In light of the trending ADMU bullying issue, an Ateneo alumnus claiming to be a victim of bullying in his Ateneo days has come forward on Facebook.
Facebook netizen David Christopher Hizon claimed he was bullied since Grade 3 that continued until he graduated in high school because he was “wearing glasses and had a cleft chin.”
Says bullying started with busmates, escalating to classmates and then batchmates.
Hizon asserted that Ateneo has always been a breeding ground for bullies and the sad part the school never really does anything about it.
Some of his bullies he said had Moms who were actual friends of his. Lot of them are just spoiled rich kids who preys on the weak and the meek to earn their “street credentials”.
Hizon said he did not tell his parents about it for fear it would even make things worse.
Hizon said he reported the bullying incident to the guidance counselor once but it nothing happened and yet the bullying continued. He was even called to the office for excessive absences because going to school was no longer fun that his grades dropped so low that he wrote an explanation letter to the headmaster and handed it to himself, supposedly addressed to his parents.
Hizon ended the post by imploring the Ateneo administration to finally put an end to the cycle of bullying by going to the full extent and punish the bully kid so that the victims of bullying will come forward and voice out their pains.
You may read the full post below now.
My take on this whole ADMU bullying issue? It’s nothing new. Didn’t surprise me one bit. But let me explain why (it’s gonna be a long one).
I’ve been excessively bullied way since the 3rd grade all the way to high school (bullied bec of wearing glasses and had a cleft chin; a MF CLEFT CHIN people is why I was bullied so hard; fellow Ateneans would know this) so I know the drill. Started with bus mates, escalating to actual classmates and then batch mates. Ateneo has always been a breeding ground for bullies. You’d think that it’s almost natural for an all-boys school with that amount of insecure testosterone everywhere and where everyone is just trying to figure out their place in the food chain. The sad part is that it became so normal, the school never really does anything about it.
Some of my bullies even had moms who were actual friends with mine. A lot of them are just spoiled rich kids who like to take advantage of the weak and the meek to get their “street cred”. Fiestas, or any school event that allowed guests, are prime opportunities for these bullies to show off in front of girls by bullying and humiliating their victims. Fights happen. In bathrooms. In emptied classrooms. In hallways where teachers aren’t present. And it was even a lot harder to stand up for yourself because these same bullies were also the famous kids. They’d have an entourage of pseudo-bullies following them around. They’d have other students backing them up. That’s how it really was.
What people don’t get is that as a victim of bullying, you’re left utterly powerless. You’re just a kid who gets humiliated again and again down to the core. Running to someone, most especially your parents, would even make things worse. Once someone else hears of what you did, you’ll even be more bullied because you “didn’t have the balls to stand up for yourself”. Duwag. Sumbungero. Walang bayag. I mean, I never really even had the guts to tell my own mom about it till I already had my college degree. That’s how hard it was. But, it didn’t mean I didn’t try.
I did reach out to a guidance counselor once. Told him about how some of my batch mates kept on bullying me to the point that I didn’t wanna go back to school anymore (he actually invited me over because of my excessive absences — wanna guess why I kept on skipping class?). He even showed me a roster of all the students and asked me to point out which ones were my bullies. A week later, he tells me he’s dealt with the issue and talked to the same people. Guess what, nothing changed. I’d still get circled. I’d still hear loud mockery. I’d still get shoulder checked by the same people I pointed out.
There was a point when I just stopped attending classes. It dropped my grades so low (which obviously got me flak from my folks) that I went ahead and made a handwritten letter to the then Headmaster explaining my situation. Handed it myself (my parents don’t know this bit so I’m sorry mom/dad if you had to find out through this). Never heard back from them. Idk if the administration was just so used to cases like these, or because the usual bullies came from rich families who had networks and connections, but fuck me, right?
I’ve never really shared my bullying experience like this before but seeing the videos circling around bothered me so much that it was bringing me back memories of my horrible days in ADMU. To my bullies, it may have just been “fun and games” but what you all did was take away what could have been the most amazing years in a kid’s life. Grade school. High school. Making friends. Creating memories. Instead all I remember are days trying to dodge every bully I see along the corridors as I walk to the classroom. All ya’ll raped my GS and HS experience.
This doesn’t mean though that I didn’t create good friends — of course I did. It doesn’t mean I never had fun; I did on good days. I loved that after a series of days of skipping class, a group of my closest friends actually went to my house to check on me. I tried to hide tbh, but they were resilient. I didn’t tell them what was happening though, but I felt the support, and that’s when I knew who my real friends were. You guys know who you are. I guess through time I’ve just learned to block out any of my experiences of being bullied. I still have nice, vivid memories to look back to, but I can only imagine how my stay in ADMU could’ve been a fuckton better if every day was like those days.
I still remember each and every one of your faces. I still remember your full names. I still remember all the exact events that happened. I still remember how I wished you’d get hit by a truck and not come to school anymore. I still do now, to be honest. You all taught me how to harbor so much hate. Now we’re all grown up. Some of you have your own families. Some of you even are my friends on Facebook (or have added me at one point). I’ve had a few who even messaged me as if nothing ever happened. How I just wish your children wouldn’t go through the same experience as I did with you. But who knows, they may in fact never will because they might grow up to be exactly like you — a bully. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, anyway.
Bullying is a cancer, and what you all were back then should never have been tolerated, ever. You all should have never been allowed to get away with any of it. Not before, not now. It’s just sad that after more than 20 years since I entered the institution, I see that nothing has changed. I implore the now administration of Ateneo to go to the fullest extent to punish this Montes kid and to end the cycle of bullying inside the institution by empowering the victims to safely voice out their pains and at the same time imposing stricter, non-negotiable measures for the aggressors. Because if not, then let’s just all throw away that Jesuit education out of the window, shall we? A man for others, while a punching bag to the assholes.
P. S. Wag nyo nang patulan yung mga Joaquin Montes pages lmao all those are fake profiles you’re wasting your time. One, an Atenean wouldn’t be that tactless online I’m telling you lol, and two, an Atenean would’ve been too concerned about his image and would’ve deactivated the minute shit hit the fan. So stop feeding the trolls.
P. P. S. All the videos, as with everywhere else, got taken down. Lol.
Source: David Hizon
