Despite all the hype about the 25th anniversary of Ninoy Aquino, I was never really interested in all the activities and events planned specifically for the occasion. I guess I just never saw myself to be the type to give a lot of importance to politics. But as this was required, I attended the symposium that was set on the 27th of November in the North Conservatory. I admit that upon hearing of the speakers attending the event, I was impressed at the line-up. The actor Diether Ocampo who founded the Kabataang Inyong Dapat Suportahan (K.I.D.S.) Foundation was present, Rags2Riches co-founder Reese Fernandez, TV reporter Atom Araullo, and Elvin Uy, a DLSU alumni and recipient of the Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Award for Nationalism. Former president Cory Aquino and Mayor Alfredo Lim were also present in the symposium.

What took me by surprise was how different all these speakers were, they came from all different walks of life and all have various careers and lifestyles that it was quite overwhelming to realize that they all came together for one event. I guess that was when it hit me that my being ignorant of such an occasion could only hurt me.

One of the first things I noticed upon nearing the venue of the symposium was that it was filled to the brim and that the line of people waiting to go in were forming the most intricate shape just so that everyone can fit inside. It was good to see the whole Lasallian community being active in such an activity especially since we are usually known for our being ignorant of the politics world outside our campus. But the fact that it seemed like the whole school appeared for the symposium took that label away.

Brother Armin led the whole group in a wonderful prayer and he continued on to talk about the coming changes that we should begin to expect in the near future. For one, he talked about the issue of changing our current President and how it wasn't the solution to our country's problems. All the speakers had something to share whether it be about their views on leadership and the youth, or on the changing times that the country is going through nowadays to their own experiences with being leaders. The speaker who I really wanted to listen to was Former President Cory Aquino, I was taken aback by how different she looked from what I often pictured her to be and yet, there was a presence that emanated from her. Once she walked into the room, talk died down and heads turned to follow her walk to her seat. I restlessly waited for her turn to speak and I was in awe of what she had to say. In a time where most of the youth show less than enthusiasm for change and politics, it was wonderful to feel the hum of excitement spreading through the students as we listened to her speech.

I guess one of the goals of the iamninoy campaign is to be able to imbibe hope in the youth today. I can't speak for all of the youth here in the country, but I can still say that the iamninoy campaign was a success because despite the fact that one person may seem insignificant, there was still a change in that symposium. I'm just really glad that that one person is me.