2010 OBLATION RUN THEME by ETA CHAPTER (Dec.15, 2010)

On its 33rd staging, the Oblation Run remains the iconic ideal of the
University of the Philippines – offering oneself to others. Since its
inception in 1977, the Oblation Run has sought to bring to the fore the
burning issues of the day – be it for the benefit of the studentry and the
university, or of society as a whole. However, this year’s Oblation Run will
focus on a direct affront on the honor and dignity of the Alpha Phi Omega as
this ramifies to particular individuals and ultimately to the society at
large.

The tragedy that was the 2010 Bar Exams Bombing spawned another tragedy
which directly affected Alpha Phi Omega as an organization: the tragedy of a
Secretary of Justice pinpointing APO as the perpetrator of the dastardly
deed even before all angles of the incident has been exhaustively
investigated and intelligently discarded. It was, after all, Sherlock Holmes
who said, in the “Sign of the Four” that “when you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” To
further cast calumny on Alpha Phi Omega, the Secretary of Justice
questionably blamed Alpha Phi Omega as the perpetrator of two other grenade
attacks in Metro Manila and, thereafter, directed the NBI to find the
evidence to sustain her determination. This is not justice nor even a parody
of justice but a clear case of pseudo-bill of attainder where membership to
APO automatically makes one a suspect. The Secretary of Justice makes a
mockery of the Blackstonian formulation that “better that ten guilty persons
escape than that one innocent suffer.” This is the reason for the call:

JUSTICE FOR ALPHA PHI OMEGA

The tragedy of blaming Alpha Phi Omega for the incident has spawned a much
greater tragedy: that the true perpetrators of the 2010 Bar Exams Grenade
Attack will go scot-free, never to face the bar of justice. As the State’s
resources are expended on a clearly unjust prosecution, the trail leading to
the true architects of the crime becomes obfuscated while the memories of
the witnesses, defective as these naturally are, become even more defective
as these are diluted by misidentifications of the clearly innocent. And as
the trail grows cold and memories fade, the offenders escape unscathed even
by the vexations of accusation and prosecution. In the end, therefore, the
victims are the true losers which is the reason for the cry:

JUSTICE TO THE BAR BLAST VICTIMS

The greatest injustice of all is that the agency which is tasked by law to
determine probable cause makes an accusation before gathering evidence to
support the indictment. To make matters worse, the Secretary of Justice
publicly denounces Alpha Phi Omega, forgetting her duties, both as THE
Secretary of Justice, a FORMER Chair of the Commission on Human Rights, and,
most importantly, as a lawyer trained in the intricacies of the law, that
the pantheon upon which all rights proceed is that: “No person shall be
deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall
any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.” Equally forgotten is
the premier legal presumption of all, which applies in all instances and in
all cases that “a person is presumed to be innocent of crime or wrong.” When
these rights and presumption are forsaken for the sake of expediency, then
we revert to the tyranny of old where the fate of all persons are
determined, not by law, but by the will of the individual who rules over his
fellowmen. Thus, we plead for –

JUSTICE FOR ALL

As our brothers “streak through storied history,” never before has an issue
directly affected the Fraternity as the present witch hunt. Never before has
the spirit of defiance and freedom been more apropos than at present where
the strong arm of the State has once more been heavily laid.