Manila Times columnist Yen Makabenta today wrote a scathing article about his alma mater, the Ateneo de Manila University which today stands out amongst the elite Catholic private schools as a bastion of campus Yellowtardism. In What is more toxic than a crony? A crony school?, Makabenta laments how on the current “debate” over the recent ouster of never-had-been-chief-justice Lourdes Sereno from the Supreme Court, “Ateneo’s administrators and talking heads have waded into the loud campaign for Sereno, and railed against the Supreme Court and the justices who ousted her as chief justice.”
Some fellow alumni have asked me how our school, which was once so correct and slow to action, became committed to the dubious project of restoring Sereno in the high court, regardless of her limitations and dishonesty. They wonder how the Society of Jesus, the Ateneo administrators and the faculties of various colleges and departments arrived at the startling policy of putting the name of the Ateneo on the line in this sham enterprise.
For a school that regularly gets its faculty and student body members’ as well as their affluent corps of alumni’s panties twisted over the “horrors” of Martial Law, the Ateneo community has collectively failed to deliver any scholarly work on the subject over the last several decades. As Makabenta’s fellow Manila Times columnist Bobi Tiglao wrote sometime back…
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Nothing. Zero. In the three decades since Marcos fell, the Ateneo has not produced a single piece of scholarship that would contribute to our balanced assessment of the Martial Law era…
Yet, the way the Ateneo community positions itself and makes pronouncements as a collective body to denounce those “Martial Law years” and the so-called “historical revisionism” of those who dare challenge this dogma, you’d think they are in possession of actual peer-reviewed work on the subject. An example of this hollow self-assurance is a “statement” they issued on the matter in 2016 where they pompously proclaim We are not blind to the darkness and oppression of the Marcos years!…
We affirm our commitment as faculty members and formators always to teach the truth. The Marcos dictatorship should be remembered as one of the darkest periods of Philippine history. We reaffirm our responsibility as teachers and professionals to keep the spirit of EDSA 1986 alive by imparting to the young that the structures, actions and ideas — including the many lies — that allowed the Marcos dictatorship to impose and perpetuate itself, should be eliminated and never again be allowed to flourish. At the same time, we will work to bring to fruition the dream of EDSA for a more just and democratic society.
It is now clear in the context of what Tiglao wrote and, now, Makabenta confirms why the Ateneo finds the need to continuosly “reaffirm” ad nauseum their “commitment” to “reminding” Filipinos of the need to be anti-Martial Law and anti-Marcos. It is because they are likely covering up their own institutional failure to commit to scholarly writing any of the drivel they spew today.
Most interesting of all is the scantly-highlighted fact pointed out by Tiglao that the Ateneo had, itself, been complicit with the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the height of his power. Writing for Business World Online, Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III, himself a staunch anti-Marcos activist corroborates this little-known bit of Ateneo history and points out…
Yes, Ateneo had its dark period during the presidency of Fr. Jose Cruz, S.J. in the early years of martial law. Fr. Cruz, S.J., a supporter of Marcos, expelled or dismissed the student radicals. Among them are current leaders in government and the private sector like Diwa C. Guinigundo (Deputy Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) and Ramon R. Isberto, Public Affairs Head of PLDT. Two of those dismissed are now part of my group, Action for Economic Reforms — Mon Fernan and Raffy Paredes.
And, more importantly…
Despite its current progressive leadership, Ateneo as a total institution has yet to apologize for its accommodation of the dictatorship and its dismissal of idealistic activists during the presidency of Fr. Cruz, S.J.
The Ateneo needs to get real and come to terms with its own past — hopefully not become a full-fledged Yellowtard institution but to truly step up and become an institution that truly encourages real and modern critical thinking.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Yes, Ateneo had its dark period during the presidency of Fr. Jose Cruz, S.J. in the early years of martial law. Fr. Cruz, S.J., a supporter of Marcos, expelled or dismissed the student radicals. Among them are current leaders in government and the private sector like Diwa C. Guinigundo (Deputy Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) and Ramon R. Isberto, Public Affairs Head of PLDT. who are the people who sold the PLDT and PAL stocks in a fire sale to the Lopa Family the relathieves of late Cory Aquino the real family of Hacienda luisita self interest yellow oligarchs and oligopoly that fooled and dumbdown the Philippines for 32 years and still blaming late Apo lakay Marcos masagana99 Great nation Hero of the Philippines, his government projects was stalled and wasted so that they can continue to bedeviled the Marcoses.
If Colleges and Universities, as well as religions, meddle in political affairs in our country. It is bad… The educational institution, is no longer an institution of learning. But, is an institution of political indoctrination. Same as religion. Religion does not do its duty in teaching their religious gospels. But, become an institution of political tool, used by self serving politician.
EDSA 1986, was nothing but a U.S./C.I.A. coup d’ etat, with the help of the Roman Catholic Church, and the turncoats of the Marcos Sr. administration. It was not a revolution.
What did we gain after the EDSA 1986 coup d’ etat?
The Feudal Oligarchy, headed by the Aquino Cojuangco political axis, reigned for 30 years. Land Reform program was stopped by Cory Aquino; to protect her Hacienda Luisita, that her family scammed from the Philippine government. There were widespread corruption, like the : DAP, PDAF, etc…There were massacres, like the : Mendiola massacre; Hacienda Luisita massacre; Mamapasano massacre; etc…There were thieves, like Mar Roxas, stealing the Typhoon Yolanda Fund. The were Drug Lords and Drug Dealers, like Leila de Lima, and others. There were Pork Barrel thievery, done by people like: Porky Drilon; Trililing Trillanes; Pangilinan; Mar Roxas, etc…There was election fraud, in the 2016 election, done by the Aquino Cojuangco political axis, electing a fake Vice President , like Leni Robredo.
Former COMELEC Chief Andres Bautista, who did the cheating thru the, SMARTMATIC HOCUS, became extremely rich, with his multiple bank accounts. The crook, Bautista, is now enjoying his loots.
These YellowTard people, try to frighten us , with the ghost of Marcos, Sr. Martial Law. Most of my relatives, lived thru Marcos Sr. Martial Law. They tell me: “it was better then, than now”.
Those “dark days” those YellowTards are talking about, is about them. They were out of power. Some joined the New Peoples’ Army. Some took refuge in foreign countries…They had no opportunity to steal from the National Treasury, and deal with Shabu drugs. Indeed, those were the “dark days” for them.
We are waiting for the Legislative agendas; political platforms of these YellowTards. What can they do for us, and for the country ? What are their visions for the country ?
Marcos Sr. is no longer relevant in our politics. Neither is Marcos Sr. martial law. What is relevant are your solutions, to solve our country’s enormous problems. What will you do to stop the proliferation of Shabu in our country ? How will you deal with the Islamic Radicals ?
These are the topics, we need to discuss in the present. Not Marcos, Sr. The man has been dead for more than 30 years. I’m sure , he will no longer resurrect !
Being a Marcos Loyalist isn’t what you said. But…. Ferdinand Marcos supporters are wanting to preserve his legacy forever and to prop up with it, like that in Lee Kuan Yew.
martial law days is the darkest years for communism and the hacienda luisita. they will sow anarchy like the past and it’s happening now slowly. they will never give it up to the farmers. it’s a gift og god to them they say.
that is always the way of the self righteous criminal, THEY SAY “GOD IS ON OUR SIDE” or some such nonsense, and use that BS STORY TO MASK THEIR CRIMES AGAINST THE PEOPLE !
these are worst criminals of the lot of them!
If If If the Philippines had a REAL DEMOCRATIC GOVT. IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN WHAT THE MARCOS FAMILY DID TO THE COUNTRY. BUT IT DOESNT, and whose fault is that? Filipino’s like to point fingers and call people thieves, but that is all they have…. THEY ARE ALL THIEVES. The easiest way to get rich in the Philippines is through being a dishonest politician.
So ‘KILL THE KING, LONG LIVE THE KING’ will continue in its nasty way until the people wake up, I mean, WAKE THE FUCK UP , and rid the country of all Dynastic politico’s and their families.
JUST BECAUSE MARCOS WAS A THIEF DOESNT MEAN THE REST OF THEM, INCLUDING THE AQUINOS, ARENT THIEVES. THE FILIPINO COLLECTIVE CONCIOUSNESS MUST REALIZE THEY re thieves and get rid of them all! Once and for all.
@U Puta Craglia:
It is “Collective Unconsciousness”. The term was made by the great German PhychoAnalyst: Carl Jung.
Modern Psychologists can easily explain this term.
@ HT, NO, I DID NOT MEAN THAT, IF YOU LOOK AT MY ENTIRE COMMENT, MORON !!! Waking UP, does not entail ‘UNCONCIOUSNESS’. I know all about Carl Yung and have a degree in Psychology (A more useless degree is hard to find, 20TH Century Psychology is merely attaching fancy names to things everyone already knows!)…I meant the Filipino’s ‘COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS’, they have one….and if FLIPS, like YOU, USED IT, it may get them somewhere besides the SHIT-HOUSE.
WHATTA $#!T#EAD ! !!!
@U Puta Craglia:
Hey, YellowTard Jerk, I am not a moron; and neither are you. So, you know Carl Jung ? He has been dead, for a long time. I bet , he is not as old as you.
You claim to have a degree in Psychology, but, you don’t know how to use the terms of Carl Jung.
I don’t have a degree in Psychology. I have a degree in Science and Technology, majoring in Mathematics. You spew nonsense in your blogs. Maybe, you are angry at yourself. There is no reason to be angry at us, Filipinos. Unless, you are a bigot.
Anyway, happy trolling , YellowTard Jerk !
I’m absolutely certain thatvif the Philippines had a truly democratic government, we’d have ended up worse than the worst African Shithole.
And Jung is interesting, but like most psychologists and nearly 70% of the field of psychology, he is a peddler of lies and false visions and ideas.
And hey, if you want to show how much of a non-intellect you are, you could always continue throwing out terms you don’t know. Fair warning. The Philippines never cared for the concerns or lies of SJWs, so you don’t have a pool of Anti-SJWs to leech off of the way Jordan Peterson does in Canada.
EDSA 1986, was nothing but a U.S./C.I.A. coup d’ etat, with the help of the Roman Catholic Church, and the turncoats of the Marcos Sr. administration. It was not a revolution.
What did we gain after the EDSA 1986 coup d’ etat?
The Feudal Oligarchy, headed by the Aquino Cojuangco political axis, reigned for 30 years. Land Reform program was stopped by Cory Aquino; to protect her Hacienda Luisita, that her family scammed from the Philippine government. There were widespread corruption, like the : DAP, PDAF, etc…There were massacres, like the : Mendiola massacre; Hacienda Luisita massacre; Mamapasano massacre; etc…There were thieves, like Mar Roxas, stealing the Typhoon Yolanda Fund. The were Drug Lords and Drug Dealers, like Leila de Lima, and others. There were Pork Barrel thievery, done by people like: Porky Drilon; Trililing Trillanes; Pangilinan; Mar Roxas, etc…There was election fraud, in the 2016 election, done by the Aquino Cojuangco political axis, electing a fake Vice President , like Leni Robredo.
Former COMELEC Chief Andres Bautista, who did the cheating thru the, SMARTMATIC HOCUS, became extremely rich, with his multiple bank accounts. The crook, Bautista, is now enjoying his loots.
Did the Amputuans ever stand trial for murdering 57 people in Mindanao back in 2009 ? There is a bunch of complete SCUMBAGS , if there ever was, the Amputuans!
@U Puta Craglia:
The Ampatuans, did not stand trial in murdering journalists, during the term of Pres. Arroyo. Neither, were they tried during the term of Pnoy Aquino.
Pnoy Aquino , was never tried in letting the SAF Police, be murdered by Islamic Radicals. Pnoy Aquino, is yet to be tried for murdering Filipino children, with Dengvaxia vaccine.
The DAP, PDAF, and Pork Barrel bribery, are not yet resolved. Pnoy Aquino and the thief, Abad, are still running around merrily.
Mar Roxas, who stole the Typhoon Yolanda Fund, is enjoying his life. He is yet to be tried for his being a thief of the Typhoon Yolanda Fund
There is lot to be done, to clean the Philippines. However, these Scumbags need to be jailed or hanged…
They didn’t. Blame Noynoy.
Also, non sequitur. You’re just bringing up the Ampatuans to make us forget that you’re some half-yellow retard who likes throwing out info that he doesn’t actually know in any depth while trying to obscure from the fact that the Ateneo are hypocrites and democracy is a sham and a lie that precisely leads to current degenerated state that the country is in.
More democracy = more problems.
Because all that does is make it easier for charlatans to sway the public long enough to get elected. To say nothing of the fact that it forces our people to act like bystanders when something bad happens and rather than fix the problem, they either go bahala na, speak some entirely dishonest cynical horseshit and nihilist lies, and lull them into thinking they can vote their way out of their problems. It forces them into bystanders.
May democracy die forever. And i’m glad it soon will.
Anti-Rationalist,
Yes, we must have endorsed authoritarianism under Marcos, Lee Kuan Yew, Chung Hee. Not to mention Putin, Mussolini, etc.
China is the one where democracy does not fit or work; it has authoritarian government like that in Russia.
Too toxic with terrorists, trolls, monsters, idiots, critics, trollbaiting, flamebaiting, clickbaiting, etc. or whatever.
Cherry Cobarrubias said that Martial Law was best year happened/happening. She said, if Martial Law did not happen, Philippines would be Communist country.
Salagintong Bukid loves this.
If you love Marcos, you love Martial Law as you support it. Filipinos were disciplined under Marcos rule and martial rule.
Others are wanting discipline and progress more than democracy, just like that in Singapore or China or Russia.
No hate and don’t feed the trolls (and terrorists).
Martial Law under Marcos regime was paradise, a wonderful period
Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III, thank you for pointing out the problems currently still living in our government. Time to get to work making sure they are removed.
Permanently.
Martial Law years and Marcos years were golden era. Whatever we say, clickbaits or trollbaits or whatever.
Nah, you’re just using it in order to piss people off.
Only people with brains know objective history. You just to piss people off so I question your honesty. Coming from the same guy who thinks Leloy Claudio is legit.
If you align expectations with reality, you will never be disappointed.