Almost a month after a fraternity-related incident at University of the Philippines Diliman, UP president Alfredo Pascual finally broke his silence, urging students to develop a “culture of nonviolence.”
In a letter to UP Diliman Student Council (USC) dated July 7 and made public on Thursday, Pascual said he condemned “in strongest terms any form of violence, particularly those happening inside the campus.”
“I consider these as grave and deplorable incidents that offend our community’s core values of honor and excellence, as well as myself being an alumnus member of a fraternity,” Pascual said.
On June 18, masked men identified as members of Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity, namely Cheran Cabrito, Elias Miles Villanueva, Rudolf Gene Karlo Neral, Rannie Mercado, and Sean Rodriguez, beat up four UP students, reportedly members of Alpha Sigma fraternity, using lead pipes before fleeing in a getaway blue Mazda.
READ: 4 UP Diliman students hurt in alleged fraternity-related violence
The suspects, who had been charged with frustrated murder and illegal possession of ammunition, claimed they were “falsely implicated” and accused the UP police of planting evidence against them.
READ: 5 UP frat member claim they were framed | Frat men’s lawyer accuses UP police of planting evidence
Noting that he had responded on fraternity-related violence “on so many levels,” Pascual said the revision of the UP Diliman Code of Student Conduct would fast-track the processing of disciplinary cases.
“With the revised student code, justice is expected to be served more swiftly,” he said. “The new code aims to resolve such cases within the university in a few months. This addresses the dilemma of justice being served too late to serve as an example for both perpetrators of violence and the rest of the University.”
Pascual says his administration is committed to “fostering a climate of harmonious coexistence and an environment of respect for diversity.”
“I want the UP community to appreciate why incidents of violence, including abusive words and deeds, have no place in the hallowed grounds of the University,” he said.
But Pascual clarified that he as UP president had no jurisdiction over management of student discipline, which he said was under the authority of the chancellor.
“Under existing rules, matters relating to student affairs should be dealt with within the level of the concerned constituent university. I only get involved when there is an appeal and there is none as of this writing,” he said, adding USC wrote him a letter asking for his statement on fraternity-related incidents.
In a statement in June, UP Diliman chancellor Dr. Michael Tan also condemned fraternity related-incidents, saying “there is no place for cowards in UP.”
READ: UPD chancellor on frat-related incidents: ‘There is no place for cowards in UP’
Meanwhile, USC chair and Upsilon member JP de las Nieves had been sacked from his own student party UP Alyansa after not complying with the agreement that he would resign if his fraternity would be involved in an act of violence.
READ: UP Diliman student council chair expelled from own party