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Saturday, October 04, 2003
Editorial: Underground violence
WHY are we not surprised by the disclosure of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) 10 that the fraternities and sororities in the region are increasingly becoming violent in their initiation rites?
There have been reports in the past about the methods used by the masters in testing the determination, strength and loyalty of their neophytes. These range from performing unusual, menial tasks to undergoing the dreaded paddling and other physical punishment inflicted on them.
And it's not just the boys but the girls as well. Fraternities and sororities have gone down to the high school level, and it's quite alarming and saddening to think that these kids are punished and brainwashed by their elders into unswerving loyalty to the fraternity or sorority.
Yes, there are such groups and their existence weren't tolerated by universities and schools because of their practices. Yet they exist because they conduct their activities underground.
And because they are under the school's radar so to speak abuses like that committed in the Elmer Cabangbang hazing case are known only a few days later.
The charges were filed on 2001 and the case was resolved last Sept. 30. Justice delayed is not justice denied at least as far as this case is concerned.
But there are lots of cases like the Lenny Villa case which had been gathering dust in the courts since 1990. The Anti-Hazing law which was drafted because of that case had yet to be fully realized in the Cabangbang case because it had been a precedent.
And schools as well as government agencies would do well to regulate their activities owing to the influence they wield on school affairs.
Well known fraternities like those in Ateneo and in lesser known schools have as their members top officials in the government, private sector and even in academe itself.
The Upsilon Lambda Fraternity/Sorority (Knights Fraternity) of which one of the suspects named Marlon Echeverria is the Supreme Knight is one such group and Echeverria is the nephew of PNP Provincial Director Virgilio Echeveria.
The question is how does one ferret out these vicious frat members and bring them to justice? That's the problem that law enforcement authorities have to figure out.
In the meantime students are advised to better stick to their regular schooling and refrain from joining these fraternities.
These groups could bring students connections and influence but it won't help them clean their consciences whenever a fatal hazing occurs. And that's propagating a culture of violence among the youth.
(October 4, 2003 issue)
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