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For once, I agree wholeheartedly with Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.
Moreover, he categorically stated that he condemns his fraternity brothers who are believed to be responsible for the death of Cris Mendez. This certainly is a welcome change to the usual statements of Sigma Rho members to cover up everything their "brods" do, supposedly all in the spirit of "brotherhood."
Since I could not post the video here, I took the liberty of transcribing his statement to the press regarding the hazing incident:
Sen. Enrile: "I would not like my fraternity to be treated as a fraternity of thugs... a trainer of thugs."
Reporter: "So you condemn the death of...?"
Sen. Enrile: "Yes, I condemn it vehemently... and I hope that those people would be caught and would be brought to justice, and suffer. NO PARDON."
Reporter: "Sir, is it possible to identify who was the...?"
Sen. Enrile: "Alam nila 'yun... alam nung mga -- alam nung Grand Archon kung sino 'yun. HIndi pwedeing hindi malaman ng Grand Archon."
Senator Ponce-Enrile joined Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in filing Senate Resolution No. 112 calling for an investigation into the death of Cris Mendez. This action was made pursuant to Sen. Defensor-Santiago's aim to "beef up" the Anti-Hazing Law and eventually abolish fraternities and sororities.
Here is a transcript of Sen. Defensor-Santiago's statement to the media:
"... the most recent case of hazing in my own alma mater. I am so furious. I am going here in the Senate to fight for a bill to abolish (with emphasis) fraternities and sororities. As far as I am concerned, from my experience in UP Diliman, for four years in the College of Law, these fraternities do not aid the academic mission of the University. They are nothing but elitists... They are isolationists who care to take the view that simply because they are a group, they can get away with anything, and they have a very distorted sense of values. They follow the Mafia rule of "omerta" as if it were an honourable thing to sit on information that could possibly lead to the prevention of the death of other young people in the future. How many decades have we had this problem? UP, of course, has done as much as it can. It has for example... I know a rule that there shall be automatic expulsion of any frat person involved in any activity that has led to the death or serious physical injury of a student. But that apparently is still not enough."
I hope this is not just mere lip service. Oh and the rule in UP Diliman is not automatic expulsion, but only automatic preventive suspension for 30 days for the officers of the fraternity involved.
transcripts credit to videos in Inquirer.net
- How do I feel:
optimistic
Comments
1. Cris Anthony knew exactly what he was getting himself into. He wanted the perks, and he knew the risk, kaya hindi natin dapat kaawaan siya.
2. Miriam should remember that she's also a sorority girl and that not all sororities have hazing. Instead of phasing things out, I would rather have systematic changes in the way frats and sororities are managed
2. Of course, total abolition of fraternities and sororities is not the solution to the problem. I myself am a member of a sorority and I know for a fact that not all organisations of such kind conduct brutal initiations like Sigma Rho, among other fraternities. But mind you... when Miriam entered the UP College of Law, her sorority was a mere club then, and all females who entered the College automatically became members. It was only after several years that it became of full-fledged sorority, and with the increase of women who entered the law school, it already started having its own admission process. So I guess, in a way, she is not fully acquainted with how sororities and fraternities work, even though she herself is a member of a sorority.
kuwawa nalang mom and bro niya. kasalanan din niya na he chose to expose himself to it, kaya ayun, all he left was broken promises. tsk, sayang talaga.
I also wrote an entry in my weblog in memory of Cris Mendez. I hope you can find time to read. I posted it here: http://lestercavestany.com/?p=11