On being slapped

I hate pinoy drama. The reason is that most of them, no, all of them, include happy slapping scenes between two opposing fronts.

Yesterday was a peculiar day. Very peculiar. I was slapped in the face-metaphorically. Binastos.

So what happened?

Our chairperson (Joy), was handing out the Clearance Forms for this semester since it's almost finals. Then she explained that the clearances are to be signed and individually processed. Everyone looked at her. Then one brave soul asked, "Ngaman indi tingob? (Why not process it as a whole section?". Joy looked at me and waited for an answer.

Earlier I was the temporary chairperson for the second semester and I had a hard time processing the clearances since some did not pay their sanctions or have atrasos pa with the people who are in the signatories. And I said to her in one instance after the elections and she was elected, "Mag clearance sila ipa-process mo, para kabalo man sila kag di mag salig (When the clearances comes, let them process their own papers so that they will know how to and not just depend on you". I sis not know she would heed unsolicited very outspoken advice.

So I answered the one who asked in a plain metaphorical proverbial phrase- "Because it tends to breed Lazy Juans". A quote I culled from our guidelines at the publication. They just looked at me in disbelief. The few lines of the person who asked were a blurb in my head now and I can't remember it. Some of my classmates verbally complained. Blurry images. Blurry. All I can remember are their eyes.

Their eyes who look like they are going to roll like Clara's in Mara Clara. Sinister, tired, and very piercing. Like they are so tired of you yapping and telling things at their faces.

So to tell them why this solo flight operations are imposed, I want to speak again. However someone is speaking in front. I called the speaker's attention and the speaker ignores me. I called for the 3rd time I think the phrase "Excuse me." and everyone was looking at me waiting for me to speak or something. But the speaker who was calling out sanctions totally ignored me. Instead, the speaker elevates it's voice level almost half shouting just to drown my call to floor. It's not my habit not to speak if I am not acknowledged. So I waited. Then my chair tried to butt in but the speaker said, "Excuse me, I am not done." So our chairperson ebbed back and the speaker continues talking and when the list is done. The speaker gives me this quick but piercing look as if saying, "Sorry ka, I won't give you a chance to speak."

I was totally flushed. I wanted to regain composure but my classmates were already walking out the room even though the chairperson is talking. So I wasn't composed and I walked out of the room after the chairperson has spoken and not talking to anyone in particular, I said verbally- "Fine. You don't have ethics, okay. Bulls***."


Then I hear someone in the back say, "Go to hell." I don't need to look back, I know the voice and that statement very well. I hear that almost everyday for the past sixteen months.

Sorry for the cusswords but it's what I said in a fit. I was infuriated. I was slapped in the face for doing some simple explanation and clarification.

Then I analyzed, what happened. Why was I angry?

I was angry because I was unable to say something. I was angry because I was a wreck in front of my classmates. For me at that moment, my classmate just showed how an inappropriate individual acts like. I was trying to call his attention deliberately. Deliberately that everyone turned heads towards me. He could hear it, I know he could. Even our pretending-deaf classmate heard me that time. But he chose not to listen for my plea of the floor. He chose to ignore me.

Then again I asked, why was he angry with me?

Then it came back to the decision that we would process our clearances individually. Maybe they were against it. No, they were definitely against it. If we analyze the chairperson's decision, it was insanely sound. Very sound. I just wondered why they reacted that way. Was it the term "Lazy juans"?

When you look back in our section's history, and even our colleges', were are the sloths of all. We like to be spoon fed, we love to have it our way and we simply love to earn without working hard for it. We love to have a 1.0 grade for a professor who does not attend classes. Why? It's a no-sweat chance! We don't like to drop bullets of sweat and anyone who denies this fact is either a very industrious active student or either crazy.

But most of the people will say you are crazy if you don't see it this way.

I wonder if they saw the opposite side of the story and not only their side.

Their side: I won't have my vacation, huhu. I can't go home and relax.

Our side: So that they will have sense of work and sense of doing. So that they will learn how to process things. AND there is equality not slavery.

But they say, that is the job of the chairperson. Is there a written code that the chairperson has to process your clearance? The way I understand it, we INDIVIDUALLY need to be cleared of OUR INDIVIDUAL debts so that we INDIVIDUALLY enroll ourselves next semester. Does that mean that the chairperson will also enroll everyone else at the same time?

At hello, tao at estudyante rin po yung chairperson. Kailangan rin nang bakasyon. JUST LIKE YOU. Tapos sasabihin nyo lang LEARN TO SACRIFICE at ni kayo hindi maka balik nang school for just a 3-day span to SIGN YOUR OWN CLEARANCE FORM?

Open up your minds to more responsibilities. DO not chuck it all out to one person. Pag nagaganahan yung tao, babarahan nyo nang sandamakmak na gawain. Makatarungan ba yon?

Leaders are servants yes but not SLAVES.

To back up at the butt-talking incident, I said Excuse me. In any court and in any Parliamentary Procedure executed, you should acknowledge me. Even though you were in the middle of something. And if someone is talking in front, and if they are your leaders, respect them and don't walk out of the room until they are done talking even if they talk nonsense sometimes.

Ethics. Professionalism. Not sappy attitudes of ten-year-olds.

I then accounted some comments on the individual processing of clearances. Most of them stated self-implied and semi-selfish reasons, "Sem break mo, mapuli ko ya, malayo balay ko mo." (It's the semester break, I need to go home, my house is very far." This and that. Illogical. Very illogical.

I don't know about you but I think this way. I am entitled to the freedom of speech and free press in this blog. If you react violently, it simply means you are guilty of being the other party. As a Filipino proverb would say (plus some redefining by Fanny Serrano), "Bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan, GUILTY!"