Frats and families
Cris Anthony Mendez, or "CA" to his friends, was a UP student council member who was allegedly beaten to death during a hazing ceremony for Sigma Rho membership last 27 August. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Veteran's Memorial Hospital that same night.

My heart goes out to his family, especially to his dad. I watched him on tv last night with tearstained eyes -- he happens to be a car mechanic in the Middle East. Just like thousands other overseas Filipino workers, he relied almost entirely on prayer for the safety of his family, especially his son, Cris.

CA's father refuses to believe that his intelligent, well-bred son's death was caused by fraternity hazing. He would never even think of joining a fraternity, he says. My son is not that kind of boy. He only cared about his studies. That's it.

I watched the newsclip with my grandparents and sister during dinner -- I know, it's a bad habit of ours, watching the news during dinnertime even with the knowledge that it'll end up ruining our appetite anyway. Mama shook her head after the interview with CA's dad, saying, "I thought the exact same thing about my son, until he came home one afternoon black and blue all over".

My grandparents are UP fraternity and sorority alumni.

But they said not all fraternities/sororities practice ritualistic physical persecution. I asked Papa if he was beaten as a would-be "brother". He kept staring at his plate and slowly nodded. I looked at Mama. She was staring at her plate, too.

Parents should know best, correct?
Dean Alex Brillantes, Jr. recently announced the expulsion of Ariel Paolo Ante, student council president, from the university. "Mr. Ante has failed to exercise principled and moral leadership by... his deafening silence and unexplained absence (more here)." Dean Brillantes adds that his behavior was a clear "obstruction of justice".

I agree with the Dean and I applaud NCPAG for exhausting all means, whether legal or administrative, to give CA due justice. I believe that it is important that movement should start within UP.

But in my opinion, moving forward should also include something as extreme as absolute eradication of these fraternity/sorority organizations. I know that not all of them practice hazing -- I heard it straight from my grandparents; why wouldn't I trust them?

But I felt the humiliation from them, too. The kind of humiliation that is mostly unspoken but tangible.

They too thought, just like CA's father, that their children were incapable of pursuing such things; they raised them well after all. And they too believe that Cris Anthony Mendez's death was senseless slaughter.

Better now before you get hoodwinked
Parents indeed should know best, but the environment can dupe even the wisest of the old wives. Again, my grandparents themselves said so. What makes them any different from all the other parents in our country who have supposedly well brought-up, innocent children going off to colleges that uphold the frat culture? You'll never know. That is the world's motto.

That's why I think that strict implementation of the Anti-Hazing Law isn't enough. It is definitely a great response, but how exactly are administrative offices and security going to prevent each and every single underground hazing ceremony known to man? That's why it's called underground anyway. We can't rely on mere vigilance these days, trust me.

I say abolish frats and sororities altogether. To start off, they're supposed to constantly affirm this so-called brotherhood/sisterhood. Does that include affirming it even upon death? Then what of former Student Council President Ante? He chose to remain silent, just like all his other "comrades".

But most of all, they are as pointless as what happened to CA. They deceive and give opportunity for kids to play with fire, and this includes even the most upright of kids.

To me, proper justice will be given to Cris Anthony Mendez and all other victims of ritualistic harassment if this happens. It's a long shot, but it will dramatically change things.