INQUIRY

The GUIDON

Issues with an impact

EDITOR: SARA D. MAWIS
GRAPHIC DESIGN BY: JAMIE C.
CHUAH, MAICA J. PETRACHE AND
ELLIX L. SALVADORA

Inside
Holding on to dear life
Know how the typical
Atenean should deal
with suicide.

Suicide by numbers
How affected is every-
one by it?

Crossfire
A student talks about
what she could have
done to help her friend
from ending his life.

The need for sexual

healing
For some, being sexu-
ally liberated may be
about having an active

“Technological lag”
sex life and getting to
talk about it.

NOVEMBER 2008 n VOLUME LXXVI

COVER PHOTO BY jason c. mariposa
n NUMBER 6
http://www.theguidon.com
inquiry@theguidon.com

Technologically sound?
artwork by Ellix L. Salvadora
Do the Ateneo’s technological resources have what it takes to
give students an edge?

by Genevieve P. Bueta and into their curricula. Unlike don’t work well. “I’ve noticed He also says that some
Myron T. Dela Paz other commercial programs, that recently, the computers computers do not have a
it allows its programmers and have Open Office installed sound card where he can plug

I
n an era when Pow-
erPoint presentations
have replaced manila
paper-written reports and
the Internet has won over
encyclopedias, it can be dif-
ficult for the typical Atenean
to go to school without using
its computers, LCD projec-
tors, and other technological
resources.
These resources play an
important role in a student’s
academic life. In his essay,
“Can Technology Help Teach
for Understanding?” Tufts
University Research Pro-
fessor Raymond Nickerson
says, “Technology… opens
up new possibilities for the
development of instructional
materials through which
understanding might be en-
hanced.” This is despite its
trend of providing people with
resources that they might
find difficult to understand.
With this thinking, schools
in the Philippines are geared
towards providing more
technological resources than
before. According to the Na-
tional Computer Center of the
Philippines, universities like
the University of the Philip-
pines and Mapua Institute of
Technology have integrated
open source software (OSS)
users to learn and improve
the code easily.
Though the Ateneo is one
of the schools with OSS, stu-
dents like Gamaliel Clamor
(I BS CoE) are not satisfied
with its technological re-
sources. “[I] had to wait for
the [computer] programs to
load,” he says. “Sometimes,
the monitor shuts down by
itself.”
What then is the school
doing to provide and improve
on its hardware equipment?
Unit breakdowns
In the Ateneo, there are
240 open access computers
found in the Rizal Student
Foyer (RSF), PLDT-Conver-
gent Technologies Center
(CTC) 101 and 112, Matteo
Ricci Hall, and the Rizal
Library.
Isobelle Yambao (IV AB
Comm), who often frequents
the computer laboratories
and Rizal Library during
her breaks, says that she
encounters computers which
don’t work well. She also sees
computers sans mouse or key-
boards with missing keys.
She also says that, de-
spite the different software
installed in some of the
school’s computers, they still
rather than Microsoft Office.
Open Office is supposed to
load faster than Microsoft
but instead, it makes the
computers hang.”
Clamor, who often uses
the computers at CTC 112,
says that these instances
don’t prevent him that much
from watching videos on You
Tube or reading the latest
news on the Philippine Daily
Inquirer site. That doesn’t
mean, however, that he is
fully content with the com-
“It really sucks when you really
have something to do and all
that are left are non-functioning
computers.”
Albeth Cajucom
puters he uses.
“Some computers don’t
have the Mozilla Firefox
browser,” he says in Filipino.
“Videos don’t work well with
other browsers, so I had to
download a flash player. But,
the computer wouldn’t allow
me to install it.”
his earphones.
When these things hap-
pen, he usually resorts to
watching the videos with-
out any sound or sleeping
in the laboratory instead.
Says Clamor, students like
him sometimes go there to
enjoy the cold temperature
and sleep. “[The computer
laboratory] turned into a
mini-library,” he says, re-
ferring to CTC 112, where
students sometimes rest for
a while after an hours’ worth
of studying.
Meanwhile, Albeth Ca-
jucom (I BS Bio) finds these
deficiencies a hassle. Caju-
com, who frequents the RSF
to check her e-mail, says that
dialogue boxes keep popping
on some of the computer
screens. She also observes
that some computers contain
virus.
With many students us-
ing the RSF’s computers,
Cajucom has no choice but
to make do with the units
she gets. “It really sucks
when you really have to do
something and all that are
left are non-functioning
computers.”
And with the growing
number of students bringing
their own laptops, a shortage
of sockets has also become an
issue, especially in the Rizal
Library.
Says Katrina Paras (IV
BS LM) in a mix of Filipino
and English, “Most of the
time, I don’t get to plug [in
the library] because there’s
no free outlet.” She also says
that there are plugs that
she can’t use either because
they don’t work or aren’t big
enough to accommodate her
laptop’s plug.
University Physical Plant
(UPP) Director Leoncio
Miralao Jr., attributes this
problem to the library’s old
design. “The Ateneo started
out with the Americans…
and when it [Rizal Library]
was built and designed, it
was intended for 110 [volts],”
he says.
Freeze to clean
Not all is lost, however, for
some of the school’s withering
resources.
According to the UPP’s
Computer and Audio-Visual
Section Head Gerry Laroza,
students should approach
the computer technicians,
who will replace the defec-
tive parts.
The school also purchased
40 LCD screens to replace its
discolored computer screens.
According to him, LCDs con-
sume less electricity and are
cheaper to repair than the
old cathode ray tube (CRT)
screens, which most of the
school’s computers are cur-
rently equipped with.
Besides fixing the LCDs,
Laroza says that all computer
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2 November 2008
With the recent Ateneo suicides and the rising global suicide rate, how is the school coping?
by Katerina D. Francisco and
Kathrine A. Larcia
G
abriella*, like other
college students, deals
with academic stress,
family problems, and financial
difficulties. She, however, has
a different way of dealing
with them.
“I locked the door to my
room and took the key with
me inside. I tied a rope around
my neck,” she says.
“This was my first suicide
attempt, back in grade five.”
Gabriella is just one of
the many young people who
consider suicide the solution
to their problems.
In the first semester of this
school year alone, the Ateneo
itself has grieved over three
suicides, including one by a
law school graduate. But the
problem is not unique to this
Suicidal ideation. With the stress that students face, some of them may
be driven enough to commit suicide.
TechnologicallY sound?
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
systems will be upgraded. To
respond to virus outbreak
concerns, particularly the
spread of Ccolgatee virus in
the campus two years ago,
the program Deep Freeze was
developed. According to him,
Computer overhaul. The Ateneo recently replaced its computers with LCD
screens in its commitment to develop its buildings and equipment.
university. According to the
World Health Organization
(WHO), global suicide rates
have increased by 60% in the
past 45 years. Adolescent sui-
cides have prompted concern
from many school officials
worldwide.
With cases of student
suicide on the rise, the typi-
cal Atenean is just as at risk
as any university student in
the world.
Gender-specific
According to WHO’s Sep-
tember 2008 bulletin, suicide
methods vary according to
gender. Men often use more
lethal forms of committing
suicide, such as the use of
firearms and hanging. Mean-
while, women prefer methods
like poisoning by pesticide or
drugs and drowning.
Other methods of suicide
Photo by EAN L. DACAY
it was installed in the school’s
computers during last school
year’s second semester.
With this program, a
student just has to reset the
computer before use, which
automatically restores the
unit to its original installa-
Photo by tata l. yap
include jumping from a height,
exsanguination (slitting the
arteries), suffocation, electric
shock, and carbon monoxide
poisoning. In the late 1990s,
firearms accounted for most
youth suicides, followed by
hanging. By 2004, death by
hanging became the most
common method because of
its accessibility.
Tormented soul
For Gabriella, it is only
normal that when one is tor-
mented by pain, one would
want it to end. “If you can’t
find something to stop the
pain, that’s when you realize
[that] the only way to stop
the torment is to finish off the
tormented soul.”
She recounts how her rela-
tives have always seen her as
a “strange monstrosity” who
can’t do anything right. They
would always tell her to be-
have in a certain way and be
a different person altogether.
But what drove her to the
edge were comparisons her
relatives made of Gabriella
and her best friend. Unlike
Gabriella, her best friend was
an honor student often praised
for her good grades and nice
personality. “When placed
next to me, [she] shone like the
Virgin Mary,” she says. “[My
relatives] would always tell
me, why can’t you be like her?”
Being constantly compared
with other more successful
people led her to begin her
series of suicide attempts.
Though Demi* didn’t at-
tempt to commit suicide, she
deliberately injured herself
tion. Laroza says that Deep
Freeze specifically tries to
solve the virus that may arise
from the students’ download-
ing of plug-ins and inserting
of universal serial bus (USB)
devices.
Besides the security mea-
sures for the computers, the
school conducts general check-
up and cleaning and inventory
audit on its equipment every
semestral break. Office of Ad-
ministrative Services Director
Joy Salita says that five audio-
visual technicians conduct
rounds throughout the school
year to ensure the facilities’
quality performance.
The maintenance staff
also acts as a third eye for the
technicians. With the staff in
charge of cleaning the class-
rooms, among other areas, its
members report unusual inci-
dences like overhead projector
screens getting out of place
and wires getting spliced.
Regarding the lack of sock-
ets, however, action has yet to
be taken as both the library
and the UPP are not aware
of it. According to Miralao,
students should approach the
librarians for extension cords
The GU
inq
during her high school senior depression.” ditionally high suicide rates
year. She threw herself over As defined by WHO, de- among the male elderly (about
objects with hard surfaces. pression is a common mental 52 deaths per 100,000 for
She also didn’t eat so she disorder characterized by white males). Liwag believes
would have to get sick and, a “depressed mood, loss of that this is because the youth’s
thus, wouldn’t have to go to interest or pleasure, feelings coping and problem-solving
school. of guilt or low self-worth, skills are not yet fully devel-
“My [friends] left me disturbed sleep or appetite, oped. In dealing with the same
because of a guy,” she says. low energy, and poor concen- problems that an older person
Liked by a boy that a friend tration.” might face, the younger one
was attracted to, Demi found When left untreated, it might not see other options
herself shunned by her entire can claim about 850,000 lives in solving them.
“When experiencing deep
pain, the young person might
“But, if you can’t find something think that the only way to end
to stop the pain, that’s when you that pain is to end [the] life
that bears this pain.”
realize [that] the only way to stop Stress isn’t always the cause
the torment is to finish off the Changes in lifestyle over
the years may have also
tormented soul.” contributed to the increase
in suicide cases. With their
Gabriella* fast-paced lifestyles, many
young people could be over-
whelmed with the burden
class. What hurt her, she says, through suicide every year. of possibilities. “The lives of
was that she wasn’t given a According to Reuters, it is the young persons today [are]
chance to explain herself. leading cause of suicide among probably [a] very far [cry] from
“Being friendless was ab- young people worldwide. the lives of young persons in
solutely the last way I wanted Not all cases of suicide, the past,” Liwag says. “There
to spend my last year of high however, are caused by a psy- are many choices. There are
school. It was so horrible chological disorder. According more expectations and more
and my mom wouldn’t let me to Liwag, the decision to stop pressure.”
transfer schools. I wanted to living consists of many other One of these challenges
die so badly.” complex factors. is academic stress. According
“We cannot assume that to Ateneo PEERS President
Emotional turmoil when a person commits sui- Ella Casas (IV BS CTM),
According to Psychology cide, it was because he was managing academics and
Department Associate Profes- mentally ill or emotionally extra-curricular activities is
sor Emma Liwag, Ph.D., many disordered,” she says. “There a common problem among
cases of suicide are linked to are people with full rational Ateneans.
individuals suffering from faculties [who] still make the PEERS, which offers peer
emotional disorder. “Suicide decision to end their lives.” coaching and counseling
is something that has been According to WHO, young services, often encounters
associated with certain very people are now at the highest students who doubt if they
deep-seated emotional or risk of suicide in a third of all are on the right career track.
mental problems, specifically countries, surpassing the tra- “As students, most of the prob-
or adaptors that they could
use.
Meanwhile, the remaining
computers will continue to
wireless Internet and more
students bring their own lap-
“Kung walang nagsasabi run on Microsoft. According to tops to school, she says that
sa kanila, walang mangyayari David, computers that run on there isn’t much of a need to
(If no one tells them about the Linux have a more stable in- add many units.
problem, then nothing will ternet connection than those Aside from the possibility
happen),” he says. “The first running on Microsoft. of adding more computers, the
step is [always] to call atten- She adds that it is really a library administration plans
tion to this [the problem].” matter of budget. “The school to gear up its seating capacity,
is already spending millions number of books and journals,
among others.
These efforts will be evi-
“The school is already spending dent in the Ateneo’s new
library, which is expected to
millions of pesos for the Internet, start operations during the
for Microsoft Office, so we do second semester of the next
school year. According to
not really put Microsoft Office in David, it will be a five-story
building, which consists of the
everything.” North and South blocks.
The new building will
Lourdes David house the book circulations,
other reference materials,
and electronic resources.
Varying operating systems of pesos for the Internet, for There will also be film view-
Regarding the complaints Microsoft Office, so we do not ing rooms, music room, and
that have risen regarding really put Microsoft Office in study carrels for students.
the Linux operating system, everything,” says David. All computers from the Rizal
which runs Open Office, Rizal Library, RSF, and CTC will
Library Director Lourdes Gearing up also be transferred there. n
David says that she’s aware According to David, com-
of them. The library admin- puters might be added, al- With a report from Sara Mae
istration, however, targets though only in small quanti- D. Mawis
to have half of the computers ties. Since majority of the
used to be running on Linux. campus is equipped with
UIDON
quiry November
July 20072008n 33

photo by ean l. dacay

Am I reaching
you now?
by Marian*

lems we encounter are about
school,” says Casas.
As far as PEERS is con-
cerned, however, suicides
are emergency situations
that need to be referred to
an authority figure. “We are
not to handle the situation
ourselves,” says Johanna Li-
caylicay (AB Psy ’08), former
PEERS president.
Liwag, however, believes
that stress in itself is not the
trigger for suicides or suicidal
attempts. She says that the
sense of failure, hopeless-
ness, and work-life imbalance
might be the case.
The faculty designed the
university’s current curricula
with utmost care and consid-
eration, she says. “We think
about the maximum number
of units per [semester], the
combination of courses [that]
should be taken at every
semester. There are rules for
that.”
Besides this, Liwag says
that majority of Ateneans
manage academic stress very
well. Those who don’t handle
stress well mostly deal with
cognitive or behavioral issues
that can be remedied, like
improper time management
and bad study habits. “Stress
is always a matter of appraisal
or perception,” she says.
Helping the troubled
Current suicide preven-
tive measures often only in-
volve identifying and helping
troubled students. Attempts
to restrict access to common
suicide methods, such as the
use of firearms and poison,
are also made. The American
Psychological Association,
however, suggests interven-
tion by focusing more on
suicidal thoughts and behav-
iors rather than on suicide
methods. The WHO likewise
says that a multi-sectoral
approach—one that involves
education, police, media, and
other non-health sectors—can
be used to improve suicidal
intervention measures.
Liwag acknowledges the
difficulty in setting up pre-
ventive measures. “When you
talk about suicidal people,
it implies that you already
know who they are and that
“There are people with full rational
faculties [who] still make the
decision to end their lives.”
Emma Liwag, Ph.D.
they are telling you that they
want to end their lives…but
the thing is, there must be a
way by which we can provide
support for those who are
high risk.”
She says, however, that
it is better to prepare young
people to deal with the ups
and downs of life. For her, if
young people learn early to
develop the inner strength
and resilience they need to
cope with life’s difficulties,
then intervention may not
even be needed. “We’re really
helping children and young
people grow up to be emotion-
ally hardy,” she says.
Not sufficient
For some students, though,
there is still something lack-
ing in the way the adminis-
tration has handled suicide.
Nikki Capinpin (I AB Eco)
appreciates the effort of the
administration in dealing
with the suicides. She, how-
ever, thinks it isn’t sufficient
because the administration
speaks about the issue after
gossip has already spread.
She says that the lateness of
the response has lessened the
impact it might have had on
the students.
Meanwhile, Eunice Dioni-
sio (II BS Mgt) isn’t satisfied
with the administration’s
response. She feels that the
guidance office’s routine inter-
view is not enough to address
the student’s problems.
Ione Salud (IV AB Eu) be-
lieves in the administration’s
way of handling the situation.
This includes maintaining
close contact with the victims’
families and issuing official
statements regarding what
T
here are some things in life that are beyond our
understanding. No matter how many questions we
ask and answer, it will never be enough for us to
completely grasp their true meaning. It’s like trying to
has happened. step on our own shadows. We could twist our bodies from
“However, [the admin- all possible angles, but our shadows will always remain
istration] might need to beyond our grasp. Sometimes, we encounter these shadows
rethink the availability of unexpectedly, lurking behind us or looming over our heads
means to communicate to like a guillotine, just waiting to strike when we feel that
those who might be on the nothing could go wrong.
verge of committing suicide,” At my age, I never thought that I would encounter
she says. anything like suicide. For me, it could only happen in
But, for Liwag, all the film and literature, or even to other people that I’m not
school’s structures to help related to. I felt safe in my cocoon-like world with all its
students are already in predictable routines and mundane events. I was assured
place. “All the student sup- that everyone around me is happy or at least satisfied
port services that we have… with their lives. They will never think of putting an end
are very excellent and bear to their lives so suddenly.
the stamp of cura personalis, The way my friend died has been marked by confusing
which is what the Ateneo is remarks and blown-up gossip. Most people are even add-
all about.” ing fuel to the fire– speculating more controversy to the
She also believes devel- already painful event. I hear people say a lot of theories
oping problem-solving skills about how he killed himself. Some even say that he was
for all aspects of life, the Ate- murdered and all of this is a conspiracy.
neo hopes to develop positive But, none of this has been confirmed nor will it ever
attitudes. “Taken together, be. What I do know is that he hanged himself and even
hopefully these are ‘suicide that is shrouded in mystery. I’d rather not know how he
prevention’ [measures] al-
though it may not seem
really died and I wish for people to stop speculating about
it. Accepting that he is gone is all I could take in for now.
that way.” She adds that the I would prefer to remember how he lived and changed the
faculty also helps students by lives of the people around him.
counseling them. When I heard the news of his passing away, I im-
“Our goal as a university mediately asked someone if he left anything behind, a
is holistic character forma- note, a message, or a symbol—something to make me
tion,” she says. “It’s holistic understand why he had to leave so soon. But, there was
formation which includes nothing and it damaged me somehow when he left a lot of
academics and character things unexplained. Questions kept on pounding through
formation. Hopefully, that my head, demanding definite answers. How can anyone
gives the student a perspec- calmly make a decision like that? How can anyone ever
tive on life.” think of that in the first place? Who are we to judge when
and how to end our lives?
*Names have been changed If there is one thing that I fear the most, it is death.
to protect the individuals. Death is so incomprehensible and the thought of my friend
choosing to end his life is even more so. It hurt me and
created a dark void inside my heart.
I was so angry at him for giving up half way and at
myself for being so insensitive to his pain. During his
wake, I realized that I have never been a good friend to
him. I’ve never thought of running the extra mile for him.
I’ve never been there for him when he needed a shoulder
to lean on. I’ve never taken the opportunity to ask him,

Suicide by Numbers to probe deeper, to insist in knowing if he has a problem

that he cannot face alone.
Could I have done something to stop it from happen-
Many statistics have been gathered and used by various experts to better understand the nature of suicide. Sociologist ing?
Émile Durkheim was first to compile statistics, linking individual acts of suicide as a social phenomenon that needed Honestly, I don’t think anyone could have done anything
attention. He also proposed that suicide existed because of an imbalance between moral regulation and social inte- to stop it. We can never know what a person truly feels
gration. From focusing on these forces, Durkheim then connected cultural and social conditions that increased the and neither can we dictate how they should think. The
tendency of suicide all over the world. only thing that we could stop doing is being so uncaring.
All we can do is to be there for the person and hope that
Below are statistics that show where and how the world understands suicide today. it is enough for them to change their minds.
His death is no one’s fault but everyone’s mistake. Our
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people (ages 15-24) after world is so desensitized and we are becoming so numb to
everything around us. We talk but we never speak, we see
accidents and homicides. but we never look, we hear but we never listen. There are
• More than 90% of suicides are associated with mental disorders, particularly depres- two lessons that his death taught me and it is to live every
day as if it is my last. It’s also to never stop reaching out
sion and substance abuse. my hand and to make it available to anyone who needs it,
• One out of four young adults will experience a depressive episode by age 24. even if it means that it will stay outstretched forever.
I know that my friend’s death has triggered a change in
• Approximately one million people died from suicide in 2000; suicide’s global mortality me. I now see the world in a more fleeting and cruel light
rate is one death every 40 seconds. than before. Tragic things will occur unexpectedly, but the
world will continue to move forward as if nothing has hap-
• Most suicides occur in developing countries. Suicides in Asia account for up to 60% of pened. Tomorrow in this world, for him, will never come
all cases. again. But tomorrow, for me, is inevitable. Morning will
• 344 out of 848 suicide cases were in the 15-24 age group, according to a WHO come with a vengeance each day that I continue to breathe
and all I could do is know that all things have to end at
report on the Philippines based on 1993 data. some point. But they don’t have to end that way—seek and
• As of May 2003, WHO data placed Philippine suicide rates (per 100,000) at 2.5% among ask for help and you will receive it unequivocally.
Saying goodbye to a friend because he decided to end
males and 1.7% among females. his life is the most difficult thing that I’ve ever done. I
• According to Gallup Polls in 2005 and 2006, countries that are more religious tend to hope I never have to do it again. n
have lower suicide rates. Suicide rates in the Philippines, which has a religiosity index score Marian is a third year student of the Ateneo’s School
(RIS) of 79, are almost 12 times lower than suicide rates in Japan, with an RIS of 29. of Social Sciences. She was 19 years old when this article
was written.

Data taken from: http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/phil.pdf; http://www.jedfoundation.org/documents/YouthSuicide.pdf http://www.healthy- *Name has been changed to protect the individual.
minds.org/collegestats.cfm; http://www.gallup.com/poll/108625/More-Religious-Countries-Lower-Suicide-Rates.aspx; http://www.who.int/mental_health/
prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/; http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p061013.htm&no=26; http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55145

4 INQUIRY
“S
ex is just like an-
other ordinary story
to share,” says Na-
than*, a 17 year-old Atenean
who considers himself sexu-
ally liberated. He also says
that, despite the Filipinos’
conservative beliefs on the
conjugal act, one is free to
choose whether to live by
these practices.
“Hindi na naman [pana-
hon ni] Maria Clara (It’s no
longer Maria Clara’s time).”
Nathan isn’t the only
Filipino who holds these prin-
ciples. According to American
College of Clinical Sexologists
for Licensure Chairperson
Dr. Jose Leyson, virginity
isn’t upheld as a universal
value in the same way it was
before. The University of the
Philippines Population Insti-
tute’s Young Adult Fertility
and Sexuality Survey (YAFS-
II) reveals that 18% of the
Filipino youth (15-24 years
of age) approve of premarital
sex and 2% remain neutral
toward it.
Its data also shows that
22% of the single male re-
spondents and 2% of the
single female respondents
have had premarital sex.
Meanwhile, 59% of the mar-
ried male respondents and
35% of the married female
respondents had made love
with their respective spouses
before marriage.
Despite the number of
people that engage in pre-
marital sex, not many sup-
port it. The said survey shows
that 80% of the respondents
still disapprove of intercourse
before marriage. These fig-
ures can be attributed to the
Catholic Church’s dominant
influence over the Filipino
society.
With the contrasting
beliefs that have risen re-
garding sex and sexual lib-
eration, where then should
the Filipino youth, let alone
A different kind of love. With sexual liberation on the rise, lifestyles like homosexuality are starting to be
recognized.
Despite incessant talk about it and numerous people claiming it, the Filipino
youth may not understand sexual liberation as well as they think they do.
the Atenean, be geared to-
wards?
Free love
The term “sexual lib-
eration” was predominantly
used during the 1960s, with
hippie culture at its peak.
Formed as a youth movement
in the United States in the
late 1960s, the said culture
preaches on the power of love
and sex as “part of ordinary
student life.” Along with
psychedelic drugs, care for
environment, and anti-war
principles, it promoted sexual
liberation, especially to the
youth.
This gave way to the
prominence of casual sex,
the use of contraceptives,
group sex, public sex, and
homosexuality. During this
era, it became acceptable in
the US to have co-educational
housing in its colleges. Ac-
cording to historian David
Allyn, Ph.D., with societies
becoming more open-minded
and permissive, discussions
of practices like masturbation
and erotic fantasies became
commonplace.
Says Theology Depart-
ment Instructor Angelita
Cancio, “The common under-
standing of sexual liberation
seems to be the ability to
remove all forms of restraints
or barriers that have even a
tinge of gender [difference]
from behavior to values to
sexual preference.”
Sexually liberated ≠ sexually
active
Sexual liberation is such
a broad term that it is dif-
ficult to categorize people
as such. “You may believe
that it is okay for women
to choose what to do with
their own bodies, to be pro-
choice, but that doesn’t mean
you’re for promiscuous sex,”
says Psychology Department
Assistant Professor Liane
The GUIDON
Alampay, Ph.D.
“It is difficult to try and
lump all these different
sexual attitudes and values
together in one term.”
She adds that being sexu-
ally liberated does not always
translate to being sexually
active. Unlike a person who’s
sexually active, one who’s
sexually liberated doesn’t
necessarily mean that the
person engages in different
sexual practices. Instead,
sexual liberation refers to
that person’s attitude toward
the said act.
This is particularly true
for Antoinette*, who does not
mind talking about sex but
admits that she has not done
it yet. “I think it is okay to be
sexually liberated,” she says.
“[But], I know my limitations,
and I keep a bit of [the Filipino
beliefs on sex] in me.”
Casual talk
Nathan, meanwhile, ad-
mits to being sexually active
and doesn’t mind talking
about his escapades. Sex
for him and his friends is a
normal topic of conversation.
They talk about how they
are able to convince their
partners to do it, or the places
they have adventurously at-
tempted to do it. “Whoever
can do it in the most extreme
[places], we’ll pay for all his
expenses for a week.”
He is also able to share his
experiences to his parents.
“They know I’m not [a virgin
anymore].”
“It is natural and people
enjoy it. There is nothing
bad in talking about it,” says
Antoinette. “It just depends
on the context of what you
are saying.”
Antoinette adds that
she is not ashamed to be
sexually liberated despite
belonging to a conservative
society like the Philippines.
Having studied in another
Photo by jason c. mariposa
by Patricia A. Santos and Emmanuel D. Delocado
Playing it safe. In the Philippines, many still believe that couples shouldn’t engage in certain sexual prac-
tices until they get married.
country before entering the
university, Antoinette says
that Philippine culture is
different from the culture she
came from – it doesn’t accept
liberal attitudes toward sex.
“People [here] think that girls
should keep their purity and
be old-fashioned,” she says.
Ambivalent take
Despite the developments
relating to sexual liberation,
the Filipino society remains
“It’s healthy to acknowledge our
sexuality, to have spaces to talk
about it and express it.”
Liane Alampay, Ph.D
divided as to which sexual
beliefs and practices to up-
hold. Says Alampay, “On the
one hand, we have sectors in
society that are more liber-
ated, but other sectors are
very conservative.”
“Our young people cer-
tainly cannot talk about it
in their homes, with their
parents,” she says. “There
are still a lot of taboos or
unmentionables.”
“When we talk about it
and there are people around
who are naive, they think
you’re a pervert,” says Julin*,
who considers herself sexu-
ally liberated, in Filipino.
Gender may also be a
factor as to why there are
contrasting views on sexual
liberation. According to a
2006 study conducted by the
International Family Plan-
ning Perspectives, males in
the Philippines are encour-
aged to engage in sexual ac-
tivities and, thus, are allowed
more sexual freedom. Mean-
while, females are expected
to be more conservative than
the males and controlling as
to setting the limits of their
sexual acts.
Besides these factors,
religion plays a big role in
the development of sexual
liberation in the country.
Says Cancio, “Religion is
always a factor in culture
and, so far, almost all Filipi-
nos believe in God or Allah.
Historically, these religious
values have been interwoven
into Filipino culture which
has been exposed to modern
Western culture in the last
century.”
She adds that it has been
only 30 to 50 years since
the Western culture has
“dramatically eschewed its
Christian moorings.”
Cancio, who believes that
sexual liberation is being
comfortable and content with
who a person is, says that
this idea doesn’t go against
any Church teaching. Look-
ing at it from the common
understanding, however, it
may depend on the issues that
people view as “expressions
of sexual liberation.”
“For example, if sexual
liberation [strives] for the
equality of men and women,
[then it doesn’t go against any
teaching],” she says. “But,
if sexual liberation is taken
to [mean the] women’s right
to abort an unwanted preg-
nancy, [then it goes against
the Church].”
Healthy talking
With the misconceptions
surrounding sexual libera-
tion, Alampay stresses the
need for adults to guide the
young people in correctly
understanding their identity.
“[The youth] really have no
other venues to explore sex
and sexuality, so they do it
November 2008
Photo by tata l. yap
with peers,” she says. “They
go to the Internet… watch
[the TV show] Gossip Girl,
and they get their ideas about
sex in these venues.”
Cancio has also observed
a growing thinking that the
Church is one that promotes
“values not fit to today’s
society.” Cancio empha-
sizes on how erroneous the
people’s view has become.
“The Church does not exist
to conform to man’s world
and values, but rather it is
to signify God’s presence and
involvement in the world.”
She adds that the youth
shouldn’t irresponsibly treat
beliefs and practices relat-
ing to sexual liberation just
because of its many mis-
understood concepts. Says
Cancio, “I hope that students
understand the true meaning
of freedom and make the right
choices.”
Despite it being misun-
derstood, being sexual liber-
ated – if carefully studied
– is healthy. “It’s healthy
to acknowledge our sexual-
ity, to have spaces to talk
about it and express it,” says
Alampay.
Although Marie* holds
onto conservative beliefs re-
garding sex, she doesn’t mind
when other people share their
more liberated beliefs. “It’s
the way they were brought
up,” she says. “And I respect
that.”
“You can think about sex
in a mature way. It depends
on how you approach it.”
For Antoinette, her being
sexually liberated is some-
thing she’s very proud of.
She says, “If you are sexually
liberated and people know
that you are, they don’t have
the right to judge you.”
Says Alampay, “It is part
of who we are, and that we
should have opportunities
to discuss, to talk, to think
about it without feeling that
it is wrong, it’s dirty, [that]
it’s a sin.” n
*Names have been changed
to protect the individuals.