I never liked UP. Didn't take the UPCAT. I trained successful examinees for their stupid test but nevertheless campaigned that they will not pursue UP. Why? Because I never liked UP. Sorry to my professors and classmates in DLSU who came from UP, for Candice, Charmaine and also for Moe. But it's really sickening. Even the joke about 7-up being 7 sisters studying in UP, sickened me as a child. God, I hated it so much.
This morning, a friend who is about ten thousand times faster than me - despite my Wifi, inq7 (which I wasn't able to open anyway) and YahooNews - in knowing about the latest news, told me that there was another intelligent scholar in UP, who was slain due to hazing. Another intelligent scholar in UP slain due to hazing. Look at that statement another time. Every word there has a deeper meaning - makes you want to cower in fear for the grim future we have.
First, "another". This means the case is just "another" case. Another "another". During the 90s reports have been fewer but starting from the Scintilla Juris case of 1992, cases concerning hazing - even murder cases - now abound.
"Intelligent" - because of high school grades perhaps, or performance in school. But intelligent, proficient in academics. Intelligent? Perhaps not - if you will consider the fact that dying is a stupid thing if it meant degrading the very thing you stand for - sensibility. Perhaps not, if you consider the fact that intelligence ought to make you live a little longer and share the same (intelligence) to your parents who brought you into this world and nurtured you to be the person that you are - were. Perhaps not, if you look at the insanity of this barbaric act that took its starting point from ancient times - when the world is not yet civilized.
But, hey. This student could be anybody. It could be your own student back in high school, a little confused and pressured chap who is suddenly overwhelmed by the pressures of insane and monstrous individuals who call themselves his "brothers". Brothers my ass. A brother won't do that to his friend, let alone his very own brother.
Problem is, the youth of today is a confused youth, a sick, bored and tired youth just longing for attention, belongingness and a little place of security and safety. And sometimes, frats are the only way to escape...and get more caught. This student could be anyone, it could be your own son or daughter. Of course, Marlon was already 21. The more I wonder.
And then this next word - "scholar". Well, ho-hum. Every student in UP is supposed to be a scholar. They are not paying the same tuition fee levels as students in other universities. It's a state U for crying out loud. And it sickens me and every thinking person in this part of the planet that "scholars" who are supposed to be better than all the rest of us should behave this way. And get killed over meaningless and unworthy exercise.
I remember a story about state universities when we were college. Hendrick del Castillo studied in PUP, another state U in Sta. Mesa, Manila. This was during the days of Prudente. He told me that during CMT (or ROTC), the Commandant - an Army colonel - would shout at the cadets - "Don't be sloppy, PUP cadets! 75% of your tuition fee is being subsidized by the government". And it's true, I mean. That guy was a genius. PUP, UP students - all of them - should behave better than the rest of us. We are subsidizing their education. And I believe that hazing is not part of this education.
Which brings us to the next phrase "in UP". There it goes. What is it like to be in UP? Why all these nonsense? Why all these deaths associated with hazing? I must admit that Ateneo suffered of the same predicament during the Aguila case of 1991. And also this: According to the study made by NFO (http://www.eccceonline.org/commission/report/appendix-a.htm), 51% of the youth don't see the reason why hazing is wrong. Are they reading? The same survey said that most of them don't read. Ask me again why they don't know hazing is wrong. They're ignorant. Most of them are imbecile due to lack of reading. Read this kids: HAZING IS WRONG BECAUSE IT CAN KILL YOU, YOU MASOCHISTIC MORONS.
It kills me. That these things are happening in our top-rated schools and universities. Because if this is what our students and "scholars" are doing, and the same are our future and hope of the nation, I wonder what kind of future we have.
The worst of it is that I am planning to take my doctoral in Statistics there in UP. Well, that's the only choice here in the Philippines. Unless I somehow manage to hypnotize Dr. Joz and the rest of the Math Dept. in DLSU to offer it.
Which really kills me like hell.
In UP? What is the VMGO of UP? What do they stand for? These questions I don't have a ready answer. It seems the website of UP does not carry it conspicuosly as compared to La Salle, Ateneo or UST.
"died"....
If it was something else...If it was not this... then, we would've let it go. Even if it was rebellion, teen-age pregnancy, sedition and athiesm, we would've let it go. But it concerns death - the death of an individual, of an intelligent scholar - of a future of our nation. Now, that is unforgivable.
"due to hazing"
What is fraternity? What does it stand for? Does it not stand for brotherhood? Is it not a word on every French during the Revolution? Now, what is hazing? Why do they do it? What do brotherhood and killing have in common? If this happens in war, and death means a sacrifice, then we would've understood. But killing, murder...that we cannot forgive.
Now, what does our law tell us? Isn't it already a heinous crime through the RA 8049 of 1995? How many cases have plagued us in the past ....in UP, UST, Ateneo, La Salle, PMI, Letran?
What should we do about it? Anti-Hazing Act? What about prohibiting fraternities altogether even in colleges? DECS Order No. 20 s. 1991 forbids fraternities and sororities especially in the basic education. How come there are cases upon cases of these? If these studebts cannot stand up to it, then leave the halls of the academe. Leave our schools alone.
I never liked UP. When my mother asked me if I was taking the UPCAT, I said "I don't like UP. Sige, you might not see me again. UP students go to the mountains and become NPAs". Actually, the first reason then was I never felt worthy enough for UP. It's viewed as a shining pedestal for intellectuals. I always regarded it as something so UP, so up there . Until reality woke me up.
It's a long way still but I don't think Andrea will choose UP over any well-meaning school or college.
...even if I have to do double or triple jobs in Canada or the States, just to take her to a mission-directed and Christ-centered university, I will do it.
...even if I have to break my back, just so she will avoid the nonsensical youths now proliferating in UP.
...even if...I have to fetch her everyday.
Hey, they also came from UP, right? See, I hate UP.
(see related article here. Don't forget to click BACK, ok?)
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