Calaidescope World

And What Were *They* Thinking?!!

Good Lord, it gets worse. This brings me back to my university days when La Salle was in the finals against UST. I don't know who started the coin-and-water bottle-throwing (I got hit by a water bottle, by the way), but someone from the La Salle side said something really base like "Tuition niyo baon ko!" Hello?

Over at www.greenarcher.net, I read about people throwing bottles and shouting obscenities at opponents. Someone posted a comment about Salgado "stooping down to the level of FEU". Dude, I would rather quietly walk away from the court like the gentlemen the FEU Tamaraws showed they are. Who is stooping down to what level now? As one of the Brothers wrote in his reply to my email this morning, "even if we ended up champion, we've lost that inner sense of satisfaction because of all this."

I have always been of the opinion that SOME people (take note: I did not say "all". I said "some") who did not attend schools like La Salle and Ateneo from beginning to end (i.e., from Prep to Senior High School to College) are the ones who act the worst. Or who behave the least like a good La Sallite or a good Atenean. In fact, most of them (most of the "some" or in statistical terms "the sample population = n") are the stereotype mayabang Lasalita and elitistang Atenista. They did not have to make their own rosaries back in grade school (with 6 decades like the Brothers, no less!). They did not "learn" about St. John Baptist de la Salle being the patron saint of teachers, and starting the La Salle schools to help educate the poor (incidentally, all of St. La Salle's schools IN THE BEGINNING were free. Makes you wonder about the outrageous tuition fess, huh? The price our parents pay/paid for our good education). They were not brainwashed with Religio, Mores, and Cultura. They did not "learn" about St. Ignatius de Loyola and his role during the Crusades. They do not "know" about being "a man for others". Sad. Although, I must admit - some true greenbloods do act like orcs and goblins sometimes. Not all of us are "clean". Haaay....

I'm not generalising. I'm simply stating what I have observed since childhood (again, I am referring to the statistical n that I have encountered). Forgive me, I don't want to pick a fight, but being the daughter of a "through and through" La Sallite, and having been a member of one of the first set of co-ed students to attend La Salle from Prep to High School to College, and having represented DLSU in various activities makes me emotional about these things. Some of my closest friends are Ateneans, and graduates from UA&P, UST, UP, etc. Today is one of those days that maybe some of us wish we went to UP for College - no one judges a student from UP! All they are is cool and down to earth. It's just a basketball game! Can't we all just get along?

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Earlier this afternoon, I found DLSU's official statement over at www.hshs.blogpot.com -

De La Salle University-Manila regrets the incident which happened right after the first game of the UAAP Men’s Basketball finals series at the Araneta Coliseum on 29 September 2005. Many persons witnessed the unsportsmanlike behavior of one official of our Men’s Basketball Team. The incident was also captured on national television. We certainly will not condone any such act especially if it harms others. This incident does not reflect the values we stand for as an educational institution. We apologize to Arwind Santos and the Far Eastern University community, to the other UAAP member-schools and to the general public. We will fully cooperate with the UAAP investigation of the incident and abide by their decision. Mr. Manny Salgado has apologized to the DLSU community and has voluntarily withdrawn from the team. Many of us witnessed how well-fought this game was and how it has brought out the best in both teams. We hope that this rivalry will remain a venue for bringing out the best among our teams and supporters.

Br. ROBERTO CASINGAL FSC Director, Sports Development Office
Dr. CARMELITA QUEBENGCO Executive Vice President, De La Salle University-Manila
Br. ARMIN LUISTRO FSC President, De La Salle University System

Ok. There. That's done. Let's put this behind us. We have more pressing things to worry about like clean water for all, 3 square meals a day for underprivileged children, our roller-coaster economy, the educational system, the jobless rate, how we're all going to spend our hard-earned money on a Payday Friday,.... Me? I need to go back to doing my part in helping uplift the Filipino worker. Two more weeks....

posted by Calai @ 10:54 AM