INTRODUCTION

PEOPLE
Yano
Romeo Lee
Manny Villar
Nur Misuari
Benjie Paras
Dino Ignacio
Eraserheads
Jerry Barican
Obet Verzola
Jessica Zafra
Zider Lubiano
Myla Algarme
Gary Granada
Raymond Red
Mike Defensor
Jerome Bailen
Eric Altamirano
Amante Jimenez
Miriam Defensor
Malou Mangahas

ISSUES
ID
UAAP
STFAP
US Bases
Collegian
Frat Violence
SAMASA split
SR controversy
Sexual Harassment

Over the past decade, UP has slowly regressed from its image as the country's premier learning institution, not only in the decline of the quality of education it provides but also in the worsening fraternity violence that perpetually lurks on its ground.

Petty rumbles are perennial plagues to the entire UP community. Despite the various pacts and truces, many students are hurt in frat-related skirmishes.

In 1990, a frat member was ganged upon and stabbed by members of a rival frat at the UP College of Law. A year after, a pillbox blasted a fraternity tambayan in the AS building resulting from a rumble. During the last quarter of the decade, fraternities like Sigma Rho, Scintilla Juris, Alpha Phi Beta and Pi Sigma had been involved in clashes in and out of the campus.

F(r)atality
On December 6, 1994, eleven Scintilla Juris members allegedly attacked Sigma Rhoan Dennis Venturina with baseball bats and lead pipes while he was having lunch behind the main library. Venturina fell into a comatose after sustaining severe concussions, which eventually led to his death.

August 6 of the following year, another life has been taken in the person of senior Geodetic Engineering student, Mark Roland Martin. Martin died after sustaining serious bruises and cuts during the initiation rites of the Epsilon Chi Fraternity in Los Baños, Laguna.

On August 16, 1998, the tragic death of junior Public Administration student and Alpha Phi Beta (APB) neophyte Alexander Miguel Icasiano shocked the entire UP community. He suffered a cardiac arrest following the hazing rites conducted by the AFB. Two of the seven suspects in the Icasiano slay were acquitted while the five others were sentenced for two to six years and one day after settling for a plea-bargain with the victim's family.

Still recovering from Icasiano's untimely death, another blow came when graduating Journalism major Niño Calinao was shot at point-blank range in broad daylight along the AS Walk on February 19, 1999. According to witnesses, three unidentified men, who were earlier seen roaming in the vicinity, allegedly shot Calinao. The UP Diliman Police (UPDP) believed Calinao was mistaken for someone else while sitting in front of the Scintilla Juris tambayan at that time.

Atty. Firduasi Abbas, sued the Philippine Collegian for publishing an article linking him and his son Yasser Abbas to Calinao's death. The publication quoted UPDP chief Eduardo Bentain suggesting that the incident was retaliation on the part of the Sigma Rho Fraternity. A week before the shooting incident, Sigma Rhoans Jedoy Nono and the younger Abbas were allegedly mauled by Scintillans in two separate incidents.

The Calinao case prompted the administration to launch security measures to lessen campus violence. One of these was the new ID system which required students to wear their UP Ids before entering university buildings. The ID system was revoked due to protests.
UP. Frat.com

In an effort to stop hostilities, fourteen campus-based fraternities launched the UP Fraternity Community (UP.Frat.com) last June 18. Wooden paddles were burnt while lead pipes were surrendered. However, several clashes between arch-fraternities continued to erupt. Most recent was the Sigma Rho --Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity rumble at the College of Law last December 10. Three Sigma Rhoans including Vice -Archon John Pineda, threatened to file a case against APB due to the incident.

Clearly, fraternity violence seems to have worsened in the last decade, as truces and alliances serve as a mere charade among warring frats. But until this culture flows in the blood of these so-called brothers, violence remains.