The speaking stage

By Noel Galon de Leon

I used to be uncomfortable with beauty pageants. They often felt like empty spectacles that reinforced shallow standards rather than meaningful dialogue. For a long time, I questioned their place in educational institutions. That perspective began to shift when I witnessed events like Busalian kang CAS. What I saw was not a parade of appearances but a deliberate act of expression. It forced me to reconsider what a pageant could actually become.

I was invited to serve as a judge this year, and the invitation came from a former student from my creative writing class. That detail alone made the experience personal and reflective. It reminded me that teaching does not end inside the classroom.

As I sat there watching, I realized that the event was functioning as something far more significant. It was not just a competition but a training ground. It was preparing students for the intellectual and social demands of college life.

These students were not simply performing. They were organizing, conceptualizing and executing an event that required discipline and collaboration. This kind of exposure is something no textbook can replicate.

I have seen many of my former students take on roles as organizers in similar events. Their transformation from learners to leaders is not accidental. It is the result of spaces that allow them to practice responsibility early on.

What struck me most was the nature of the topics being presented. These were not safe or convenient themes. They revolved around real struggles that demand attention and critical thought.

There was an urgency in their voices that cannot be ignored. It was clear that these students were not speaking for the sake of performance. They were speaking because they felt compelled to.

This is why we need more protest pageants in our schools. We need spaces where young people are not only allowed but encouraged to confront societal issues. Silence should never be the default expectation.

Education should not be limited to memorization and compliance. It must include the courage to question and the ability to articulate dissent. Events like this embody that principle.

What I witnessed felt less like a traditional pageant and more like a rally. It was structured, yes, but it was also alive with conviction. The stage became a platform for resistance.

The contestants were grounded in the realities they were presenting. They were not detached from the issues they discussed. That authenticity made their performances powerful.

This kind of engagement challenges the outdated notion of what a pageant should be. It disrupts the focus on aesthetics and redirects attention to substance. That disruption is necessary.

I found myself listening more than judging. The experience demanded reflection rather than mere evaluation. It was intellectually and emotionally engaging.

What makes this even more compelling is that these initiatives are student-driven. These young people are choosing to take on the burden of awareness. They are refusing to remain passive.

This is not easy work. These students are balancing academic responsibilities while organizing events that require time and energy. Their commitment exposes the false dichotomy between scholarship and activism.

There is something deeply provocative about students who refuse to limit themselves to classroom expectations. They are asserting that education must extend beyond institutional boundaries. That assertion deserves attention.

As a teacher, I felt both challenged and inspired. It forced me to rethink the role of education in shaping socially aware individuals. It reminded me that learning is not neutral.

I am particularly proud of my students from UP High School in Iloilo. Their talent is evident, but more importantly, so is their awareness. They are not just skilled but conscious.

What they need now is not control but trust. Institutions must stop underestimating the capacity of young people to think critically. They must be given the space to lead.

If we continue to confine students within rigid academic expectations, we risk producing individuals who are informed but disengaged. That is a failure of education. Engagement must be cultivated deliberately.

Protest pageants offer a way to bridge that gap. They merge creativity with critical discourse. They transform performance into participation.

There is also a collective energy that emerges from these events. Students are not isolated in their concerns. They find solidarity in shared advocacy.

This sense of community is crucial in sustaining movements. It reinforces the idea that change is not an individual effort. It is a collective responsibility.

What I witnessed was not just an event but a statement. It was a declaration that young people are ready to engage with the world as it is. They are not waiting for permission.

We should be paying attention to that readiness. We should be nurturing it rather than suppressing it. Because if we fail to do so, we are not just ignoring their voices, we are weakening the future of public discourse.

Noel Galon de Leon is a writer and educator at the University of the Philippines Visayas, where he teaches in both the Division of Professional Education and UP High School in Iloilo. He serves as secretary of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts – National Committee on Literary Arts.