Atma Xplorer

“Alma Mater your name and your story
We raise our glad voices to thee
We will strive for the name and the glory
Of the M and I ant T…”

Valentines has a different meaning for True-blooded Mapuans. Instead of being centered about love for your other half, black Valentines is about our love for our school and it’s memory. As a refresher, to those who still don’t know what took place behind every student and alumni’s back, Mapua Institute of Technology is officially dead. The name exists legally as the school’s alias, or simply put, it’s just the cover for the name Malayan Colleges.

Malayan Colleges?

Yes, that’s the name SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) currently refers to MIT so under legal terms, Mapua Institute of Technology is now technically named Malayan Colleges operating under the latter name.

To those still wondering what significance that has to our lives, it’s about the name and the legacy. Although current students are still carrying the name Mapuans as per tradition, the moment you look at the next graduates (THANK GOD I’m not one of them), the name of the school written on their diplomas will be Malayan Colleges operating under the name Mapua Institute of Technology. Now I’m not much into the technicalities of naming conventions but to me, having graduated from a school named Malayan automatically disqualifies you from being called a Mapuan.

Then there’s the legacy. Mapuans are well-known for being the backbone of the industry (in general). If you’re doubting this, just go to Ayala Ave and ask around. We’re there, we’re everywhere.

Where’s the battle?

The battle was short-lived with a lot of casualties. In the end though, like any minority opposing a big and well-funded entity, we lost the battle. There will be no order to revert the name to what it was (news got out AFTER the SEC ratified the claim of changing names) and we all hung our heads in defeat.

Some of the protesters were expelled, others with similar though not as harsh punishment. And to prevent further “rallies” (as what happened 2005), the administration added a document for freshmen (or frosh as the school refers to them, I still don’t get where that term rooted from o.O) to prevent them from participating in such activities of face the guillotine. How’s that for tyranny?

Why don’t you just leave?

Too late for me now I’m just waiting for completions, but as agreed then by the CSC and the administration, all enrollees up to 2004 will retain the MIT name on their diplomas. To the enrollees afterwards, though luck to you.

I’m sure a lot of us thought of transferring when the news went out though but most if not all technical schools does not credit ALL our curriculum’s given subject so for the financially challenged (like myself then) the only option was to stay and obey.

Being the passive protesters that we Mapuans are however, the idea of a Black Valentines came into view. Since it was general knowledge that most of our population then won’t be joining in the protest activities, it was put into action so that everyone can participate in the protest for the name we lost and the legacy that’s clearly our own.

A friend of mine wrote a full write up for Black Valentines. He gave me permission to post and edit it (some words are not for kiddies). You can find it on the next page.  A word of warning, it’s long, even after editing, he’s really passionate about it.

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