Ateneo vows to kick out student if found guilty of bullying

Screengrab from Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — The administration of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) said that it would not hesitate to dismiss or expel students who may be found guilty of grave misconduct.

Jose Ramon Villarin SJ, President of ADMU, issued the statement on Thursday following a viral video of a bullying incident involving its students.

Villarin said the university does not tolerate such bullying as the school promotes to its students “to respect the dignity of others.”

“The school is not silent on its stand on violence and it will not hesitate to impose the penalty of dismissal or even expulsion in cases of grave misconduct,” he said.

“A hallmark of Ateneo education is teaching our young men to respect the dignity of others, to practice the value of communication and dialogue, and to cultivate the compassion and discipline we all need to build mutual respect and peace in the community,” he added.

Villarin also said that the school had already talked to the students involved and made them aware of their rights and responsibilities.

He then reiterated that Ateneo is not treating the incident lightly, citing that the Committee on Discipline of the Junior High School has been meeting since the incident was reported.

“As we go through this process and move towards a disciplinary decision, I request you to be mindful of consequences spiraling out of control when specific videos and comments are shared on social media. Again, I assure you we are treating the matter with the highest priority and urgency,” Villarin said.

A viral video making rounds on social media showed some ADMU Junior High School students verbally and physically attacking other students.

“Bugbog o dignidad? (Assault or dignity?),” a student asks another student in the video, prodding the victim to choose.

The victim in the video chose to be beaten by the bully. Almost immediately thereafter, the student can be seen assaulting the victim. /je