ASIDE from students from the College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS), employees of 7-Eleven have also been in the spotlight due to the controversy surrounding the Office for Student Affairs’ directive to TomasinoWeb to remove a photo that depicted the similarity between their uniforms.
The OSA has drawn flak after instructing the online student media organization to take down its photo of CICS students in their “Type B” uniforms entering the convenience store, after it supposedly caused “public ridicule.”
The Varsitarian spoke with 7-Eleven employees to get their thoughts on the matter.
A UST alumnus working for 7-Eleven, who requested anonymity for this story, said the OSA’s directive to delete the photo reflected its “elitism.”
“[S]ales associates are one of the most hardworking and admirable retail front liners you’ll ever meet. So, for a person to find it demeaning that their students’ Type B uniform can be associated with that of a CVS (consumer value stores) uniform is so elitist, disappointing, and uncompassionate,” the alumnus said.
“We face so many challenges in life, let’s not add similarities in uniform as one of them.”
Some 7-Eleven branches have transitioned to gray polo shirts instead of the red and beige ones that were compared with the uniforms of the CICS students.
Another employee acknowledged the similarities between the two uniforms but understood that the photo was not intended to cause harm and was simply for “fun.”
“Katuwaan lang talaga siya ng students kasi, siyempre, sa generation nga natin iba na, so wala namang masamang dating sa akin. Natuwa nga rin ako kasi kaparehas,” a 7-Eleven employee said.
“Sa likod lang naman may kapareho pero sa harap magkaiba naman. Wala namang mali doon sa litrato, marami lang nakapansin kasi mukhang pareho nga….Wala naman sigurong intention yung mga bata para sumama ang loob ng iba,” he added.
The OSA’s move thrust the University into the national spotlight, as its censorship of the student organization has drawn national news coverage and was featured as the main story in the Metro section of The Philippine Star.
A 7-Eleven employee told the Varsitarian that the issue had been blown out of proportion.
“Ako wala naman talaga akong nakikitang problema, parang pinapalaki lang ng tao,” she said.
TomasinoWeb’s social media operations have been put on hold since the resignation of its adviser, journalism instructor Leo Laparan II, on Feb. 19. Several journalists, students and alumni of UST have condemned the OSA’s handling of the situation.
Despite widespread support for the online media organization, a 7-Eleven employee expressed the view that the OSA was “right” in ordering the deletion of the photo, as they felt that they had become objects of ridicule.
“Para sa’kin, tama lang na pina-delete kasi kami, para sa’min, iba ang tama nito. Feel namin ginagawa kaming katatawanan ng mga tao,” the employee said.
“May karapatan naman po sila (OSA) na gawin ‘yung mga sa tingin nila nararapat. Ang hindi lang po tama sa ginawa nila ‘yung bigyan ng malisya yung litrato,” the employee added.
The Varsitarian has reached out multiple times to the OSA, but its officials have yet to comment on the controversy.
Philippine Seven Corporation, the company that licenses 7-Eleven branches in the country, declined to comment on the issue.
“We have no comment on this matter. We remain focused on providing convenience to our customers,” it said in an email to the Varsitarian.
