Big brothers are brother’s keepers

Now that all parties concerned have taken up their own causes on the issue of the political activism of certain Christian Brothers running the De La Salle school system in Metro Manila, I would like to play a "swan song" on this topic.

It is not my wish in the first place to be dragged into this long simmering feud of opposing views and exchange of bitter words and debate among the parents, faculty, alumni, Board of Regents and school administrators of the De La Salle system all over the country.

I have obviously stirred a hornet’s nest when I made an innocent comment in my previous column "Oh brothers!" that I was having second thoughts about enrolling my twin sons in college at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Taft Avenue.

This was in relation to the incidents involving certain De La Salle school administrators who are among the Christian Brothers of this institution leading to some extent the political rallies against the government.

For the last time, I am writing about this topic just so I can accommodate the corrections supplied to me through many e-mails. For instance, Bro. Armin Luistro is not the president of La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) where many of the political activities of the Black and White Movement participated by former President Corazon Aquino, were held. He is the president of the DLSU system comprised of DLSU (Taft), College of St. Benilde, La Salle Zobel (Alabang), La Salle Araneta University, and the La Salle Medical School in Cavite.

The president of LSGH is Brother Bernie Oca. He has been as active as Brother Armin, and was very visible in many of these anti-administration protest actions.

I was informed also that the head of all the Brothers is called the Brother Provincial, and this position is presently occupied by Bro. Edmundo "Dodo" Fernandez. He has endorsed this position of Brothers Armin and Bernie and as such also getting a lot of criticisms in the De La Salle community.

From the deluge of e-mails I got afterwards, I was apprised of all sides of the issues and concerns raised for and against these De La Salle school administrators, in particular the stand they made in behalf of their institution to join calls for the resignation of President Arroyo. Lately, Bro. Armin was even quoted supportive of military involvement if only to see the ouster of Mrs. Arroyo from Malacañang Palace, after the impeachment proceedings went pfftt.

I am fully convinced that I should stay away henceforth from this internal debate now taking place among the La Salle school administration officials, their school board members, and representatives from the alumni, parents and students and let them sort this out among themselves.

Petty quarrels in the family are best settled among big brothers who concededly are their brother’s keepers, no matter what.

At the outset, let me state that I am a non-partisan on this issue. I am a product of the public school system, educated in public schools during its glorious days when teachers were not involved in rallies and strikes. This was the period when the Philippines was still under martial rule under the late dictator, former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Coincidentally, our nation looks back to that period when Marcos placed the entire country under Martial Law 33 years ago today.

I graduated in 1982 from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Its forerunner, the Philippine College of Commerce (PCC), was notoriously known for its subversive leanings and was closely identified with the likes of the University of the Philippines (UP) for the many violent and bloody anti-Marcos rallies during FM’s regime.

My late father did not allow me to take the UP college admission test because he told me he feared I might be brainwashed and turned into a communist believer, if not becoming one of them.

I did not have the choice then but to follow my father’s decision, our sole breadwinner who worked his butt out to send all five of us his children to school.

For joining student activists in protest action inside the campus against repression of academic and campus press freedom, I got suspended by the PUP administration for one school term. I was already in fourth year and graduating that school year, but I lost all my scholarships when I re-enrolled and was disqualified for honors, after I completed my degree at PUP.

I’m sure my late father had his misgivings but he never discussed it with me. But quietly, my parents respected my decision to stand up for what I believed during those days of youth idealism. And as they say, the rest is history.

Why am I recalling this sad point in my life? It is not to brag about it but to show where I am coming from in this issue of political activism by school administrators.

While UP and PUP are all state-run universities and funded by taxpayers’ money, the political activism by school administrators, faculty members and students has become a tradition and not an exemption to the rule.

The State can discipline or sanction students, faculty and administrators if they compromise the integrity and prestige of the institution. As in the case of Marcos, the late dictator changed the charter of PCC into PUP just to remove then PCC president Isabelo T. Crisostomo who was popularly identified for supporting anti-martial law PCC student activists.

In like manner, privately-run institutions like the De La Salle school system can deal with their own kind. But as I gleaned those e-mails, some requested not to be named for fear of reprisal against their children who are enrolled in these schools. They were only too happy that this issue against their incumbent school administrators has come out in the open through the media that I represent.

While I am glad I have opened up the roads less travelled – even if I got potshots in the process – I must say though that the future of my sons and your children are in the hands that will guide them. My sons have their free will to choose institutions of higher learning they will go to. I can only give them guidance to the best light I know, including their choice of school. The choice is theirs, not mine to make. After all, we parents encourage our children to decide and to discern for themselves what is right and what is wrong.

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