Please don’t blame UP for corrupt graduates

This is a reaction to Pat D. Gonzalo’s letter, “Quality education not UP’s monopoly.”

(Inquirer, 7/23/11) While the writer criticized columnist Michael Tan for the “discriminatory” statements he expressed in a recent article that—as usual—glorified his beloved alma mater, the University of the Philippines (UP), Gonzalo himself/herself was rather discriminatory in his/her own closing: “Just look at our so-called high-caliber UP alumni who are presently holding top government positions. Most of them, if not all, have been involved in graft and corruption. Something must be wrong with their (UP’s) kind of ‘quality education’.”

A person’s basic, college or post-graduate education is just one of the many aspects of his life. That is why I do not think it is fair to blame a person’s corrupt ways exclusively on (any of) his alma mater(s). Many factors help shape a person’s identity—his very upbringing, the values passed on to him by his parents, his various influences and life experiences, the society in which he lives, his spirituality, etc. Hence, I find the statement quoted above discriminatory and quite reckless.

However, I agree with Gonzalo about his/her opinion of Tan being a good writer whose columns are easy to understand. That’s why I also wish that Tan could curb his obvious bias for UP by lessening his references to it which come too frequently. His pride in his great alma mater is understandable. But being too UP-centric limits him, which is disappointing, because he is a profoundly intelligent anthropologist who can tackle diverse topics in his columns. It might also alienate some of his readers who, like me (I’m from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines), are not from UP.

—JORDEENE SHEEX B. LAGARE, jordzlagare@gmail.com