HAZING

When I was in college at UST, as a probinsyana and bagong salta sa Maynila, I had a negative first impression of guys who were fraternity members. I thought they were basag ulero and mayayabang kasi they were always loud and in groups, and some were arrogant. They would approach the professors in full confidence. Would call each other from end to end of the hallway. They would make parinig when I cross the school’s lobby. Minsan one or two would walk with me, giggling, parang mga harungas. I was so scared of them.

I’ve met a lot of nice ones also. Not all naman pala were magugulo. I had classmates who belonged to Tau Gamma Phi, etc. but they were shy, tahimik, magalang. I had a few suitors who were frat members, and they were maginoo. Basta they would just send love letters, pag hindi pinansin, tahimik lang sila.

None of my five brothers joined a frat.

I had a suitor in college who tried to join. He told me they were blindfolded, made to stoop down and hold their eggloks with their two hands. Tapos someone started hitting them with a wooden paddle. They had to shout certain chants and the last was the name of the frat group. After the 5th palo, he gave up.

Edmund doesn’t belong to a fraternity. He and a team mate were eating mami in P. Noval Street beside UST when all of a sudden someone punched Ricky. But na lang ang galing umilag at mabilis tumakbo si Edmund. Yun pala mga frat members yun taking revenge for a brod Ricky had a fight the day before. Tingnan mo, muntik pang mapahamak si Edmund. The guys had pamalo and sinturon.

Others joined fraternity for protection. Like that fellow, nagsumbong sa grupo nila. Merong kakampi, merong taga pagtanggol, in the wrong way.

Sana the frat groups change the way they initiate recruits or neophytes. When I was in college, they were made to clean toilets, utusan ng mga seniors, tiga hatid ng bulaklak sa mga nililigawan nila, tiga bili ng yosi. Some were made to scrub the floor using coconut husk. Some parade in the hallway wearing red lipstick. Dapat ganun na lang, wala ng pamalo, no more hazing.

No drinking, no drugs, before during and after the initiation. Instead of rugby or cocaine, better to inhale peppermint, lavander, bergamot, and dinikdik na dahon ng bayabas.

Be creative. Dito na lang kaya sa bahay namin ang initiation. Meron pa silang extra money. SAfe pa sila dito. Pa midnight snack ko pa sila and unlimited rice, free load, bottomless buko juice. I will give them 8 hours to catch ipis and gagamba. I will pay P20 for small ipis, P50 for medium and P100 for big adult ones, P100 for small and teen butiki, P200 for adults, P200 for small spider, P500 for teens and a mind-boggling thousand pesos for big spiders. No need to chant OMB fraternity! kasi bawal dito ang maingay.
How nice it could get. Pasado ka na sa initiation, may pang date ka pa kinabukasan, and you’re ALIVE!

I started telling my kids not to join frat and sorority when they were in elementary. Then I reminded them twice when they were in high school. Tapos I asked them once only when they were in first year college. Just to make sure. Buti na lang they didn’t join. You could be friends with them without being one of them.

No one must get hurt or die from joining fraternities. It’s not worth the trouble, it’s not worth the pain. It’s not worth risking your life.