It deeply saddens me of what happened today. I woke up for an 11 am class to find out that another student has died of fraternity-related hazing.
Fraternities have become a huge part of culture in Filipino universities, especially in more prominent universities. Most of these groups were formed after the second World War and consisted of exceptionally bright students. Through the years, fraternities have grown and expanded, garnering thousands of members. In fact, some of the influential figures in Filipino history are fraternity members. Joining such group promises great things. While most join for the purpose of gaining life long friends and business connections, the teachings within the group is far more valuable. For example, the fraternity I joined teaches its members the core values of brotherhood, excellence, leadership and what it takes to become a well-rounded veterinarian.
As I have shown you the light side of fraternities, these groups also had a dark past. Most of them during the early 80's practiced hazing. To name some of the acts involved, paddling, beating, humiliation, and torture, all for the purpose of joining. It was in the early 2000's that theses barbaric acts have plummeted in frequency. The members themselves resorted to less violent rites, after all, a fraternity member is a person of nobility and principle. Although cases of hazing were less frequent, now and then, the television would flash a body of a young student, beaten to blue, lifeless. Yesterday was the most recent case of yet another death from hazing. I will not name the people and the fraternity involved because it is unnecessary and will not undo the act. I hope that in the future that I will no longer hear of such news, all for the glory of all fraternities.
Image taken from Google, it's from a movie called AKO Batch '81, it's about a group of students and their struggles in joining a university fraternity.