Maybe, just maybe

The first few days of the New Year saw students going back to school as mandated by the Department of Education. Attendance was, however, dismal. Only a few showed up and most were not eager to go back to school after the holidays.

For us students in the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, we also returned to class on the 3rd of January but the same feeling of emptiness filled the classrooms. Nobody was in the mood to set off the New Year right.

I wandered the dimly lit hallways of the university searching for somebody whom I could share my sentiment. The students were not just ready to face the reality that the holidays have ended and we had to go back to school. Two weeks with family and friends isn't just enough.

To prove that going back to normal did not sink in everybody's head, I overheard students who were still in holiday mode, giddy with stories from their hometowns. Even social media channels were flooded with pleas from both workers and students to extend the short vacation.

Well, reality is harsh that is why we do not really want to go back to it.

Among the many realities that people, even students like us, have to go back to after the holidays is the issue at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

Since December 17 of last year, the same faces are on the news. We hear the same names mentioned and allegations that are oftentimes below the belt. The two iconic women of the province go as far as tackling the intrigue of guards, policemen, tents, unpaid accounts on food and the push for one's literal removal from office. The issue is too much to handle, too much to take in.

Since then there has been a tight watch on the doors of the Capitol. There is heightened security, suspicion on every intruder and a restless crowd. The norm is disrupted.

All these are happing at a time when Cebu will be celebrating its biggest festival in a few days. Yet somehow amid the chaos, we are hopeful. Deep in our hearts, we want peace in the province.

Maybe it is time to quit bashing on each other's principles. But maybe we should just let them be. Or maybe, just maybe, we have to be brave enough to face the harshness of reality.

**Published in the Freeman newspaper on January 12, 2013