In this year’s celebration of Kabataang Makabayan (KM) anniversary, the Negrosanon youth overwhelmed the streets and the hinterlands of Negros island, wave upon wave, to confront the US-Marcos Jr regime. This came as no surprise as the country is grappling with worsening corruption issues within government institutions, and an ever-deepening economic and political crisis.

This militant courage displayed by the growing tide of mobilized youth is a reminiscent of the revolutionary spirit that led to the downfall of the then dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Founded in the 1960s at a time of severe social unrest and rapid political awakening, KM played a pivotal role in mobilizing the youth sector along with workers and peasants toward the pursuit of national sovereignty, social justice, and genuine democracy.

In Negros, the role of youth within this historical trajectory has been both prominent and indispensable. The island has long been a site of intense social and class contradictions: vast plantations owned by entrenched landlord families, chronic rural poverty, labor exploitation, and recurrent militarization. Throughout the decades, Negrosanon youth have participated in mass movements for land reform, peasant rights, and workers’ welfare. They even took a more radical road wherein they contributed in the advancement of armed struggle in the region.

To this day, the revolutionary organization persists in playing its role of being at the heart of the national democratic movement as its youth wing. The Negrosanon youth challenge the deeply-embedded system of oligarchy and foreign control that continues to dictate the fate of the Filipino people. The ongoing militarization of the countryside, the rise in foreign military presence, and the prioritization of foreign corporate interests are all part of a concerted effort to suppress the people’s movement and secure the interests of the imperialist US colluding with the local bureaucrats.

In light of the controversies under public scrutiny, the Negrosanon youth joined the toiling and tilling masses in demanding accountability from the reactionary government for its nationwide corruption and criminal negligence that led to the deaths of Negrosanons either from famine or from the augmented devastating aftermath of Bagyong Tino. Likewise, they echo the call for the ouster of another Marcos along its political rival, Sara Duterte, asserting that both officials have lost the moral and political legitimacy to remain in office. The recurring controversies, fiscal mismanagement, and unaddressed human rights issues reflect a betrayal of public trust that the Filipino people can no longer tolerate.

Against this backdrop, the Negrosanon youth movement has broadened its ranks and deepened its resolve. Citing frustation on the lack of actions coming from the reactionary government, countless young people have gone beyond the usual path and chose to join the ranks of the New People’s Army, a decision they frame as a response to the rotting structural conditions rather than isolated personal decisions. For the youth, as long as the country remains beset by inequality, land monopoly, and foreign intervention, the youth will continue seeking ways to challenge these systemic problems.