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🚨THE COST OF IDEALISM: Justice for Alyssa Alano The news of UP Diliman USC Councilor Alyssa Alano’s death in Negros Occidental is a gut punch to everyone who understands what it means to be an Iskolar ng Bayan. To the DDS trolls, this is just another "NPA killed in an encounter." But to those of us who know Palma Hall at UP Diliman, this is a tragedy of a voice silenced while trying to hear the voiceless. We already know the script the DDS will run: “UP students are NPA, NPA coddlers, and NPA sympathizers.” It’s a tired, dangerous generalization used to justify the loss of young lives. Being an Iska means feeling a "deep sense of responsibility" to the people. My PI 100 professor at UPD — who is now a member of the House Committee on Justice — constantly reminded us: never forget to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. But "the fight" isn't a single path; it’s a spectrum of service. For some, it’s through critical publications, fearless writing, and media; for others, it’s the grind of lobbying in Congress. Many choose to serve by providing pro-bono legal counsel or medical care to those the system has abandoned. We all have different ways of answering that call, but the mission remains the same: to be the voice where there is only silence. There are those who to the countrysides not to seek war, but to understand the hunger, the land disputes, and the neglect that the government often ignores. While the government is slowly improving subsidies for farmers and fisherfolk, the reality in places like Toboso remains stark. Alyssa was there for a community visit, as part of her mandate as an Education and Research Councilor. Not all UP students want to oust the President or demand regime change. Most genuinely want to lend their voices to those who are never heard. Which brings me to this question: The Philippine Army claims a "legitimate encounter" that killed 19 individuals, including a notorious rebel leader. But why can’t the government be precise? If Alyssa was an "innocent civilian" or a researcher, as the UP University Student Council claims, how does a professional military force justify "indiscriminate strafing" that results in collateral damage? 168 families were displaced, and a student leader is dead. In the quest to "neutralize" insurgents, the government must not become the very thing people should flee from. Being an activist doesn't make you a target, and being a student doesn't make you a rebel. If the military is as professional as they claim, there should be no "collateral damage" like Alyssa Alano. You don't "save" a community by raining bullets on its researchers. We don't need another martyr; we need a government that can tell the difference between a student with a notebook and a rebel with a rifle. #JusticeForAlyssaAlano #IskolarNgBayan