This article isn’t for the purpose of ruining anybody’s reputation but to help a friend share to the world what really happened and how she was mistreated by the system. Everything written here was stated by Maria Madonna Floresca.
Gateway, Cubao - Last June 27, 2009 after the opening Ceremony of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an incident involving me and another EAC student named Deuel Talucod happened at the food court in Gateway. I was waiting in line at the Steak Escape with my friends, Joven Agregado and Jaypee Reyno. I had to leave the line to give my friend’s money. When I came back and joined the line again, I saw Deuel and her friends behind us. They were talking loudly and I know that it was me who were they talking about as if they’re trying to provoke me to make a confrontation.
Due to my better judgment, I decided to go back to our table in order to avoid any possible commotion between us, but to my surprise as I was about to leave the line, Deuel along with her two friends blocked my way and starting throwing words at me. At first, I was stunned but she pushed me all of a sudden and I pushed her back. Then, when she was trying to hit me with her hand, my reflexes were fast enough to block it possibly hitting her head or face accidentally. I had to step back in order to protect myself from the possibility of her hitting me again. I guess Deuel was determined to start a fight with me because she went again to my direction. This time, grabbing my two hands as if ready to pin me down, I knew then, that I would be in a worst position if I won’t do anything to stop her.
In response to her act, I quickly kicked at her legs in order for her to let go of me. Other friends quickly came to the scenario to stop the fight and accompany me and back to our table. We were already eating when a friend of Deuel approached our table and start yelling at me. She pokes her fingers at me and was quite arrogant enough to threaten me. “Anong pangalan mo??!! WAG MONG KAKALIMUTAN ANG PANGALAN MO! DAHIL BAKA MAKALIMUTAN MO YAN!! “P.I” were her exact words. I knew that nothing good will come out of the situation, so again, I ignored her and decided to go on with my lunch. She left our table and I thought it was the end of it all, but to my surprised, after a short while, the same girl went back to our table, as if ready to make a real big deal out of the situation. I didn’t let the girl to affect me that much, so I just continued ignoring her.
I believe that it was when the Dean approached our table when I came to realize that the situation was already out of hand. It turned out that the other party called the Dean and the Mall’s security’s attention because of me hitting Deuel, and that was accidentally and I had my reasons. I never expected that the Dean would react the way she did because she judged me without hearing my side of my story. The Dean, that time was the one shouting at me and when I was asked to go to the security office, she was also the one who prevented me bringing my friends with me so as to serve as witnesses to my version of the incident. I felt really helpless hoping that I would also be given the same justice that was given to Deuel’s side, but to my dismay, I had nothing to do but obey and go to the office by myself.
The worst of the situation was yet to come but I know it was coming, because at the office, I found myself being confronted by Deuel and her police friend and in spite of the security officer’s effort to stop them, they were able to hit me, grab my hand, pulled my hair and throw indecent words at me. The group took advantage of me being alone, so I won’t be able to fight back. The security officers tried to control the situation by reprimanding them, “Pag hindi kayo tumigil, ipapapulis ko kayo!!” were the exact words. I can’t explain the relief that I felt when I finally came back to my friends. An ordinary lunch break turned out to be something that would really leave a mark on my reputation and my status as a student as well. And despite of my efforts to stay away from starting a squabble with them, in the end it was still me who got all the blame.
The Gateway incident wasn’t the end of it all because when I came to school the following Monday I was caught off-handed, not prepared to face another chapter of the so-called incident.
The next Monday, I knew I will be called to the Dean’s office because of the incident, anytime that day. When I got into my class (First Period), I was informed that I was being called at the Dean’s office. I went to the office but even before entering the Dean’s room, someone I know who was there even before I came, over heard that the Dean was really mad and was planning to expel me without hearing my side yet. Upon entering the room, I saw Deuel’s uncle (which I believe is also a dean) was already there. It turned out that they were already discussing before I came.
“KILALA MO BA KUNG SINO SYA? SYA ANG TITO NG TAONG SINUNTOK MO!! SA SUSUNOD, KIKILALANIN MO KUNG SINO ANG AAWAYIN MO, DEAN DIN PALA ANG TITO NG KAAWAY MO!” was what the Dean blunted out when she saw that I was already there. As courtesy to the Dean, I opted to just remain silence and listen to what they were saying.
When I tried to give Dean my side of the story, she stopped, insulted me and said “WAG KA NANG MAGREASON OUT!! ALAM KO NA IKAW ANG NAGSIMULA AT WAG MO NANG IBAHIN ANG KWENTO!!!! SINUNGALING KA!”. Feeling so helpless for being alone without a guardian by my side and not being able to defend myself, I was already close to tears but I had to stop it in order to keep my composure, but it turned out that my expression sent wrong signals to the Dean. She said I was making faces at her and was very disrespectful. I tried to tell her that she had the wrong impression but again she stopped me and said, “BASTOS KANG BATA KA, IKAW ANG PINAKA BASTOS NA STUDYANTE NA NAKITA KO! HINDI BA DEAN? (Asking for the other dean’s opinion) NAPAKA BASTOS NA BATA MO!”. That meeting with the Dean turned out to be for the other party to be heard and for me to be left with no choice but to shut up.
I know that I wasn’t treated fair so I had to call my brother to come to my side hoping that Dean would listen to him and wouldn’t get the maltreatment that I received. I never thought the Dean would react the way she did when my brother tried talking to her in a nice way. My brother serves as the “Head of our Family” now because my father had already passed away. He has earned a decent stature through his own way and is respected in his chosen field of work.
The fact that my brother went to EAC in good faith hoping that our side would be heard, and tried with all diplomacy to talk to the Dean, turned out to be a mess. The Dean’s behavior was very unprofessional. She treated my brother the way she treated me despite the fact that my brother tried to be really respectful. The Dean shouted at my brother and was sarcastic. When my brother was trying to explain that I was crying about what happened earlier, the dean said, “MARUNONG PA LANG UMIYAK ANG KAPATID MO?”. My brother was astonished with what the dean has said to him. A lot more bad things were thrown to my brother by the dean.
That event left a bad image of the school on my brother’s mind, and wasn’t prepared to be treated that way considering that she was the college Dean. How can one expect an institution to get respect when the person running it doesn’t know the real sense of the word? I know that I’m not the student that others may call “ideal”, but I’m certain enough that my foundation is strong and that I have values that my parents endowed me. For me, this is my side of the story.
This is the UNHEARD TRUTH.
I'm a freelance Search Engine Specialist with almost 2 years experience in this arena. I'm also in the medical field but preferred to do freelancing to gain more independence, flexibility in working hours and to have more time for my loved ones. I have proven results in ranking keywords with corresponding (deep link)landing pages on the TOP 3 pages of Google Results.
tsk.. bastos talaga.. kung ako yan, tototohanin ko na mga maling paratang nya saken. saka bat kelangan pangalandakan na dean yung uncle nung nakaaway nya? anu kinalaman nun sa away aber? sarap barahin nung mga banat nya ah.. sana mabasa nun dean tong blog mo.. haha, anu kaya reaction nya.. lol.
Napaka unprofessional kung ako yan my mom will not let that happen even ma expel ako papatulan namin sya hahaha!!!! walang sinuman ang may karapatan na mang apak ng pagkatao no ONE! hehehe try me dean!