UP SAMASKOM denies abusing applicants

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UP SAMASKOM denies abusing applicants

ABS-CBN News

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Updated Mar 03, 2016 11:04 PM PHT

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MANILA (UPDATED) - The University of the Philippines' Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral sa Komunikasyon (SAMASKOM) on Thursday denied that applicants undergo abuse during their initiation into the organization.

The group issued a statement on Facebook following a viral social media post of an alumna detailing the experience she allegedly went through during an application process for an unnamed organization.

"UP SAMASKOM categorically denies any deliberate physical, mental or psychological abuse at any part of its application process. Every activity the applicants engage in has been carefully planned to encourage creativity, responsibility, resourcefulness, trust and camaraderie, all of which are integral to the UP SAMASKOM culture that has been cultivated through the years since its inception in 1974," SAMASKOM said.

The group also said its application process continuously undergoes review to "ensure that it adheres to the organization's principles."

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SAMASKOM said it is open to any investigation.

"We welcome any form of investigation that may ensue from this as long as it will be conducted fairly, with discretion and only by entities that have legal authority over the organization," it added.

SAMASKOM said that although it was never directly mentioned in any online post, the organization decided to break its silence because of "definitive allusions to the organization."

In an earlier statement, University of the Philippines-College of Mass Communication (UP-CMC) denounced the alleged hazing incident involving one of its alumni.

"We, at the University of the Philippines-College of Mass Communication, strongly denounce the dehumanizing practices of hazing, whether in the form of physical and/or verbal abuse," UP-CMC said in a statement also posted on Facebook.

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A UP alumna, in a Facebook post dated February 29, shared the alleged harassment and abuse she experienced as an applicant for an unnamed organization in the university. The whole experience, she said, was traumatic.

UP CMC encouraged other students who may have gone through physical and psychological hazing to speak up and file official charges against the organization involved.

UP PROF QUESTIONS SAMASKOM

UP CMC Professor Danilo Arao, meanwhile, has posed questions to UP SAMASKOM, in reaction to their statement.

Arao, who was the faculty adviser of UP SAMASKOM from 2001 to 2002, asked whether the organization "inflicted unintended abuse on applicants" since the organization only denied "deliberate physical, mental and psychological abuse."

In Facebook posts that he gave permission to ABS-CBN News to quote, Arao asked the organization if cursing and shouting at applicants are part of the organization's "careful planning to encourage creativity," as well as other values mentioned by the UP SAMASKOM organization in its statement.

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"During your 'hell week,' the loud voices of your members cursing and shouting are heard in the college so you cannot deny that these things happen," Arao said.

Arao also called out those who defend hazing in student organizations. He said physical and verbal abuse are "nothing but excuses to perpetuate unjust violence and impunity."

"Building character takes a lifetime of hard work and dedication to one's chosen profession. Preparation for a world with abusive people entails fighting for your rights, not living with the reality of injustice," he added.

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