WE ARE PART OF THE CLIMATE WALK
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
8 syllable per line
We are part of the Climate Walk
Climate Justice is what we look
Journey poems is for the book
Walk many miles is what we took
The Earth is our only lair
The only Earth that we must care
Today that climate change is here
Climate Justice call should be clear
To everybody far and near
And protect this Earth that is dear.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Brotherhood is not violence
BROTHERHOOD IS NOT VIOLENCE
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
The recent death of a neophyte due to hazing is a very alarming one. It make fraternities uncivilized groups. There were so many young men who died because of hazing, young men who have dreams of a better future ahead of them.
The objective of fraternity is brotherhood, and that is also its meaning. Fraternity came from Latin word "frater" which means "brother". According to Wikipedia, "a fraternity is an organized society of men associated together in an environment of companionship and brotherhood; dedicated to the intellectual, physical, moral, religious, and/or social development of its members." Hazing, on the other hand, "is the practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group. Hazing is often prohibited by law and may comprise either physical or psychological abuse."
A fraternity is about fellowship with our brothers, like a Knight with their fellow Knight. I was just an Squire then when I joined a fraternity with my classmates in high school. And I thank that it was not so violent. But we sometimes did a 15 seconds rumble in our classroom with our brothers / classmates with most of us laughing, although we felt pains, after that physical activity.
Although there's some physical violence then, fraternity is not violence. Being in a fraternity is being brothers with our fellow members. A paddle is part of welcoming new members. But wooden paddle was associated with physical violence, and almost became a symbol for hazing. But wooden paddle is not violence, the act of paddling is.
In our country, a list of those who died in hazing grows bigger, with the recent death of Guillo Cesar Servando, a student of La Salle College of St. Benilde.
Our comrade activist, Alex Icasiano, leader of Sanlakas Youth, is one of them. He died of hazing in 1997. There are more. Marc Andre Marcos of San Beda College of Law, neophyte of Lex Leonum Fraternitas (LLF), July 2012; Marvin Reglos, also of San Beda College of Law, February 2012, who died on the Lambda Rho Beta initiation beating; E.J. Karl Intia, University of Makati, Alpha Phi Omega, May 2011. Leonardo “Lenny” Villa, neophyte of Aquila Legis Juris fraternity, in February 1991.
In 2009, Glacy Monique Dimaranan, 15-year-old girl, believed to be a confraternity neophyte of Scout Royal Brotherhood, was accidentally shot to death during the initiation rites in Biñan, Laguna. John Daniel L. Samparada, 18, a student of Lyceum of the Philippines in General Trias, Cavite, and said to be a recruit of Tau Gamma Phi fraternity, died due to hazing in Estrella Hospital in Silang, Cavite. Elvis Sinaluan, 21, neophyte of Scout Royal Brotherhood in Alfonso, Cavite, died October 2009. Nor Silongan, 16, criminology student at Notre Dame of Tacurong College, neophyte of Tau Gamma Phi, died Sept. 15, 2011. Noel Borja, 17, an Alternative Learning Systems student, neophyte of Tau Gamma Phi, Parola, Binondo, Manila, died Oct. 27, 2010.
EJ Karl Intia, 19, student of the University of Makati, neophyte of Alpha Phi Omega, his body was retrieved from a ravine in Sta. Maria, Laguna province, August 15, 2010. Menardo Clamucha Jr., 18, criminology student at the University of Iloilo, died from heavy beatings, neophyte of Kapatiran ng mga Kabataang Kriminolohiya in Pototan town in Iloilo province, July 18, 2010. Chester Paulo Abracias, 18, student at Enverga University in Lucena City, neophyte of Tau Gamma Phi, his body was found wrapped in banana leaves and a blanket in a coconut plantation, August 2008.
But why are there many deaths during initiations? There are many reasons. And I just want to speculate. Some students join a fraternity probably because they want to belong to a group, while others were forced to join because of peer pressure. Sometimes they join fraternity to avoid being bullied, and to have protection. Some feel the need of a fraternity to have connections, probably in politics or business. And some felt prestigious to join a fraternity, most especially if it’s at a law school. Even if there are so many promising students who died because of hazing, others will still join because they need it, like those mentioned above.
The problem is they want protection from their would-be brothers, but what they met is death. They want to belong to a group, but that group was the cause of their death. They want recognition, but how do we recognize them if they were gone?
Hazing is not brotherhood, and brotherhood is not violence. Initiation rites should not be bloody. The wrong culture of brotherhood should ba replaced by a right culture. The culture of blood should be replaced by a culture of brotherly love.
Paddling is violence because it inflict pain in the neophyte. The paddling in an initiation rites must be replaced by a non-violent means, such as an exercise, which is not painful and bloody. Initiation rites must be revised in a fraternity.
Fraternities will not be gone, as long as many people wanted to belong to a group and band together for a common purpose. Because belonging to a group is humane, and no man is an island. But such belonging to a group should be justifiable, non-violent and should respect the rights of those concerned.
R.A. 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law is not enough, as long as initiation rites of every fraternities and secret societies are not revised.
I suggest that the government or respective groups or agencies join hands and band together with fraternities to have a common agreement that fraternities should revise those bloody initiation rites to become a humane ritual of welcoming neophytes.
Data from:
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/09/11/15/html_output/xmlhtml/20091115-236429-xml.html
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174668/frat-neophyte-dies-in-cavite-hazing
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/240395/what-went-before-previous-hazing-victims
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/616091/what-went-before-killing-and-dying-for-brotherhood
http://philippineshazing.blogspot.com/
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
The recent death of a neophyte due to hazing is a very alarming one. It make fraternities uncivilized groups. There were so many young men who died because of hazing, young men who have dreams of a better future ahead of them.
The objective of fraternity is brotherhood, and that is also its meaning. Fraternity came from Latin word "frater" which means "brother". According to Wikipedia, "a fraternity is an organized society of men associated together in an environment of companionship and brotherhood; dedicated to the intellectual, physical, moral, religious, and/or social development of its members." Hazing, on the other hand, "is the practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group. Hazing is often prohibited by law and may comprise either physical or psychological abuse."
A fraternity is about fellowship with our brothers, like a Knight with their fellow Knight. I was just an Squire then when I joined a fraternity with my classmates in high school. And I thank that it was not so violent. But we sometimes did a 15 seconds rumble in our classroom with our brothers / classmates with most of us laughing, although we felt pains, after that physical activity.
Although there's some physical violence then, fraternity is not violence. Being in a fraternity is being brothers with our fellow members. A paddle is part of welcoming new members. But wooden paddle was associated with physical violence, and almost became a symbol for hazing. But wooden paddle is not violence, the act of paddling is.
In our country, a list of those who died in hazing grows bigger, with the recent death of Guillo Cesar Servando, a student of La Salle College of St. Benilde.
Our comrade activist, Alex Icasiano, leader of Sanlakas Youth, is one of them. He died of hazing in 1997. There are more. Marc Andre Marcos of San Beda College of Law, neophyte of Lex Leonum Fraternitas (LLF), July 2012; Marvin Reglos, also of San Beda College of Law, February 2012, who died on the Lambda Rho Beta initiation beating; E.J. Karl Intia, University of Makati, Alpha Phi Omega, May 2011. Leonardo “Lenny” Villa, neophyte of Aquila Legis Juris fraternity, in February 1991.
In 2009, Glacy Monique Dimaranan, 15-year-old girl, believed to be a confraternity neophyte of Scout Royal Brotherhood, was accidentally shot to death during the initiation rites in Biñan, Laguna. John Daniel L. Samparada, 18, a student of Lyceum of the Philippines in General Trias, Cavite, and said to be a recruit of Tau Gamma Phi fraternity, died due to hazing in Estrella Hospital in Silang, Cavite. Elvis Sinaluan, 21, neophyte of Scout Royal Brotherhood in Alfonso, Cavite, died October 2009. Nor Silongan, 16, criminology student at Notre Dame of Tacurong College, neophyte of Tau Gamma Phi, died Sept. 15, 2011. Noel Borja, 17, an Alternative Learning Systems student, neophyte of Tau Gamma Phi, Parola, Binondo, Manila, died Oct. 27, 2010.
EJ Karl Intia, 19, student of the University of Makati, neophyte of Alpha Phi Omega, his body was retrieved from a ravine in Sta. Maria, Laguna province, August 15, 2010. Menardo Clamucha Jr., 18, criminology student at the University of Iloilo, died from heavy beatings, neophyte of Kapatiran ng mga Kabataang Kriminolohiya in Pototan town in Iloilo province, July 18, 2010. Chester Paulo Abracias, 18, student at Enverga University in Lucena City, neophyte of Tau Gamma Phi, his body was found wrapped in banana leaves and a blanket in a coconut plantation, August 2008.
But why are there many deaths during initiations? There are many reasons. And I just want to speculate. Some students join a fraternity probably because they want to belong to a group, while others were forced to join because of peer pressure. Sometimes they join fraternity to avoid being bullied, and to have protection. Some feel the need of a fraternity to have connections, probably in politics or business. And some felt prestigious to join a fraternity, most especially if it’s at a law school. Even if there are so many promising students who died because of hazing, others will still join because they need it, like those mentioned above.
The problem is they want protection from their would-be brothers, but what they met is death. They want to belong to a group, but that group was the cause of their death. They want recognition, but how do we recognize them if they were gone?
Hazing is not brotherhood, and brotherhood is not violence. Initiation rites should not be bloody. The wrong culture of brotherhood should ba replaced by a right culture. The culture of blood should be replaced by a culture of brotherly love.
Paddling is violence because it inflict pain in the neophyte. The paddling in an initiation rites must be replaced by a non-violent means, such as an exercise, which is not painful and bloody. Initiation rites must be revised in a fraternity.
Fraternities will not be gone, as long as many people wanted to belong to a group and band together for a common purpose. Because belonging to a group is humane, and no man is an island. But such belonging to a group should be justifiable, non-violent and should respect the rights of those concerned.
R.A. 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law is not enough, as long as initiation rites of every fraternities and secret societies are not revised.
I suggest that the government or respective groups or agencies join hands and band together with fraternities to have a common agreement that fraternities should revise those bloody initiation rites to become a humane ritual of welcoming neophytes.
Data from:
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/09/11/15/html_output/xmlhtml/20091115-236429-xml.html
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174668/frat-neophyte-dies-in-cavite-hazing
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/240395/what-went-before-previous-hazing-victims
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/616091/what-went-before-killing-and-dying-for-brotherhood
http://philippineshazing.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Seeds to a new dawn
SEEDS TO A NEW DAWN
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
13 syllables per line
in the struggle for justice, in this battlefield
working class must win this war with our growing guild
to make it happen, workers should be the one to wield
that new, better system we are determined to build
as we are raging by poverty, we felt the need
to make a better world, and now we're sowing the seed
of revolt against the system of envy and greed
a proletarian revolt that the workers should lead
as we try to win this battle wisely but frugal
the enemy class are making our world lethal
destroying our planet for profit, capital
if we don't care, this planet's wound would become fatal
we must do something, although we are fighting alone
against those elites with their richness, power, and throne
but their class should be toppled, like cobwebs to be blown
then, a new beginning we'll make towards a new dawn
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
13 syllables per line
in the struggle for justice, in this battlefield
working class must win this war with our growing guild
to make it happen, workers should be the one to wield
that new, better system we are determined to build
as we are raging by poverty, we felt the need
to make a better world, and now we're sowing the seed
of revolt against the system of envy and greed
a proletarian revolt that the workers should lead
as we try to win this battle wisely but frugal
the enemy class are making our world lethal
destroying our planet for profit, capital
if we don't care, this planet's wound would become fatal
we must do something, although we are fighting alone
against those elites with their richness, power, and throne
but their class should be toppled, like cobwebs to be blown
then, a new beginning we'll make towards a new dawn
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Will there be change even of I die tonight?
WILL THERE BE CHANGE EVEN IF I DIE TONIGHT?
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
11 syllables per line
nothing may change even if I die tonight
I'm nothing compared to capitalist's might
change may not happen now, but do what is right
and the working class is our guiding light
as an activist thinking of the poor's plight
I always feels that problems are seldom light
people get hungry, their bodies are in tight
people get angry, poverty is in sight
can a clean paper with black dots turn to white?
can we change the world just doing what is right?
change is still a dream, it’s nowhere in sight
but have to work for it like a lonely knight
I dream of change even if I die tonight
but please tell my mom I continue the fight
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
11 syllables per line
nothing may change even if I die tonight
I'm nothing compared to capitalist's might
change may not happen now, but do what is right
and the working class is our guiding light
as an activist thinking of the poor's plight
I always feels that problems are seldom light
people get hungry, their bodies are in tight
people get angry, poverty is in sight
can a clean paper with black dots turn to white?
can we change the world just doing what is right?
change is still a dream, it’s nowhere in sight
but have to work for it like a lonely knight
I dream of change even if I die tonight
but please tell my mom I continue the fight
Friday, April 11, 2014
In the shadow of nothing
IN THE SHADOW OF NOTHING
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
10 syllables per line
no one notice me because I'm nothing
I'm just a shadow who's not worth dealing
a good poet who always daydreaming
or a bad poet who thought he's blooming
in this world not yet worthy of living
a world I'm capable of creating
in my mind, in the word with an angling
I'm up to something although I'm aging
an innocent soul who is worth searching
a word in the world of wound and salting
brave enough to write although my feeling
is a stranger in midst of dying
searching for a soul who's truly loving
even my own soul somewhere I'm hunting
just to create poems I like to sing
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
10 syllables per line
no one notice me because I'm nothing
I'm just a shadow who's not worth dealing
a good poet who always daydreaming
or a bad poet who thought he's blooming
in this world not yet worthy of living
a world I'm capable of creating
in my mind, in the word with an angling
I'm up to something although I'm aging
an innocent soul who is worth searching
a word in the world of wound and salting
brave enough to write although my feeling
is a stranger in midst of dying
searching for a soul who's truly loving
even my own soul somewhere I'm hunting
just to create poems I like to sing
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
I'm a Red October
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
10 syllables per line
(a poem for the 226th birthday of Filipino poet Francisco Balagtas)
I was born Libran, a Red October
and now serves as a poet, a writer
and new verses I write without despair
writing against poverty is bitter
writing for the working class is better
I'm a Red October not for nothing
writing with passion, vision for something
writing articles with many angling
writing poetry with a sharp sting
writing propaganda is my doing
a man who like books, beers and poetry
with the aim of working class unity
who wants rebellion against poverty
and to abolish private property
system change is a dream, a destiny
they say I'm just a poor fucking poet
but a working class poet until death
writing even under bed lie beneath
even if people lay a poet's wreath
a Red October until my last breath
April 2, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
My pen is my sword
MY PEN IS MY SWORD
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
they thought I'm just an activist, a writer, a poet
that I'm wasting my time looking at the ceiling
that I frequently went to rally lambasting the system
but I chose to be a poet, a writer, an activist
doing what I thought living my life to the fullest
choosing to give this life to the effort of fighting
for a principled cause to change this world
to have a life worth living for fellow human beings
I am a poet for the working class, for the proletarian
showing the system's foolishness thru meter and rhyme
dissent is my passion, decent is my word
living with a fruition, my pen is my sword
I eventually look at the ceiling to think and analyze
and the ceiling sometimes show where the matter lies
when will this moribund anti-people system die?
surely through the proletarian's hand the answer lie
reading books, journals, news and current events
is not my past time but a necessary time spent
the street is our arena of ideas and class war
and poetry is my armory that can be used in afar
my pen is my sword, writing poems in sweat and blood
in times of peace and goodwill, in sorrow and flood
yes, they may think I’m just a poet, a writer, an activist
but to be a man for others is what I'm doing best
by Gregorio V. Bituin Jr.
they thought I'm just an activist, a writer, a poet
that I'm wasting my time looking at the ceiling
that I frequently went to rally lambasting the system
but I chose to be a poet, a writer, an activist
doing what I thought living my life to the fullest
choosing to give this life to the effort of fighting
for a principled cause to change this world
to have a life worth living for fellow human beings
I am a poet for the working class, for the proletarian
showing the system's foolishness thru meter and rhyme
dissent is my passion, decent is my word
living with a fruition, my pen is my sword
I eventually look at the ceiling to think and analyze
and the ceiling sometimes show where the matter lies
when will this moribund anti-people system die?
surely through the proletarian's hand the answer lie
reading books, journals, news and current events
is not my past time but a necessary time spent
the street is our arena of ideas and class war
and poetry is my armory that can be used in afar
my pen is my sword, writing poems in sweat and blood
in times of peace and goodwill, in sorrow and flood
yes, they may think I’m just a poet, a writer, an activist
but to be a man for others is what I'm doing best
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