MANILA, Philippines -- Bayan Muna (People First) Representative Satur Ocampo, a veteran of the pre-martial law period of youth unrest known as the First Quarter Storm, the recent wave of youth-led protests is a manifestation that young people are aware of and acting to address the problems of society.

Although the leftist lawmaker said today’s protests lack “development” and the youth are just “getting the hang of things,” he also saw many similarities to the protests of the First Quarter Storm.

For one, he said, the issues then and now are the same: incessant oil price increases and high inflation rates.

But Ocampo said the issues today are “mas matingkad dahil mas mabilis ang mga pangyayari ngayon. Mas mabilis tumaas ang mga presyo [more intense because things are happening so fast. Prices are rising much faster].”

“Mas matingkad din ngayon dahil nagkaroon ng abandonment ang government sa mga mamamayan dahil sa pag-adopt ng [It is also more intense because the citizens have been abandoned by government because of its adoption of] policies that support and strengthen the problems,” he added.

The First Quarter Storm, which ran from January to March 1970, was a period of unrest marked by a series of mostly youth-led demonstrations and protests against the government, which was then led by Ferdinand Marcos, whose declaration of martial law two years later would mark the beginning of a 14-year dictatorship that ended only after a popular uprising in 1986.

Many of the youth leaders at the time went on to join the armed resistance led by the Communist Party of the Philippines which is marking its fourth decade later this year.

High inflation rates, coupled by weekly increases in oil prices, have triggered student walkouts and other protest actions demanding the scrapping the value added tax (VAT) on oil and repeal the Oil Deregulation Law.

When asked to compare the attitudes of the youth today and in the 1970s, Ocampo said today’s youth still have to “catch up.”

He said the movement before was more active because it was inspired by worldwide problems.

“There was an upsurge [of protest] against the war in Vietnam,” Ocampo said.

He added that today’s youth are just getting used to protests and still have a long way to go. “The youth is a very transient sector. Those who are aware should educate those who are not,” he said.

Nevertheless, Ocampo credited the youth’s ability to provide “leverage” for the people in addressing the problems of society.

However, he said the government has voided this leverage because of its policies.

“In over 40 years of protest, there have been small victories but these have been reversed by government. Instead of sustaining nationalist measures, government has abandoned these,” he said.

This, he said, is why the youth should use education to sustain these nationalist initiatives.

“Youths should expand their education and level of learning. They should also have an interest in national research,” he said, as he urged the youth to be more “creative” in airing their grievances against the government.

“They should use technology to their advantage. Dapat mas maging creative pa sa kanilang pag-prisinta ng mga issues [They should be more creative in presenting issues],” he said.