Why neophytes still join fraternities and sororities?
Despite the evils they have done and deaths they have caused, and the truth that fraternities and sororities in universities and colleges have no redeeming social value, it should surprise and alarm us why neophytes continue to patronize and join these purveyors of murders through initiations and hazing. The answer is fear of being bullied, harassed, ostracized, and discriminated against. And knowing that some deans and college secretaries are also members of the same gangs of bullies and thugs, it is a matter of survival to opt to join such notorious alliances. They are willing to undergo atrocious rites of passage to get in. The cost of being accepted includes inhuman and brutal hazing ending possibly in multiple injuries, sprains, broken bones, or even death, like that of Leni Villa and now, Horacio Castillo III.
The lure of protection, euphemistically named Grand Protectus, motivates neophytes to join. Did you see how Castillo looked? In law, that is called res ipsa loquitor: the thing speaks for itself. The frat who recruited Castillo are masters of Latin. Of course, this column is not limited to Castillo's death. There are scores of other fraternities and sororities, not just in Metro Manila and suburbs but even in the provinces. This is not just UST. This is all over. School administrators should be vigilant and must have their ears to the ground.
Another reason neophytes join frats is the promise of mutual help and protection when they become lawyers, even to the extent of violating the code of judicial and legal ethics. When the defense counsel and presiding judge are members of Lamba Lamba fraternity, odds are high the accused shall be acquitted. When the prosecutor and judge are brods of Sikma Sikma fraternity, then the accused will most probably be convicted. When the clerk of court and counsel for one of the civil case litigants are members of the same Kapa Kapa fraternity, then case assignments can be manipulated, decisions twisted and jumbled to favor the brod or sis. In matters of appointments and promotions in the prosecutorial and judicial, positions are often influenced by fraternal ties. Look at the Cabinet today. Count how many are members of Lex Talliones. Look at the law firms, they are extensions of the frats and sororities. Non-members are stripped of their faculty assignments, despite superior academic credentials. Frat membership overrides all qualifications.
If you wonder why there is corruption in the bureaucracies, look at their frat memberships. Suppliers of machineries, equipment, and services are usually members of the same fraternity or sorority. Bidders who are fratmen usually win. Those who are charged with graft are often exonerated when the investigating official is a fellow fratman. These people do not even have the decency to inhibit. In fact, they manipulate case assignments to make sure they themselves handle cases against their fratmen precisely to exonerate them. Fraternities and sororities are not only useless, they are a burden to our society, the bane of good governance. They are the purveyors of graft, aside from murdering their neophytes. So why should we tolerate these gangs of rascals and scoundrels? They should be outlawed and their nefarious practices exposed and punished.
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