John Lazaro

WRITTEN BY GEORGE D. KHO

It forces you to enter the world of other people, and to learn from them directly, to talk to them, empathize with them, understand things from their point of view.

As an activist, it teaches you to be committed, to put things on the line— again, an Atenean cliché na pagtaya.

MANY OF those who have been classmates with John Lazaro (4 AB MA-POS) will agree on two things about him: His eccentric humor and well-spoken recitations. Behind these, however, is someone whose commitment to the causes of workers and social justice has led to the path of activism—even amid a dangerous political climate.

POLITICAL AWAKENING

John’s political journey began in junior high, when his old school enacted more conservative policies on students’ interactions around the time the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. In response to this, John drew up a petition soliciting the signatures of his batchmates as an act of protest against his school’s “unreasonable” rules.

“Somewhere along the way, someone reported me to the principal. I got in trouble,” John says. “I remember having my first sort of adrenaline rush in very troubled situations […] I brought myself to this situation, doing what I believed was right.”

Upon entering senior high school (SHS) in 2016, John was greeted by a wider and more complicated landscape. It was the year that Rodrigo Duterte was elected President, and late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was buried in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. With the more diverse and politically active environment of De La Salle Taft – SHS, John felt closely drawn to a more “progressive” kind of politics.

ACTIVISM AND LABOR

Entering Ateneo, John joined a number of student organizations such as the Ateneo Assembly and the Student Judicial Court (SJC), where he eventually made it to the position of Magistrate. However, John was yet to find an engagement that resonated with more political action. a sociopolitical youth group called Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) where he went on to become spokesperson and national coordinator. It is through his experiences and work there that John got involved more with organizing and activism. He also helped campaign for Otso Diretso back in 2019, and for Leody de Guzman’s presidential bid in 2022. For John, being part of political movements allows one to relate to people in many ways.

“It forces you to enter the world of other people, and to learn from them directly, to talk to them, empathize with them, understand things from their point of view,” he adds.

One of the most memorable engagements for John was the Zagu workers’ strike in 2019. He was able to bring The GUIDON and Sanggunian to cover the protest, tying his connections with Ateneo together with his work in SPARK.

John’s experiences have also brought him to confront many other instances of labor issues, such as strikes in Pacific Plaza and in industrial areas in CAMANAVA. On top of these are the occasional demonstrations—such as May Day in Mendiola or the independence day protests of 2020—in which John helps organize and speak in.

HOLDING THE LINE

However, such contentious issues that surround organizing and activism under the current political climate also come with it the dangers of red-tagging and harassment. Being in a national position for SPARK and having gone to many rallies, John seems unsurprised by the fact that he could likely be in a watchlist. “I’m on a lot of media, being interviewed multiple times by press […] so kilala din naman ako ng mga pulis (the police probably know me as well).”

Aside from this, the sight of riot shields, yantok, and assault weapons have become an accepted everyday reality for activists such as John. Many times, John has had to negotiate with authorities simply for their group’s constitutional right to protest.

“It’s a strange experience [because] the way they negotiate with activists is very confrontational. I get the sense [that] they want to provoke something out of you para magescalate yung situation (in order to escalate the situation),” John mentions.

PAGTATAYA

While John admits that his work is physically and mentally strenuous, he mentions being able to make it through school with good grades and applying the experiences he’s had to his academics. “I have to think about interest a lot of times […] about [organizing] coalitions, what do they what to get out of this, what can I offer them realistically […] what are the ramifications if we fail. It trains you to think about the world in a very political way,” John adds.

Through all this, John asserts that his story is one of commitment. “[Being an activist] teaches you to be committed, to put things on the line—again, an Atenean cliché na pagtaya,” John emphasizes.