ARE SECURITY guards and closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) not enough, or is it because Thomasians have become too liberated these days?
Two years ago, while I was with a friend walking through the corridor looking for a certain office, we happened to pass by a dark room and accidentally saw a girl and a boy in their uniform, kissing each other.
From bits of stories by folks a year ago, another couple, also in their uniforms, was caught having sex in a comfort room in the campus. Too bad another student saw them and immediately reported them to college administrators. Everyone waited for the couple to finish their business, and later got reprimanded by the officials.
These acts, which fall under the category of “public display of affection” or PDA, have become very common among teenagers, even in the premises of the Catholic university of the Philippines.
PDA is defined as the physical demonstration of affection for another person in public, like kissing, hugging, holding hands, and worst, neck-sucking, touching another’s private parts, and having sex.
According to the Student Handbook, “engaging in indecent or lewd conduct is contrary to the mores of Catholic behaviour and morality.”
The handbook further defined indecent behaviour such as inadequate display of public affection like “torrid kissing, necking, and petting,” where violators can be suspended or expelled.
In other universities like the Far Eastern University, holding hands is also strictly prohibited, and the policy is strictly enforced and implemented. Gizelle, 20, even attested that students only hold hands once the Office for Student Affairs is closed. Guards and administrators also reprimand those who merely hook their arms around their beau’s arms.
Despite these prohibitions, it seems that students have become inclined in engaging in “wild” and immoral acts inside the University, while officials remained reticent on sensitive issues like this. But the explicit content presented by the mass media to the youth and peer pressure isn’t all to blame. The lack of guards and the PDA-friendly sites in the campus just give couples reasons why they should do it, even within the University premises.
The idea of the act (sex) being ‘common’ is disturbing enough, even more alarming that the youth treat it as a normal thing to do.
Sex should not only be taken in the proper context, but should also be done in the proper time, and most importantly, in a proper and decent place—definitely not in the campus. This vital detail should be reiterated in Theology classes, even more in Marriage and Family courses.
Moreover, the students should be aware of the do’s and dont’s. Doing it in the campus is but plain ignorance and defiance of the good and the bad. This is a basic concept that college students—who are supposed to act as mature individuals—must take into heart. Most importantly, one must learn that love and lust are two different things; exhibiting love to another is totally different from displaying lust.
To the writer of PDA! Congratulations for reminding all students regarding indecent acts and immorality! This is definitely a display of low if not no moral values! However, I totally disagree that doing this in public or out in the open is a display of lust not love! People who hide themselves in the walls of a motel doesn’t logically mean that it is not a display of lust! Don’t you agree?
A very good example is one of your graduates from the College of Medicine and Surgery who was featured in an article A Dose of Kindness is having an illicit relationship with a married man and worst of all her co-officer at AFPRESCOM. When caught by the wife she denied and hid under the disguise of being a lesbian. And continued whatever lustful relationship they have assuming that the wife believed. However, God is good and led her to find out again that they were running together. Writers should be very careful in featuring a personality!!! They should investigate first, deeply I should say in the background of the person. She is not a good example to students in a prestigious University and a Catholic at that! Am I right? I suggest to the editor to take out that article immediately! I really feel like puking everytime I see the article! I hope since you advocate good moral values please tell the editor to take out that article! Thank you!