UP Oblation Run

This is a comment to the news "Pimentel wants probe of ‘oblation run’" posted in the Daily Inquirer on 03/06/2009.

Perhaps, everyone will agree that nudity can be an art, but it depends on how you will portray it. The oblation run is part of an accepted norm of the UP Alpha Phi Omega (APO) con-fraternity tradition but doing so outside the campus is not considered component of the tradition. “If nude painting is an art, then do it inside the studio.”

According to record, the UP Oblation statue was originally completely naked, but, “as morality was prevailing at that time”, it was modified by former U.P. President Jorge Bocobo with the addition of a fig leaf to cover the genitals. This must how oblation run be done and not the foul display of obscenity (but with faces covered with clothes, sometimes). They must at least cover their genitals with leaves, too.

“A case must be brought to its proper court”, a good layer will say. Remember that the definition of the words “University of the Philippines” must be limited only to the institution and its philosophies, principles, missions and visions, per se, and not to include its existing fraternities. Therefore oblation run with total nudity must not be justified by the mere fact that it is already part of a tradition but rather must be done with little respect to morality and the sacredness of human body, as what former U.P. President Jorge Bocobo once had averted.

How will one fraternity member does feels if his younger sister witnessed such rite knowing that her brother is one of them? Better yet, how do you feel displaying your manhood in public where the general populace are considered “true Christians” and totally against nudity? And, how do you consider yourself a good example of a disciplined citizen if you kept on justifying “immoral acts?” According to one APO’s webpage, oblation run is an expression of protest against the system. Of what system? By whom? And what kind of system they want it to be? Have they presented their own system to be judge by the others? A friend of mine who is an APO member braggingly related his experience inside a bank being served immediately behind the line because the bank manager is his fraternal brother. Is this the system they want? Definitely, yes! They want connections. They want to control the system. They want power… and recognitions. Is that not a sign of insecurity? I’m just asking.

But how does it feel being left behind the line if the person behind you, who came later than you, will be served first and finished his transaction without a sweat, while you, who spent more than your expected hours patiently, waited for your turn? I call it “out of the system” and a severe social disease tantamount to bribery or corruption.

Personally, I never subscribe to any fraternity as this is a sign of insecurity and lost of trust to oneself. I respect and salute our high government officials, both present and gone, who were members of fraternities, whose legacies benefited the Filipino people but this doesn’t mean a subscription to the fraternity’s principles they belong; this doesn’t mean an acknowledgement as a fraternity’s legacy. No! For me, fraternity is just a nonsense organization aiming to promote interests of the chosen few, of those who are in the positions by promising connections in return.

These fraternities are no different from secret societies or underground movements aiming to justify illegal/immoral acts through citations of noble principles, yet not appropriate to the conditions of the society. Pardon me if I am wrong but I consider most frat members as social deviants. They are out-members of a decent and morally upright society because they are deviating from the rule and claiming to be in the upper echelon of the society. They fear nothing, even the law. And who are those national figures of these fraternities if not the sons and daughters of our national government officials?

I remember one time during the 1991 national election: a calendar bearing the family picture of a senatoriable, whose daughter on a hip-hop craze has a pierce on her nose. One question immediate knocked my attention and wondered how these lawmakers can supersede these out-of-these-world activities of fraternities if their own sons and daughters are the very proponents of these undertakings by showing bad examples?

For 11 years, I witnessed the destructions of the future of many students because of involvement in school fraternities: there were riots inside the school campus involving fraternity members resulting to injuries, hospitalizations and even death; pat sessions were done involving alcohol, cigars, drugs and sex; night outings for students as young as 11 years old; and, longer years of stay in school because of obvious reason of failing grades. And what happened to those who died after the initiations? To those whose parents who dreamed only for the good future of their children? Is there any fraternity officer being put behind bars for these gruesome fates of our young future hopes of the country?

Being a non-member is an attitude of self-reliance and a belief to one’s ability. Camaraderie and brotherhood can be shown in many ways and not only through involvement in a fraternity. In fact involvement in one fraternity is a suppression of individual’s right to join to other fraternities. Once a member, one is no longer allowed to make friends with other groups’ members. A solitary way to promote brotherhood? It’s a nonsense!

Fraternity is not a requisite to be successful in school. I graduated and landed a good job without involvement in any fraternity. And I respect the system. A system is a system and it is perfect if we only follow it. Do not change the system. Let yourself be changed to a better one.