Beyond Constellations

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hindi lang yata pakpak ang meron sa mga balita sa eskwelahan na ito. Meron yata silang makina na hindi pa natutuklas ng kahit sinong scientist. Dahil bago matapos ang linggo, ilang estudyante na ang nagbubulungan tungkol sa sinabi ni Kairo. Kahit na kaming dalawa lang naman ang nandoon sa clinic. How the hell did they know that? Palaisipan talaga sa akin ang mga taong ito.

"So? Nililigawan ka ni Villanueva?" tanong ni Savannah, "Akala ko ba ay galit na galit ka 'don?"

"What? Where did you get that, Sav?" tanong ni Risela.

"People are talking about it, Risel!"

"Hindi nga." sagot ko, "Totoong inis ako sa kanya at hindi niya ako nililigawan. Hindi ko alam kung bakit may nagpapakalat niyan. Kapag nalaman ko kung sino, tuturuan ko talaga ng leksyon."

For other people, it's top-notch gossip. For them, I am lucky that Kairo Villanueva is, apparently, courting me. But for me, it's disgusting. What happened in the clinic will be the last time that I will go near him or talk to him. Ayoko siyang kausap. Ayoko siyang kaibigan. At lalong ayoko siyang maging boyfriend. I don't even want our names to be on the same sentence.

"What is the importance of practicing your right to suffrage?" Ms. Isip asked us. Politics and Governance ang subject namin ngayon. Tutok na tutok ang buong klase dahil maganda ang diskusyon. Napapanahon at may katuturan.

I raised my hand to answer.

"Wala na bang iba? Si Tanya lang ba ang estudyante ko?" Ms. Isip disappointedly remarked, "Salvatorre, I want to hear your thoughts."

Magkalayo kami ni Sav dahil alphabetical order ang seating arrangement namin. Nilingon ko siya. Si gaga, halata mong hindi nakikinig dahil ngayon lang naglipat ng libro. Tumatawa sila ng mga katabi niyang madaldal dahil sa pagpapanic.

"Nevermind. Sit down." Ms. Isip decided and sighed, "Okay, Tanya,"

Tumayo ako, "Not voting is not a protest. It is surrender. When we do not vote, we allow the oppressor to be in power. When we do not vote, it just means that we are not using our privileges to give voice to those who cannot speak. Importante ang pagboto nang may pananaliksik. Even if we think that it's just one vote, well, that one vote can make a difference. That one vote can do so much. It is your duty to your country."

A classmate raised his hand, napalingon ako doon, "People should have a choice, in my opinion. Hindi mo naman pwedeng pilitin ang isang tao na magparticipate sa pulitika. After all, at the end of the day, kahit sino pa ang manalo, hindi naman nila mababago ang mga buhay natin. We can only change our lives if we work hard. Hindi dapat natin inaasa sa gobyerno ang mga buhay natin."

"Point taken." sagot kong muli, "Tama naman, people should have a choice. Tama rin na tayo lang ang makakabago ng buhay natin. I agreed with those statements because I believe so, personally, that only I will have the power to define my life. But, unfortunately, the election is not just about us. The election is not just about the people around you. We are all privileged here. We get to go to school with our parents paying for us. We get to eat the food we want. Karamihan sa atin ay hindi rin problema ang pagcocommute. But our world isn't the world. And we have to go out there and see what the world looks like to those who doesn't live the same life as ours,"

"When we elect a government that isn't for the people, we let our countrymen suffer. When we mistook silence as a better stance, we enable the oppressor. Our taxes, our money, our economy—it all depends to the government that we will choose to have every time we vote. Ang mga pamasahe sa jeep, ang presyo ng bigas, ang gas na pamahal ng pamahal... when we elect traditional politicians who prioritizes their own interests, kailan pa tayo uunlad? Kung ang sahod ng mga magsasaka ay sapat lang para sa tanghalian kahit na sila ang nagpapakain sa atin, kailan sila uunlad? I'm sure that they work hard, but still, they can't get what they deserve."