Here’s a Halloween scary story.
On his pre-Halloween Philippine Daily Inquirer column Neal H Cruz revealed that:
“The competition among the fraternities of the University of the Philippines has graduated from mere rumbles to a fight for the presidency of the Philippines. Reacting to a news report that the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity is supporting Vice President Jejomar Binay (who is among its members) in the 2016 presidential elections, the rival Tau Gamma Phi (TGF) fraternity regarded as the country’s biggest fraternity, announced that it was mobilizing its millions of members nationwide – “Treskelions” are what they’re called – to help the Aquino government fight graft and corruption, which is its way of saying that it would campaign against Binay who is up to his neck in corruption allegations. . . At present it (TGP) is the most cohesive fraternity in the Philippines and boosts of more than a million members nationwide.”
But, APO is older than TGP (1950;1968). And, APO is more often at the limelight with its annual oblation run (in which masked members streak naked through the UP campus) which never fails to attract media attention (an interesting query is whether the oblation run was already a practice in Binay’s time and if he ran; if he did the mask would not have served its purpose). And, with the vice-presidential position of Binay, APO may have more clout.
During the 2010 bar examinations, a bomb exploded at the exams venue. One suspect was arrested. The reports, as googled, state:
“Anthony Leal Nepomuceno, NBI's prime suspect and an Alpha Phi Omega (APO) member, surrendered to Jejomar Binay, Vice President of the Philippines, on October 27. Fellow APO members, Binay, and former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, asserted Nepomuceno's innocence. Binay's actions were criticized by several members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, who said Nepomuceno was cleared prematurely. The Office of the President stated that it had no intention to distance Binay from the matter, but clarified that Binay's statements would have no bearing in the investigation.”
The APO was credited as one of the reasons why Binay won as vice-president. If TGP were to support Mar Roxas and he wins, his “utang na loob” may not be as strong as Binay’s to APO if Binay wins since brod is thicker than water. And, Binay has always projected himself to have an “utang na loob,” a trait which he says his detractor former vice mayor Mercado does not have. The effect of a Binay presidency on appointments to government positions may be one reason why TGP is all out against this prospect.
On his pre-Halloween Philippine Daily Inquirer column Neal H Cruz revealed that:
“The competition among the fraternities of the University of the Philippines has graduated from mere rumbles to a fight for the presidency of the Philippines. Reacting to a news report that the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity is supporting Vice President Jejomar Binay (who is among its members) in the 2016 presidential elections, the rival Tau Gamma Phi (TGF) fraternity regarded as the country’s biggest fraternity, announced that it was mobilizing its millions of members nationwide – “Treskelions” are what they’re called – to help the Aquino government fight graft and corruption, which is its way of saying that it would campaign against Binay who is up to his neck in corruption allegations. . . At present it (TGP) is the most cohesive fraternity in the Philippines and boosts of more than a million members nationwide.”
But, APO is older than TGP (1950;1968). And, APO is more often at the limelight with its annual oblation run (in which masked members streak naked through the UP campus) which never fails to attract media attention (an interesting query is whether the oblation run was already a practice in Binay’s time and if he ran; if he did the mask would not have served its purpose). And, with the vice-presidential position of Binay, APO may have more clout.
During the 2010 bar examinations, a bomb exploded at the exams venue. One suspect was arrested. The reports, as googled, state:
“Anthony Leal Nepomuceno, NBI's prime suspect and an Alpha Phi Omega (APO) member, surrendered to Jejomar Binay, Vice President of the Philippines, on October 27. Fellow APO members, Binay, and former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, asserted Nepomuceno's innocence. Binay's actions were criticized by several members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, who said Nepomuceno was cleared prematurely. The Office of the President stated that it had no intention to distance Binay from the matter, but clarified that Binay's statements would have no bearing in the investigation.”
The APO was credited as one of the reasons why Binay won as vice-president. If TGP were to support Mar Roxas and he wins, his “utang na loob” may not be as strong as Binay’s to APO if Binay wins since brod is thicker than water. And, Binay has always projected himself to have an “utang na loob,” a trait which he says his detractor former vice mayor Mercado does not have. The effect of a Binay presidency on appointments to government positions may be one reason why TGP is all out against this prospect.