Librado Ureta, Organizer of APO Philippines
It seems paradoxial that an organization like ours which stands for Leadership, Friendship, and Service can be dubbed as cruel, inhuman, brutal, barbaric, undisciplined, recalcitrant, disrespectful, unrefined,uncultured, undesireable, or what negative descriptions have you, name them, could be more embarrassing, insulting and revolting when you hear people say it smack in your face, when people keep eyeing you with suspicion while walking on the streets wearing an APO t-shirt; when parents warn their children not to have anything to do with APO much less join it because of what they read in the papers; when students both in the higher level and lower grades say “APO yan” when they hear of rumbles in the University Belt or a fraternity neophyte (not APO) dies from hazing.
IT IS ABOUT TIME for us to clamp down on all these crazy practices of our members at once. The so-called “traditional” practices of our people in the form of HAZING must be stopped immediately. I feel greatly discouraged and flabbergasted to repeat and repeat and continually repeat in all my talks, speeches and lectures in the Board and anywhere, whenever I have the chance to, that Alpha Phi Omega is a Service organization and does not practice nor condone hazing in any form whatsoever absolutely.
What will happen now with those who were charged with homicide? They will not only lose their studies but they will become the target of accusing fingers, dubbed as young criminals, especially when they will be found guilty. And then, how about their parents and relatives? Do you think they are not worried and troubled too? To think of all these makes me sick.
However, as the ones involved are our fraternity brothers, we can not neglect our responsibility to give moral support as well as other assistance in some forms.
Hazing must be stopped at once and if there is anyone in your chapter who thinks differently and wants to do it, let him join other organizations where he can be happy by putting into execution what his brutal and animal instincts dictates him.
I feel that it is high time that we do something to repair the bad image that is there in people’s mind about the Alpha Phi Omega. We must rise up to the occasion and face the challenges that confronts us… that of discarding our notorious practices and so-called “traditions” and bring out to the fore, the true spirit of the Alpha Phi Omega… .that of being a leader, a friend and of service. For us to profess our sincerity and devotion to the Alpha Phi Omega yet refuse to part with these malpractices that discredit the Fraternity’s high principles and ideals is an irony.
IT IS ABOUT TIME for us to clamp down on all these crazy practices of our members at once. The so-called “traditional” practices of our people in the form of HAZING must be stopped immediately.
I say again, if you are proud of being an APO member, STOP HAZING. It’s against the APO constitution. It’s against the DEC regulations. It’s against the law. If you think we are curtailing your constitutional rights by making you toe the line you have the option to quit calling yourself a member of APO right now and we can even return back the fees that you have paid to the National Office.
Librado I. Ureta
(from APO Bulletin 1976)
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