Sawang Sawa na Kami

By U.P. Alyansa

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.

(The venue of the SAWA meeting will be posted on facebook.com/up.alyansa. Please wait for further announcements. For inquiries, please email us upd.alyansa@gmail.com)