UP dean, student council demand sanctions over frat rumble

Student-led Anti-Fraternity Related Violence Watch (SAWA) Head Jackie Canlas (L) assists UP CSSP Student Council Chair Yanna Perez (R) in the filing of a case against Alpha Phi Beta and Beta Sigma in the UP Student Disciplinary Tribunal after a rumble between the two fraternities last week.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – After a violent altercation last week between fraternities that left several students injured, a college dean and student council from the University of the Philippines Diliman are demanding an end to fraternity-related violence through administrative sanctions.

UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dean Michael Tan and Student Council Chair Yanna Perez filed on Wednesday a complaint against fraternities Alpha Phi Beta and Beta Sigma over a rumble between the two fraternities last September 18.

The complaint accused Raymund Cruz Lopez, Marcus Cabrera, Don Ballustre, Mark Gabriel De Jesus, Bryan Joseph Costales, Miguel Barreto, and several other members of the fraternities “of engaging in a fraternity rumble, as defined in Section 1(A)(1), Rule I, Revised Rules Governing Fraternities, Sororities, and other Student Organizations.”

Last year, the college filed a similar complaint against Alpha Phi Beta and Alpha Sigma, but the Diliman Legal Office which serves as the prosecutor in cases of fraternity violence has yet to forward the case to the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. “It is a frustrating fact that well-connected fraternities in UP are never punished for rumbles and hazing,” Perez said.

According to Perez, the unwritten policy of UP’s administration is to back off once fraternities figuring in a rumble have reached a “truce.” Because of this “truce policy,” fraternities have never been punished administratively in UP, Perez said. Rumbles, under UP’s rules, are punishable by suspension to expulsion.

The Student-led Anti-Fraternity Related Violence Watch (SAWA), composed of students from the UP College of Law, provided legal assistance in the filing of the complaint. The organization’s head, Jackie Canlas, explained that after the filing of the complaint, a preliminary inquiry should be conducted by the Diliman Legal Office.

“The solution to ending the culture of violence among fraternities in UP is to set an example. The university must dispense justice by punishing violent fraternities with suspension or expulsion,” Canlas said.

Fraternities in UP were formed during the university’s early decades in the 1900s. Since then, several students have been victims to hazing and rumbles. Cris Mendez was the most recent case of a student dying from fraternity-related violence. The Mendez case remains unresolved.

“Impunity in the country starts with the youth. When fraternity members think they are somehow above the law because of their connections, one can only imagine what they will be capable of once they graduate and become the country’s next leaders,” Canlas added.

NO to Impunity: On the APB-Beta Sigma rumble (Sept 18, 2013)

No one is above the law. And no truce between criminals can be allowed to circumvent justice.

In the afternoon of September 18, 2013, while the University Student Council and different organizations were protesting at the AS Steps the impending P1.43B budget cut on UP, an incident of fraternity-related violence erupted in campus that left at least six frat men injured and several students and other bystanders emotionally distressed and fearing for their own safety.

According to reports, the violent altercation between members of Alpha Phi Beta and Beta Sigma happened just meters away from the USC event, at the latter's tambayan in Benton Hall. Witnesses claim that the rumble started when at least five members of APB proceeded to Beta Sigma's tambayan to allegedly "resolve" an earlier disagreement between the two frats. The supposed discussion however turned into a violent exchange of fists and blows. Officers from the UP Diliman Police (UPDP) eventually came to the scene upon receiving a report from a nearby security guard. The rumble stopped and the UPDP arrested the frat men involved, including those who were reportedly attempting to escape in a red Suzuki Alto.

Thereafter, six of the frat men involved were brought to the UPDP headquarters where they were detained for several hours. Three representatives from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) were also present in the UPDP HQ. Eventually, Atty. Viktor Pablo Trinidad, a lawyer for the detained frat men, arrived and declared to the UPDP and OVCSA representatives that they will not file charges and will resolve the matter on their own. The six frat men, named Raymund Cruz Lopez, Marcuz Cabrera, Don Ballustre, Mark Gabirel De Jesus, Bryan Joseph Costales, and Miguel Angelito Barreto, were released by 10:00PM of the same day (Sept 18). At least two of the detained, Costales and Barreto, are identifiable members of APB who ran for student council positions in the past.

Two days later or on September 20, Friday, the two fraternities have reportedly entered into a truce, the Greek-letter community's term for the ceasing of hostilities in the middle of a frat war. On the same day, the USC was scheduled to hold a General Assembly on the matter but failed to reach a quorum. Deliberation was thus rescheduled to Monday, September 23.

Ever since our foundation in 2000, UP ALYANSA has been committed to the complete elimination of fraternity-related violence in the University. Rumbles and hazing have no place in an institution of higher learning funded by the people's blood and sweat. It is a disturbing irony that, as UP demands for a higher budget for 2014, students who are invested with the people's money, instead of pursuing academic excellence in their respective fields, hit one another in the name of "brotherhood." There is little difference between the values of violent frat men and corrupt politicians running the country: Appearing as "leaders," they really have nothing more than their own "family interests" to protect. And, using their massive influence and hidden networks in the system, they simply manage to get away with it.

Candles have been lit and handprints marked, yet the culture of violence and impunity among the University's fraternities, a culture that dates all the way back to the early decades of UP, persist. We assert that the solution is simple, obvious, and direct, and should not be any different from the solution to the larger culture of corruption and impunity in our country: Exact justice. Fraternity-related violence must be policed, prosecuted, and punished. An example must be made to deter the perpetration of violence and to show fraternities that no one, absolutely no one, is above the law.

Truces are not enough. Violence cannot be tolerated simply because its perpetrators have entered into an agreement to suppress the issue. There can be no valid agreement between criminals that a crime has not happened. The truce policy, whereby fraternities escape the mandated judicial process under the Rules and Regulations Governing Fraternities, Sororities, and Other Student Organizations* after a truce has been reached between the hostile frats, must be abolished and justice must be served not only for retribution but also for the deterrence of future incidents of violence.

We call on the University administration, long inutile on the incidents of fraternity-related violence in UP, to finally begin the process of holding the guilty accountable.The administration must not let this incident, like all other incidents in the past, simply pass. Indeed, it is an insult to the University's tradition of demanding accountability in governance when its own administration willfully and voluntarily assists in the failure of justice. In doing so, the administration becomes no better than accessories to fraternity-related violence, having abused its public functions to conceal and assist in the escape of principals to the crime.

We also call on the USC, officers of which include members from both Alpha Phi Beta (Vice Chairperson Jules Guiang) and Beta Sigma (Fine Arts Representative Baloy de Laza), to make a concrete effort in demanding justice from this incident of fraternity-related violence. On its own, the USC must file charges against the erring fraternities and lead the students in the campaign to demand a swift disposition of this case by the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. Indeed, the USC is challenged to stand for our right as students to a safe and secure campus and not the interests of violent fraternities.

Finally, we call on every Iskolar ng Bayan to join us as we gather on Wednesday, September 25, 4:00PM, at the AS Steps to collectively condemn this and previous incidents of fraternity-related violence in UP.



Iskolar para sa Bayan, pagtagumpayan ang isang Unibersidad na mapayapa at walang karahasan!

SAWANG SAWA na kami sa fraternity-related violence!

NO to impunity! End the culture of violence in UP!

INACTION: Never an Option!

The issue of fraternity-related violence and its prevalence in the university is an old and continuing one. The root cause is complex but the effect of such –violence- is simple and crude. It requires us to understand a subculture that presents itself as strong and relevant on the outside but dirty and delusional on the inside. Supposedly intelligent people participate in an activity that is selfish and devoid of any bit of wisdom. Frat-related violence is wrong and illegal in all levels.

As narrated in the Statement of Facts released by the University Student Council, cars were smashed, property stolen and people were physically hurt. In the March 15 incident, the windshield of a car belonging to a resident of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity was broken. The latter two events which occurred last March 21 and 26 involved residents of the Sigma Rho Fraternity whose lives were put in danger and their property damaged. The facts can be seen in the police reports filed with the UP Diliman Police. To be clear, the fraternity members involved were victims in the incidents that took place. It is not useful to accuse them or their fraternities of anything when the facts are not yet clear. There is also talk that other fraternities are involved but it is also not helpful to do guesswork. What is clear though is that both the police report and the circumstances reveal that the incidents are fraternity-related. It is old news but it remains pressing. We must start doing something.

UP Alyansa calls for accountability, security, and a change of mindset. We call on the perpetrators to man up and take responsibility. Repair the damage and accept the consequences of your actions. To the victims, tell us your story. Don’t hide information so that you can use it to exact revenge and get a point up in the scorecard. What you call a private little conflict is not so little and no longer private. All of us are affected. We challenge the fraternities, if they are truly committed to peace, to publicly condemn acts of violence of their brothers. We call for a condemnation that does not come only in the form of press release but is demonstrated by non-participation in any form of violence.

Then again, we are tired of wishful thinking. So, we also call on the university administration, specifically the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the officials in charge of campus security to enforce the rules. Investigate thoroughly and follow through. Surely, we have the resources and political will to do that. A truce is acceptable for immediate peace but not as a long-term solution. We have seen time and again that a truce can easily be violated and it does not prevent further acts of violence. We are way past the high time to address the issue but better late than never.

We also recognize that the present rules need to be updated. We must provide more remedies to do away with private agreements that belittle the public interest in acts of violence in the university. Thus, UP Alyansa is asking the administration to give us the chance to review the rules and revise it to suit present conditions. Before we even look forward, we must let the consequences of past and present actions take its course. Let us be accountable as students and as administrators.

Next, we also call on the appropriate administrative offices to treat fraternity-related violence seriously. We need to scale up security inside the campus and refine the protocol. As for the student body, it is best that we remain vigilant. We are witnesses to the violence. We have a duty to protect ourselves, our fellow Iskolars para sa Bayan and the institution that we are part of. We must help by reporting and providing information when we have it. We also urge all student councils, alliances, organizations, and house councils to join the initiatives of Student Led Anti- Frat Related Violence Watch (SAWA).

Lastly, UP Alyansa is one in the call for the fraternities to reexamine their role in the university. We recognize the countless nation-building efforts and philanthropic works of fraternities, but given the current context, these efforts are becoming mere shadows of high profile cases of fraternity-related violence on campus. We also call on the alumni to help the fraternities rebuild their original academic, service-oriented and humanitarian thrust. The fraternity residents listen to you. Be very good examples of UP leadership and service. UP Alyansa proposes to actually start finding a solution to a complex problem. Inaction has never been an option.

ISKOLAR PARA SA BAYAN, KASAMA KA LABAN SA FRATERNITY-RELATED VIOLENCE.

NO BLOOD, NO SCORE

"A continuing brawl that tallies score on the basis of bloodshed", aptly describes the violent nature propagated by supposedly service-and-leadership-oriented brotherhoods these past months.


09.16.11
Alpha Sigma and Alpha Phi Beta started the series of fraternity rumbles as they engage in a fight at the APB tambayan. 2 APB members were hurt.

10.17.11
Ivan Valcos of Alpha Sigma was hit in the AS Men’s CR.

10.23.11
Kehrl Reyes of APB, School of Economics Student Council Chairperson, was hit inside his house.

11.11.11
Lloyd Cunanan of Alpha Sigma was hit outside the backstage of R O C K A S J U A N after his band played for the event.

11.13.11
Kehrl Reyes’s car windows were broken.

11.15.11
Something exploded in front of Kehrl Reyes' house at around 2AM.

11.16.11
USC Councilor Apa Pangalangan's car of Alpha Sigma was hit with bats. A car chase between the two fraternities happened in the University Avenue where an APB-member-owned Starex van ended up in the center island.

11.17.11
Will the tally of bloodshed continue?


ALYANSA condemns these barbaric acts that are unforgivable for civilized human beings. It is with grave frustration that an institution of learning is continuously plagued by such acts of violence that remains to be justly neglected even after its long history of bloodshed in the university.

We have remained true to our call against fraternity-related violence regardless of who is involved, active in our attempts to engage the administration to take just and necessary measures to punish those who violate such heinous crimes accordingly, and respectful of the rights and efforts of our fraternity men to organize and co-exist in peace with each other, but as seen in this case alone, the issue of fraternity-related violence remains amidst efforts to curtail it.

This year alone, different brawls between Sigma Rho and Upsilon and Alpha Sigma and Upsilon caused multiple persons, both fraternity men and non-fraternity men, to be victims of such acts causing widespread fear to the innocent and unaffiliated UP students. No amount of administration intervention in the forms of peace treaties and accords among and between these fraternities worked. Calls remained unheeded. Rules have become mere words given the lack of proper implementation. And some fraternities, no matter how much they claim to be for peace, have proven otherwise, in their acts.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

We reiterate our strongest calls to UP President Alfredo Pascual (a fraternity man himself), Chancellor Saloma and the UP administration to take concrete actions against these violent acts happening in the university. Review and properly implement the rules governing fraternities in the university. Make those members of fraternities who are directly involved and identified in cases of fraternity-related violence legally accountable in the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. Peace accords are not enough.

We also enjoin all Student Councils to be part of the reconvening of the Student-Led Anti-Fraternity-Related Violence Watch (SAWA) this coming Friday (November 18), 4:00PM, at Law 322. Concrete measures need to be taken and taken together and we expect nothing less from our student leaders mandated and elected to protect the rights and welfare of their constituents. It’s time to take a definite stand. Because at the end of the day, the students' lives, safety and morale are of paramount and transcendental importance.

Security within the university is not a mere issue but a right of every student.



SAWANG SAWA NA KAMI SA FRATERNITY-RELATED VIOLENCE.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, tutulan ang karahasan.
Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, katapangan at kapatiran.
Kasama ka sa patuloy na paghangad at pagkamit sa katarungan.

SAWANG SAWA NA KAMI!

Last Friday, November 11, just outside the backstage of R O C K A S J U A N, a concert that celebrates Filipino pride and volunteerism held at the Sunken Garden, two masked men, who were identified as Alpha Phi Beta members, in a Honda Civic with the plate ZGS 242, hit Lloyd Cunanan of Alpha Sigma twice in his head, one at the back and one at the side, inflicting fear to the event organizers. 

This series of rumbles by Alpha Sigma and Alpha Phi Beta fraternities has already had 3 earlier casualties, Kehrl Reyes (APB), Ivan Valcos (Alpha Sigma) and an unidentified member of APB. Just today (November 14), Kehrl Reyes' car windows were broken by unknown people. 

ALYANSA condemns this barbaric act that is unforgivable for civilized human beings. It is with grave frustration that an institution of learning is continuously plagued by such acts of violence that remains to be justly neglected even after its long history of bloodshed in the university. 

We have remained true to our call against fraternity-related violence, active in our attempts to engage the administration to take just and necessary measures to punish those who violate such heinous crimes accordingly, and respectful of the rights and efforts of our fraternity men to organize and co-exist in peace with each other but as seen in this case alone, the issue of fraternity-related violence remains amidst efforts to curtail it. 

This year alone, different brawls between Sigma Rho and Upsilon and Alpha Sigma and Upsilon caused multiple persons, both fraternity men and non-fraternity men, to be victims of such acts causing widespread fear to the innocent and unaffiliated UP students. No amount of administration intervention in the forms of peace treaties and accords among and between these fraternities worked. Calls remained unheeded. Rules have become mere words given the lack of proper implementation. And some fraternities, no matter how much they claim to be for peace, have proven otherwise, in their acts.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

We reiterate our strongest calls to UP President Alfredo Pascual (a fraternity man himself), Chancellor Saloma and the UP administration to take concrete actions against these violent acts happening in the university. Review and properly implement the rules governing fraternities in the university. Make those members of fraternities who are directly involved and identified in cases of fraternity-related violence legally accountable in the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. Peace accords are not enough. 

We also enjoin all Student Councils to be part of the reconvening of the Student-Led Anti-Fraternity-Related Violence Watch (SAWA) this coming Friday, November 18, 4PM. Concrete measures need to be taken and taken together and we expect nothing less from our student leaders mandated and elected to protect the rights and welfare of their constituents. It’s time to take a definite stand. 

Security within the university is not a mere issue but a right of every student. 

SAWANG SAWA NA KAMI SA FRATERNITY-RELATED VIOLENCE.

Iskolar para sa Bayan, tutulan ang karahasan. 

Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, katapangan at kapatiran.

Kasama ka sa patuloy na paghangad at pagkamit sa katarungan.

TAMA NA, SAWA NA TAYO SA FRAT-RELATED VIOLENCE!

We condemn, in the strongest terms, the latest incident of fraternity-related violence last Sunday night that left UP School of Economics Student Council Chairperson and UP ALYANSA/UP ETC member Kehrl Reyes with head and body injuries.

Violence is NOT an option. TAMA NA, SAWA NA TAYO SA FRAT-RELATED VIOLENCE!

Ang Iskolar Para Sa Bayan ay Iskolar Laban Sa Karahasan!

April 2010: Lester Pascua, an alumnus and a former Vice-Chairperson for Publicity and Publications of ALYANSA was attacked by masked men using lead pipes in Katipunan.

March 12, 2011: Carlo Tañada, UP ALYANSA's 2007 College of Human Kinetics Representative to the USC candidate and founding member of the Forging Leadership and Excellence in CHK (FLEx CHK), was also attacked in a very similar manner as Lester's.

Should there be more?

March 17, 2011: This question was answered affirmatively as two groups of men engaged into a brawl, leaving AS Parking another bloody area of brutality. No details have been released yet but it appears that this is another case of fraternity-related violence. Despite having these on- and near-campus skirmishes, ALYANSA reiterates that violence has no place in an institution of higher education, education that is geared towards service to the people.

ALYANSA has always been at the forefront of leading the fight against fraternity-related violence. We remain committed in continuing our campaign against this barbaric behavior that is unforgivable for civilized human beings.

We call on the members of Greek-letter organizations to turn from such acts of aggression, and to be one with the students in sincerely condemning all forms of violence. To our fellow Iskolar para sa Bayan, it's time we end this culture of sadism. Join us in this battle of condemning acts of violence by being part of SAWA (Student-led Anti Fraternity Violence Watch Alliance).

Iskolar Para Sa Bayan, tutulan ang karahasan!
Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, katapangan, at kapatiran!

KASAMA KA sa patuloy na paghangad at pagkamit ng katarungan!


March 18, 2011

Sawa na kami sa Frat-Related Violence!

At around 1:00 am, exactly three years ago, the lifeless body of NCPAG student leader Cris Mendez was brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center due to alleged hazing by a UP fraternity. Up to this point in time, NO ONE has been held accountable for his death.

To this, we cry: JUSTICE! Iskolar para sa Bayan, patuloy na tutulan ang karahasan. Hindi ito sukatan ng kadakilaan, karangalan, o kapatiran!

UP Student-Led Anti-Fraternity Violence Watch (SAWA) video shown during freshmen orientation programs at the start of Academic Year 2008-2009.

UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (ALYANSA) is an active organization in SAWA.