state-sponsored attacks, Filipino students voiced their demands from the university halls to the streets—bearing paint-splattered placards and decrying through megaphones or from behind banners. They strode out of their classes and swarmed the streets to herald this year’s string of protests against the worsening case of government corruption.

On September 23, 2025, the Blue Movement Academic Walkout of Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) was the first time in thirteen years that the university had seen such a large-scale action since the Walk of Justice during the International Human Rights Day in 2012. After a downturn in the university’s student activism in recent years, more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff took part in the walkout from Sunken Garden to Roxas Avenue, involving first-time protesters.

To the streets

Across universities and colleges nationwide, the increasing number of walkouts tips off that the student movement is awakening its own position in critical collective dissent. What’s more is that in anticipation of AdDU’s walkout, the Blue Knights for Human Rights (BKHR), a broad student-led alliance that aims to address and expand political consciousness to relevant and apparent human rights violations within and outside the university, staged the Blue Movement Picket Rally on September 19.

Herewith, several AdDU students decided to participate in the university-wide mobilization for the first time, proclaiming that the necessity to be unified is imperative so long as the same pain of injustice is shared by all.

“It was the first rally I ever participated in, and all I could think about was how a large crowd of people did not invoke a sense of fear, but comfort knowing that hundreds and even thousands of students rallied together against corruption. Such a force felt liberating,” Jerome Balboa, a second-year Political Science student, stated.

The scenes unfolding during the protest also left a lasting impression on newcomers like Issa Marisse Valles, a third-year BS Biology Major in Medical Biology student. Although the attendees were clad in school uniforms, the placards, chants, performances by Ateneo Repertory Company, and speeches by student leaders of various organizations were pulsating.

“When I saw the crowd, I was genuinely amazed because I realized that there were so many people, especially students in their uniforms, gathered for the same purpose—to raise awareness and show solidarity. It was inspiring to see so many people come together to stand for justice and responsible governance,” Valles expressed.

When the merciless storms pass by yet another time, zero tolerance for deception and not maximum leniency hastens.

“Personally, I’m not allowed to attend rallies and protests. Nung nalaman ko na maghold ng student walkout, I grabbed that opportunity, and there’s this…degree of anger and rage na hindi mo na talaga siya kaya makimkim kasi it’s just begging to be released,” Marianne Gayle Pangilinan, a third-year student from AB Anthropology, shared.

She believed that the university-wide walkout would not be far from the protests reported in the media, as the mob size is not the only metric of the extent of mass actions and there is no barrier between the campus and the peripheries writhing under injustice.

“Marami man o kaunti ang nagjoin sa protest, hindi natin ‘yon nakikita na hadlang para maregister natin ang mga panawagan ng mga estudyante kasama ang faculty [at] masa para sa tunay na social change,” Pangilinan carried on.

Down from the hill?

Historically a stronghold of student activism, AdDU attempts to reiterate the relevance of fortes in fide, magis, and persons for and with others in championing the interests of the dispossessed and marginalized.

Pangilinan further noted that inherent in political protests is the need to overcome the collective action issues—that is, the reluctance of individuals to sacrifice their personal aims in favor of group goals. Though aware of national issues, “some students opt to sign online petitions and air grievances on social issues through status updates.” However convenient, she asserted that this individual mode of action comes at the expense of organized resistance.

“The student movement shouldn’t be taken as a one-time thing. It should be persistent, and efforts should be made as a collective… regardless kung saan ka na sector galing, and [whether] affected ka man or not.”

Although flocking to public spaces for this protest action is a new experience for some, they remarked that they do not do so with the conscience that change occurs instantly. Much like the struggle that has continuously crumbled at the core of democracy, the act of resistance is not an impulse—it stems from a deep-seated urge towards genuine progress.

“Students largely constitute [the] country, they are directly affected by the country’s policies and governance in many ways, including but not limited to: policies and institutionalized systems regarding mental health, price increases and minimum wage, job opportunities, healthcare, and other basic social services… if the governance of one’s country rightfully serves the students, there is a high chance that it can serve everyone else in the country,” Ruvi Anne Undaloc, a second-year AB Psychology, said.

Pedagogy and praxis

Walkouts and mobilizations also resounded at various Jesuit Higher Education Institutions, such as Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Naga University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, and other universities and colleges nationwide.

The present political climate demands dissidence especially among students—being the intellectual foundation of the youth as well as parts of the labor force in transition. What has frequently been missing from classroom curricula is the conviction that people’s personal troubles in their immediate environment are inseparable from the larger social ills that afflict the rest of society. 

“The university acknowledges the exploitation of the masses, particularly corruption at the time, and is rightfully angered by it, including me,” Undaloc verbalized.

As the nation is wracked by recurrent crises, there emerges a more compelling need for educational institutions to provide avenues for the youth to wage principled defiance and academic freedom. Their dissatisfaction should fuel dissent, and to bring about real systemic shifts, their diffuse manifestations of frustration and disillusionment must be translated into effective social movements. 

“Education should extend beyond the four walls of the classroom; it should help us understand and respond to real issues in our society. Seeing people take action hits differently. Knowing what is wrong is one thing, but doing something about it, even in the smallest ways, is what gives knowledge meaning and purpose,” Valles affirmed.

The first-time student protesters pointed out that students have a responsibility greater than themselves, as the autonomy they get to enjoy tomorrow hinges on the choices and steps they take today.

“There was truly [a] thrill in participating in such a rally that makes me want to join in more. However, I do acknowledge that thrill shouldn’t be the only thing driving someone to rally against corruption and the blatant disrespect of public funds, but feelings of genuine anger and care for the plight of the nation under incompetence,” Balboa uttered.

The substantial turnout for the walkout acts as an affirmation that Ateneans’ abilities and dignity are not confined within the academic spaces.

“I will proudly carry this experience by staying aware, speaking up, and taking action even in small ways. I believe change starts when we stop being silent, and that even one voice can matter when it stands for what is right,” Valles said.

To walk out is to oppose a system that flourishes on stillness and to cross the line between compliance and transgression. To cross the line is to turn the departure into an act of becoming—with students being reawakened from the collective memory where earlier problems remained unchecked. The vicious loop of deceit then is broken when the voices of the Filipinos finally break free from suppression.

Ateneans, along with the entire Filipino youth, must stand and march then, for the route of resistance cannot be taken while sitting down in a privileged branding. The unjust global order and exploitative systems must be rejected and endeavor to establish an alternative founded by the people. The initial idea is to go down from the hill; the eventual is to flatten it. That being said, the youth’s never-ending fight has always been for the nation, and for the people—for those who barely have the strength to stand up for their rights because they are too busy tending to daily living obligations, and for those who are deprived of education that leads to exploitation and denial of their basic rights. 

Together with the oppressed peoples, a well-supported student movement will clear the way for the birth of a new liberated world.

Editor’s Note: This article was first issued in the December 2025 First Semester Newsletter of Atenews.