After that traumatic experience, I tried hanging out with my new orgmates. I couldnt deal with it.

After a few months of

being active, I hid from the world. I couldnt see them as people who I can be real friends with. I couldnt see the purpose of
everything I went through. I kept having physical manifestations of post-traumatic stress, I had nightmares, and I ended up
drowning myself in alcohol every night. I was so depressed, my grades went down. I kept cutting class, and I lost all my
drive to go to school. I stopped attending classes at my home college, and I made sure I never stepped foot in that
building. I even decided to attempt shifting to another course. I avoided the org at all cost. The trauma drove me crazy.

It took a whole year to clean up my life. I joined another org, UP Music Circle, and channeled all my energy into my
passion for music instead. There was never any bullshit, no harrassment. The application process activities had REAL
MEANING, and I found real friends in the org.

After that, I decided to continue fighting to finish college. I went back to my home college, and even tried being active in
that abusive org again. But I was met with a lot of shit again. All the members kept fighting, there was a lot of
backstabbing. The org kept asking for monetary contributions, and kept requiring us to sell merch, tickets, and those were
all considered sold. I HATED IT. The number of active members also dropped, and they only had less than 30 active
resident members. Was the harrassment effective in making getting loyal members? I dont think so. If it were truly
effective then the org shouldnt even be begging their members to be active. If it were truly effective, then the org shouldnt
even have to ask their members for monetary contributions for every single activity.

Maybe the harrassment is just tradition that they cant change. Maybe the org thought that harrassment was an effective
test of loyalty. Maybe they thought theyre not hurting anyone, and the applicants would find meaning in the abuse
eventually. There are a lot of maybes in my head. What Im sure of is that the application process left me extremely
traumatized and depressed, that even 5 long years after the application process, even if Ive graduated from the university
for almost a year already, it feels as if it all the shit they did are fresh. I am still afraid. I still cry. I am still hurt.

Yes, I have been seeing a psychiatrist for a few years now, and one of the biggest reasons is the application process.

I hope this serves as a wake up call to all kids in UP right now. You have every right to question what orgs tell you to do.
Orgs have no right to verbally and physically abuse you. Orgs say they do bad shit to applicants because youre entering
their family, but family members are not supposed to hurt family. Orgs say theyre preparing you for real life. Bullshit. No
one curses and screams at job interviews. No company ever makes their employees crawl on the floor blindfolded. Always
keep that in mind.

To the orgs and UP admin, I hope you dont wait until someone commits suicide because of the pressure of applying for
orgs like that. Please, I beg you to do something about the hazing in orgs.
Its such a shame to admit but it was just really all for the money, 16-year-old Patrick disclosed to ECPATs social worker in an
interview. He was one of the 30 boy victims of a foreign sex offender. I hated it but I was able to buy food for me and my friends,
he added. The boys live in an impoverished barangay belonging to a red-light district.

Their community is a preferred hideout of wanted criminals and other lawless elements. Many foreigners have chosen to live
here because of the cheap rent and low cost of living. Some have already bought lands, built houses, and established businesses in the
locality. One of them was alias Tommy, a British national who lived in their Barangay for 10 years.

Little did the residents know that Tommy was wanted for sexually exploiting children in his homeland. In a span of 2 years, he did the
same to Patrick and other boys in the neighborhood. He invited the children to his house and asked them to invite more friends. He
enticed them with small things such as 150 pesos per visit, chocolates, briefs, a pair of slippers, to more expensive stuff such s a pair
of sneakers, bicycle, mp3 player or cell phone. At times, it could be a treat to the mall where they dined and watched movies. In
exchange, Tommy sexually abused the children and took nude photos of them.

Tommy was recently convicted of his crimes - but the boys have continued to live with the horrors of what happened. Many of
them got sexually transmitted infections. And while this could be treated in a matter of months, the psychological trauma may take a
while longer.
I was treated like a pig, said one of the boys, in a seemingly angry but regretful tone. Sometimes, I just stare into space,
trying but failing to forget what happened, another boy shared. Ive been often fearful and angry, another one added. He (Tommy)
had a gun on his table all the time. I was afraid hed shot me dead if I refused his advances, he recounted. There are times when I
just feel like Im about to go insane.

The boys have become the constant butt of insults in school since the news spread. They are being called pok-pok, a coined
word for prostitute. I dont want to go out of the house anymore so I can avoid the endless bullying, said Patrick. If only people
would stop talking about it and just help us move on, he hoped.

To help the boys heal and recover, ECPAT has conducted psychosocial activities which allowed them to express their pent-up
emotions through recreational activities such acting, drawing and playing. I am hesitant to talk about what happened but I think these
activities help us to be heard, one participant commented. I liked the activities because I am learning a lot about how I should
protect myself from abuse. I am looking forward to learning more, said another child.
 A 22-YEAR old college student who secretly filmed his two classmates while they were having sex and threatened to upload the sex video in Facebook if the
couple will not give him P30,000 was arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group in an entrapment operation in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna last
Monday evening, PNP-ACG Director, Police Senior Superintendent Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, announced today.
Suspect Adonis Evan P. de Leon, a resident of Silang, Cavite is now under the custody of Regional Anti-Cybercrime Office 4-A (RACO 4-A) detention facility and facing
charges for violation of Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, R.A. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and robbery-extortion, said
Eleazar in a report to PNP Chief, Director General Ricardo C. Marquez.
The official said that their investigation showed that the suspect secretly made a sex video of his two classmates in Cavite during their class outing in Batangas and then
demanded money from them.
He said that around 7:30 p.m. Monday, operatives of the RACO 4-A led by Police Chief Inspector Joseph Villaran arrested de Leon in an entrapment operation in Barangay
Balibago, Sta. Rosa City.
The sting was conducted by the Cybercops with the full cooperation of the two victims whose names were withheld. Eleazar said that the two complainants, now graduating
students sought the help of the RACO 4-A to arrest a man who have made repeated calls on them and threatened to upload their sex video in the internet if they will fail to
give him P30,000.
Eleazar said that prior to the entrapment operations, the victims told the suspect they will send the money thru the Smart Money Padala in a shopping mall in Balibago
Complex.
When the suspect claimed the money from the remittance company, he was immediately placed under arrest by the Cybercops.
Eleazar said that the complainants were surprised to learn that the man threatening to expose their sex video is one of their classmates. Recovered from the suspects
possession was a mobile phone containing the couples sex video.
Mondays operation in Sta. Rosa City was the latest conducted by the PNP-ACG against so-called internet predators. Last May 4, RACO 11 operatives arrested a Grade 6
married teacher in Davao City who forced his young student to have sex with him and threatened to expose her nude photographs in the social media when she tried to end
their immoral relationship.
Eleazar said Jaime Oliva Jr., a 44-year old HEKASI teacher of the Davao City Special Education School is now facing charges for violation of Republic Act 7610 or Child
Abuse, RA 10175 and RA 9995.
In a report to PNP Chief, Director General Ricardo C. Marquez, Eleazar said members of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Office 11 headed by Supt. Reynante Reyes arrested
the suspect during an operation inside the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish located in Central Park Subdivision, Bangkal, Davao City.
The operation was conducted following a complaint from the students mother, said the official. According to Eleazar, the victim confessed to her mother that she and the
suspect developed an intimate relationship in exchange for some monetary considerations including her school allowance.
We learned that the suspect forced the minor to have a relationship with him and managed to take nude pictures of the victim while they were inside a motel, the official said.
However, when the two had a misunderstanding, Oliva threatened to upload the naked photographs of the minor in Facebook. The PNP-ACG investigation showed that Oliva
was able to get the password of the victims Twitter account. The suspect also demanded to have sex with a friend of the victim in exchange for not releasing her naked
pictures in the social media.
Eleazar said the suspect was arrested right inside his vehicle during the entrapment operation launched with the help of the victim. Recovered from his possession were two
mobile phones and a digital camera which have been subjected to a forensic examination by the PNP-ACG.
The suspects Ford Ecosport was also impounded by the RACO 11.
The arrest of the suspects prompted Eleazar to renew his call on parents and guardians to have a continuous communication with their children. It involves patience,
understanding and love so that our children will have an open communication with their parents. This is necessary to guide them in the use of the Internet in particular to avoid
exposure to cybercriminals, he said.
Eleazar maintained that preventing child abuse should be considered a high priority of all Filipinos, thus the need to further reinforce parenting and guardians skills by closely
monitoring the childs well-being.
This is a story of two men with rare blood type 'O' Rh negative. One is a donor, the other a recipient. They don't know each other. Yet they may be
connected in one way or the other, through the blood that flows in their veins.
Emmanuel Panganiban Prim is a picture of a healthy and happy person with his trimmed body, clean cut hair, clear skin and a radiant smile.
At 59, he radiates confidence as he walks briskly to the Red Cross bleeding and collection room to donate his type O' Rh negative blood for the 43rd
time. "I feel great each time I give blood", says Manny as he is fondly called by friends, flashing a wide smile.
Manny, a member of the Red Cross Blood Galloners Club is among the six awardees who will be presented the Silver Medal for having donated his
blood more than 40 times highlighting the celebration of Blood Donors' Month every month of July.
Manny first gave blood to the Red Cross while he was a college engineering student on the promise by the organizers that they would see in person
Rosa Rosal, a famous movie actress turned Red Cross volunteer whom he has always admired for her beauty inside out. "I have always admired Rosa
Rosal for her passion in promoting voluntary blood donation that I became interested in giving blood", Manny reveals, adding, "She's the best gift to
the Red Cross".
Though a bit scared at first, Manny felt excited when he saw his blood coming out in the tube, "Wow, this is the blood Rosa Rosal says can help save
life. This is amazing". Manny completely forgot about his fear and continued giving blood since then. That was the first time he then learned that he
has a rare blood type O' Rh negative which he said must have come from his great great grandparents who were pure Spanish.

With his Rh negative blood, Manny is among the Rh negative reservists who can be on call anytime someone with a similar blood type is in need of
blood. Manny said, very often he would get calls during wee hours of the night. But he didn't mind, "I'm always happy to share my blood with
anyone.
Now a retired engineer who enjoys his life fishing with his wife and four grown up children, Manny vows to continue giving his blood for as long as
he can to save more life. "Red Cross has become my second home where I can enjoy my favorite hobby of donating blood", Manny's eyes sparkles
with pride. "I feel a brand new person each time I give blood, so why quit? Manny concludes.
Rodolfo Canape at 46, used to live a simple and normal life as a seaman. Life was easy for his family, a wife and two sons, enjoying every single day
of their life together until year 2005 when he started experiencing an unusual sound in his heart which specialist later diagnosed as heart murmurs.
Rodolfo did not have to undergo heart operation then, and, on his doctor's advice, took only medication plus a regular check up in between his work
as seaman.
Six years later this year, Rodolfo's heart murmurs developed into a heart valve disease, causing him to feel weak.
As a result, Rodolfo had to undergo an open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve to a mechanical aortic valve. It was only this time that Rodolfo
discovered that he has a rare blood type 0 Rh negative. This surprised Rodolfo who knew he has blood type O' but not the Rh negative. He said he
is pure Filipino and could not recall any relative, living or deceased with Rh negative blood.
Rodolfo needed nine units of blood for his operation. It took time to get enough of the needed blood. Only 1 out of 15 persons in the world are 0
negative, according to study (www.bloodbank.com).
In the meantime, Rodolfo had to endure the severe pain in his heart while waiting for enough blood.
Finally, on June 2, 2011, Rodolfo survived a successful operation done by his cardiologist Dr. Renato Villena of the Philippine Heart Center.
Dr. Villena earlier referred Rodolfo's case to Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for the much needed blood. Red Cross immediately referred it to the
National Registry of Rh Negative. The Registry was founded in l999 by the Red Cross, together with the Rotary Club of Pasig, Department of Health
and Philippine Association of Rh and other Rare Blood Types. It was established to ensure that negative blood is readily and efficiently available for
transfusion according to Red Cross.
Today, Rodolfo who quit his job as a seaman, is steadily recovering from his operation at his home with his family providing him full support. "My
family is my strength. They are my reason for living", Rodolfo utters as he reached out for his wife and two sons who are watching him with
affection.
The. Red Cross continues to recruit volunteer donors with Rh negative blood to ensure that Rodolfo gets blood on time whenever required.
Rodolfo thanked all his donors for saving his life. "This is my second life. I owe it to them", Rodolfo says. "I do not know them, but given a chance, I
would like to meet and embrace them for saving my life".