The recent hazing incidents in the hands of cadet officers of the Philippine Military Academy as well as the suicide of a “brod” of the Sigma Rho fraternity of the University of the Philippines has prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to speak out. However, a lot of people were “shocked” by his statement.
Duterte on fraternity hazing: ‘Hindi mo maalis iyan’ https://t.co/KT9zzVjV7w
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) October 1, 2019
Duterte however hits upon a confronting aspect of the issue. Hazing is a systemic problem with as many perpetrators as there are victims.
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As long as there are willing victims, hazing won’t stop. Fraternities are for weak people – those who feel the need to belong to a group to survive and move up in this world. I mean, who in their right mind would be willing to play along as slaves to power trippers?
The existence of fraternities in the Philippines is the root of patronage politics or the padrino system that trumps all other systems in the country including the justice system. As long as you have a connection somewhere, others won’t have a chance to compete or win against you.
Fraternities guarantee you a place in any organisation whether it is in the public or private sector. It doesn’t matter if you are qualified or not, your “brothers” will take care of you and have your back. It’s no surprise why progress is slow in the country.
Fraternities are mechanisms for brokering unfair advantages and peddling influence within exclusive “brotherhoods” of people willing to be subject to a cult of baseless loyalty. An egalitarian society cannot thrive in a society imprisoned by exclusive cliques such as fraternities and feudal clans.
Hazing is just one of the bad things that are outcomes of the cult of “fraternity”. The decay of Philippine society as a result of the machinations of such secret “brotherhoods” is the more far-reaching damage fraternities effect on society.
In life, things are not always what they seem.