University of the Philippines president Danilo Concepcion on Friday hit Upsilon Sigma Phi, saying that he would not tolerate any wrongdoings of fellow Upsilonians.
“Let me now speak as an Upsilonian,” he said. “It personally pains me for my fraternity, which is celebrating its Centennial, to have been associated with these posts. They do not represent what we have stood for all these years, as they bring us back to the darkness rather than the light.”
“But my pain cannot be compared to that of those maligned by the posts, and I assure the University community that I will do all I can, both as President and as a fellow of the fraternity, to root out this problem and to instill or reaffirm a culture of respect, tolerance, and decency within Upsilon and our entire fraternity system.’’
He reacted to a leaked closed-circuit television footage showing some students involved in the on-campus brawl between Upsilon Sigma Phi and Alpha Phi Beta at the Palma Hall.
A day later, there was an incident involving weapons that happened at Magsaysay Avenue involving the same supposed groups.
“Let me be absolutely clear about this: I will not protect any fraternity brother who may be found culpable of these kinds of offensive acts. I call on my fellow Upsilon alumni to support me in this position, so we can bring the fraternity forward into a new and more progressive century,” Concepcion said.
“The long-held excuse that ‘boys will be boys’ can no longer hold. We will not tolerate misogyny, sexual harassment, and bullying or any form of violence against women and other groups in this University, and any such offenses will be dealt with to the full extent of our judicial and administrative remedies,” he added.
Concepcion said he has already instructed UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan to expedite the probe into the recent frat war, identify those involved, establish liabilities and file charges against the offenders.
He also ordered all chancellors to require all new and renewing student organizations for their members to go through gender sensitivity training before accreditation or renewal is granted, and to intensify security on their campuses to ensure a peaceful and secure environment for students, faculty, staff and residents.
“To anyone who may feel personally threatened or aggrieved by these recent incidents, I am offering the protection and assistance of my office in seeing to it that your case is attended to, that your safety and security are assured, and that justice is served,” he said.