My sisters and I were having a conversation one lazy afternoon when we ended up discussing our previous stage drama roles. Since we studied in the same high school, we were members of its theater guild together for at least a year. We had a good laugh when we remembered how we portrayed our respective characters. Not one among us was the antagonist or the protagonist, but we definitely made an impression on the audience by performing well.

Amid the reminiscing, my youngest sister casually asked what would happen if one of us became the main star in a bigger production. We considered it for a while, but dismissed the idea quickly even if it presented both a developing undertaking and fun. It?s not about being the ?bida? [main star or lead character], anyway. It?s about how well we expressed ourselves on stage.

Giving it a second thought though, being a bida is something I could look forward to. But what does it really take to be one?

Last November, I was chosen to be a delegate in a youth camp with the theme, ?BIDA: Be the Change.? Initially, I wondered what was behind the theme and what it had to offer us. When our campus minister informed me about it, I was very excited, although I felt a bit anxious about meeting some 3,000 strange faces from all over the archipelago. Thanks to the program handed to me a few days before the event, I had already a picture of what might be waiting for us. Aside from the implied idea of gaining new friends, I knew something else ? something worth keeping myself awake for 24 hours would unfold before me.

I was not mistaken.

Primarily, the objective of the camp was to invite us, the youth, to be engaged in a mission of rebuilding the nation, to sharpen our social consciousness, to participate in the transformation of society, and to be a sign of hope to one another.

Some of the speakers who inspired us with their talks were Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Gov. Grace Padaca of Isabela province, Fr. Albert Alejo, SVD and Ambassador Tita de Villa. They spoke to us about the wounds afflicting our country, the brokenness of our people, and the necessity for immediate action. Corruption has crippled the government, and majority of Filipinos have grown weary waiting for things to turn around. Figures show that many of us have already plunged into despair, convinced that no matter what the struggling advocates do, and whoever runs in the next election, we will continue to be divided politically and socially. Thus, the call which everyone, especially the youth, should heed: the call for change, the call to be bida, the call to be the change.

The speakers defined the bida as one who is all set to take risks and sacrifices. He is someone who is shaken by the storm but manages to weather it on account of strong spiritual foundations. One who has a sense of identity as a Filipino. Someone who is not afraid to express himself. Someone who refuses to accept that hope is dead for us. A bida is someone who is responsible enough to evaluate how his every deed affects society. He is someone who seeks not his own selfish benefit, but serves other people wholeheartedly. Someone who knows that the way of the cross is difficult but still believes it can be traversed upon. One who encourages people with passion. One who lives as an example. A person can be a bida if he firmly believes change can come about if it originates from himself. A true bida is someone whose faith shines through his actions.

I can go on and on enumerating the lessons I earned from the camp. But what struck me most is summed up in a single line: ?I can be the change.? I can be the catalyst of transformation in my family, school, community and country. If I turn back from my negative ways, everything else will follow. Observing discipline is a must, as well as fighting for what I know is just. My name doesn?t need to be posted on every wall to paint a hopeful picture for our nation. I just have to understand that every little thing that I do, and refuse to do, matters ? even if it seems insignificant. I should exercise my rights while complying with the obligations that coexist with them. I have to remind myself that my involvement, or the lack of it, rolls the film of Philippine history. I have to bear in mind that the moment I throw away the possibility of change, change becomes impossible. In all that I do, concern must be taken into account. In all that I do, hope must be alive. And all that I do must be an answer to God?s call for truth, justice, freedom and love.

Change is just an arm?s length away if I move and act to reach for it; but it can be as far as the horizon if I just sit and stare, daydreaming about what it would be like just to hold it. If I strive to make myself better, everything would eventually be better around me. Reformation must begin with me.

It has been months since I took part in the camp but its spirit still abides in me. Everywhere I go, I see the tears and hear the wails of our land. However, somewhere within, a voice is singing out hope. It is humming a melody of change. It challenges me and says to me: ?You have witnessed it yourself. If America, a country so large and so diverse, proved to the world that remaking a powerful nation is attainable, why can?t the Philippines do the same??

It is indeed a tough question. But the vision of our country healed and restored is not a pipe dream. With local and national elections fast approaching, now is the right time to help change the course of our country?s history.

How I wish I were talking again with my sisters. But now I won?t be wishing to bag the protagonist?s role; there has been too much of its kind lately. I would be the antagonist, shunning center stage, position and title whether in the theater or in politics. My stage is the land where my feet are planted. Here is where I start. Here is where I will make a stand. I am me. And by being myself, I can be the change.

I am certain that God has the most brilliant plans for us. He is commissioning me and every one of us to cooperate and play our part with excellence. There is no single antagonist; we are all called to make difference. We are all bida.

Christiane May R. Salvosa, 21, is a fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Financial Management student at the University of the East, Manila.