To be socially aware and to cope amid this hell hole of a pandemic we’re in, it takes a decent amount of entertainment to make our education in this online setup bearable. Once this enjoyable factor is sprinkled onto one’s ways of studying our society, a progressive Filipino can only learn so much.
Students cramming their way through the hellest week of all hell weeks, finally deciding to clean their study space and clear their backlogs, and with friends who dump collective trauma on their Discord servers—all these scenarios in our technologically-indulged era, especially heightened after the recent national election fiasco, are best mixed with an incognito activity. And these unhinged students have a newfound companion in online podcasts. The thrill of listening to sensible stories and conversations without having to take a single look? Pure bliss.
Entertainment with the intent to study the real world now comes knocking at our screens. Recently, a full-blown audiobook of Maikling Kurso sa Lipunan at Rebolusyong Pilipino (MKLRP) was uploaded on Spotify, a streaming platform which has over 182 million users this year as recorded on Statista. Talk about reach and range.
With 30 episodes, ranging from two minutes minimum up to nine minutes max, MKLRP features chapters from Pambansa Demokratikong Paaralan (PADEPA). Each episode explains and humanizes the experiences of our forefathers on the front of revolutionary struggle for decades now.
Dio, not their real name, is a student activist from the province. Dio says that MKLRP is a standard teaching with a radical view on our society and all the problems of our system, and taking a crash course on MKLRP is a must. As we enter yet another presumptive dictatorship after five decades, Dio says that it is an obligation to remember the history of truths and martyrdom of the Filipino activists from the past.
“Pwede siyang maging dangerous lalo na kung walang proper introduction. Kung ang isang tao ay walang proper background sa mga konteksto rito, mahihirapan siyang i-absorb ang tunay na esensiya nito,” Dio shared when asked on whether the mainstreaming of the MKLRP is a good idea or not.
When questioned on why they think it took years to mainstreamize the MKLRP and other activism lectures, Dio shared “Isa itong sobrang sensitibong topic na hindi naman kaagad maiintindihan ng masa. Lalo na sa panahon ngayon na iba ang pagtingin sa mga progresibong Pilipino, maaaring magamit lang ito against sa mga aktibista.”
For some, podcasts are just white noise. Muffled sounds going on in the background just for the cinematic value; what better way to use it than as an educational accompaniment to whatever chore or task it is you're doing. And with progressive books and teachings like MKLRP to be streamed on a mainstream platform easily accessible to anyone, it is a huge leap in accessibility for all Filipinos..
This progression shows that it takes our voluntary-offered ears to learn about the long history of struggle and activism in the Philippines. On-ground participation and visuals are a great addition but online podcasts are a trend now that the masses have easily embraced. To incorporate such a story of political and social significance in our mundane routines, it is likely that we learn about our history of social struggles and practically apply it to the specific chore that we are doing with it simultaneously.
Maybe in time we’ll beat the ‘backwards progression’ allegations, but the baby steps we’re taking now are a step towards the Philippines we hope and fight for.
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