For the information of everyone, especially the worst justice secretary the Philippines has ever had, the "
Ritual Dance of the Brave" or the "
Oblation Run" is not a mere exhibition of the human flesh dictated by some culture nor is it an insignia of gasconade within the system.
The Chancellor of Alpha Phi Omega says, "
When we run, we’re upholding academic freedom. This is not about UP having lost its values and morals. It’s about the students fighting for what they believe in. The Oblation Run has become almost like a tradition at UP. It’s an event in which we make a stand about issues involving not just the students, but the Filipino people."
I do not know where Gonzalez got the absurd idea that UP
mainly produces '
destabilizers' and '
naked runners', nor do I know why he denied attacking the whole of UP because “there are many students there who are bright and good.” As to his main statement I have three objections, to wit;
First of all, only an outright idiot would ignore the fact that UP mainly produces topnotchers -as we all know, not in every field- (majority do not participate in activist movements).
Second is fact that one does not use the term
'
mainly' when referring to a miniscule part of a population. Only UP Diliman holds the annual Oblation Run, and in the event only a
FEW men run naked (e.g. Last 082806's Oblation Run had only 15!). Gonzalez, I assume, is perfectly aware that the UP System does not only consist of UP Diliman. Heck. I study in Manila, and
I'd sprain my neck looking for naked men running within the campus. In vain.
Third. The fact that he denied assailing UP because 'many students there are bright and good' accords that he IS in fact, assaulting the university because of the above - mentioned reason. He acknowledges the truth that we do think. We do open our minds to the possibility of change, we think of solutions and we critically analyze present phenomenon, all for the common good of OUR COUTRY. We do not stop there.
We ACT. To our own risk (another little known fact is the abduction and disappearance of 2 student activists in Diliman this year, who, up to this moment, have not been found). We have started a progression of the youth(rich or poor) fighting for the benefit of their countrymen. Now tell me, what's wrong with that?
Tell me about a significant contribution Gonzalez has accomplished for this country and I'll tell you about of flying guinea pigs and giant pandaka pygmaeas.
"
He noted that UP had always been known as a 'cradle of leadership' but he was worried that with the way some students there were acting, some serious questions would be raised about the 'kind of leaders we will have in the future.'" (Inq7.net)
The way I see it, our future leaders will be far better than him and his kind, in every aspect.
He criticized the university, saying, “
In every storm that takes place, UP students are in the forefront.
As a matter of fact, our history will show that since the martial law years, students from UP were the ones who went underground and fought the government." -SO?
I have friends and relatives hailing from UST, they do not claim to be well-behaved,
they simply are. One doesn't need to proclaim to the whole country that he is '
well - behaved', thanks to the university he came from. One only needs to practice the right behaviour, and everyone will appreciate her/him, no questions asked. They say for every rule there is/are (an) exception/s, in this case I claim to have spotted the old big-bellied desperately-clinging stain. He's an elderly man who criticizes systems that actually work for the country's progress while he hasn't REALLY done anything for it. It's a mystery how he got to the appointment to such high office.
Shame on him.
If you don't have an idea of what I'm typing about,
click.
Quotations were taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
A MUST-READ:
UP students stage 'special edition' of Oblation Run.
