My brothers in Christ

Writing opinion columns is not something in pursuit of popularity. So it is a good feeling when people let me know they appreciate it and I am equally prepared to be ridiculed for expressing opinions contrary to the views of other people.

I realized I struck the raw nerves of a few rabid alumni jerks at the De La Salle University (DLSU) who violently reacted to my column last week entitled "Oh brothers!"

It was about the plans of my twin sons to take college admission test at the DLSU in Taft Avenue and that I was having second thoughts about it after seeing the active involvement – in fact, the ones leading the political rallies – of certain La Salle brothers who are school administrators of La Salle Green Hills (LSGH).

My brothers in Christ, rather than give you my undeserved attention, I would like to share with you instead a very dispassionate reaction from one of our readers, obviously a La Salle alumnus, who sent me an e-mail to correct an error in that column.

The e-mail came from a certain Tony Atayde who politely informed me that LSGH is not located in San Juan but is actually in Mandaluyong City. In his e-mail, he aptly noted I was "lost in Greenhills" in San Juan in which it is at the junction with Mandaluyong City, where the LSGH is situated. He wrote:

"Also just to let you know, La Salle as an institution, is not only for the rich. There are many La Salle schools in the provinces such as Ozamis, Iligan, Bacolod, Lipa and many more that offer the same kind of education that the Manila-based La Salle schools do.

"The next school that La Salle will open is in Bagac, Bataan which will serve the children of fishermen and farmers and the quality of education will be just like any La Salle school. This will be for a tuition fee of P500 a year.

"Unfortunately, we are always being tagged as an elitist school without much research on what the institution as a whole is also doing in its ministry. As an example, La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) started the first Adult Night High School that gives the opportunity of education to marginalized people who want to go to school at a token cost. They use the same facilities and curriculum as the ‘high end’ students do. It has now been replicated in other La Salle campuses nationwide.

"Another example is in La Salle Bacolod where there is Bahay Pag-asa. This provides a second chance at life for juvenile prisoners. It is supported with no government subsidy whatsoever.

"It would be unfair for La Salle to be perceived solely as a ‘high end’ school without also looking at what other outreach ministries the institution is involved in. It’s just that as La Sallians, we choose to do these things quietly and without fanfare."

I chose to print the reaction of Tony Atayde who expressed decently his defense of his alma mater unlike a handful of self-righteous letter-senders who obviously have misplaced hostilities with others. And at the height of arrogance, they even use menacing language to attack my column. And yet they claim to be schooled by La Salle Christian brothers.

While they hide behind obviously pseudo names in their e-mail return addresses, they launched their offensive criticisms to the observations I made about Bro. Armin Luistro, who happens to be the LSGH president, wearing his frock to the political rally last week.

The LSGH president spearheaded anti-administration activities with personalities like former President Corazon Aquino and opposition leaders led by Sen. Panfilo Lacson and with left-leaning party list Representatives Crispin Beltran and Satur Ocampo.

After he figured in those political activities, Bro. Armin has been lately implicated in alleged attempts to preach his political leanings to military men supposedly urging them to violate the chain of command.

What do these e-mail jerks now have to say? They may write all their bitter bile and venom through their e-mails until they turn blue. But sad to say, that’s all they can do, losers!

What some narrow-minded LSGH alumni should realize is the fact they represent a minority group which is accommodated and tolerated by the greater number of true brothers in Christ who stick to the teaching of their La Salle Christian Brothers system.

Let me just give them an idea of this reality by giving this simple ratio. Out of the ten e-mails I got on the day "Oh brothers" appeared, only two expressed disagreement while eight concurred. Of the eight, one letter-sender was an Ateneo alumnus and the rest were all DLSU/LSGH alumni. The next day, I got one more infantile reaction from another self-confessed DLSU alumnus against four positive e-mail reactions on the same topic.

What also bothers me is another e-mail sent by a concerned mother who requested her name not to be mentioned. She called attention to the alleged hiring by DLSU of so-called "New Age practitioners" supposedly to teach philosophy. She wrote:

"Since two years ago I have been hearing allegations from some DLSU alumni about their concerns regarding professors that have been hired by DLSU to teach philosophy to their students. 

"These parents have sent their children to DLSU for college education which explains their concern. They found out that among the professors taken in by DLSU to teach philosophy are New Age practitioners, atheists and a Buddhist. 

"Their concern is that these philosophy professors may infuse into the young minds of students (majority of whom are Catholics) their beliefs as New Agers, atheists, and Buddhists... 

"I’m presuming that you are a Catholic parent and would want to provide your son the best education available, if possible, in a Catholic college/university – I’m presuming that this is among the bases of your choice as you would want to preserve in your son's values the Catholic spiritual and moral formation that you as a Catholic parent has given them in their childhood upbringing."

I don’t know about these supposed "New Age" educators. But yes, I want my children to get the best education. But I do not want them to have a narrow frame of mind like those e-mail jerks. As one of my letter-senders said to which I agree, it is not in the schools but in the students themselves who would chart their own future after they graduate.

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