The blog of Raymund Narag

Proposal to manage jail populations

raymund narag — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:36:06 +0000

This is a proposal to manage jail populations.

My Honor

raymund narag — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:51:03 +0000

This article was written when I just got out of jail. My College Dean and future wedding godmother, Dr. Concepcion Alfiler, argued to the University Council that the University of the Philippines should finally confer to me my academic honors. UP willingly obliged. During the graduation ceremonies, I wrote down my thoughts. I read it during the small salo salo at our place. My friends posted it in the internet and it circulated. The GMA 7 Television Channel got hold of it and they featured me in Jessica Sojo’s piece. My story was judged as one of the best stories of 2002.

Here is the original piece.

MY HONOR

I will graduate with honors. This April 20 and 21, 2002, the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and the University of the Philippines will confer upon me my bachelor’s degree Cum Laude. I will march tall and proud together with other graduates seven years younger than my batch.

Inside the brotherhood: Thoughts on Fraternity Violence

raymund narag — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:50:20 +0000

This is an article I wrote a few days upon my release from Quezon City Jail. I was reflecting on the state of affairs of the fraternity system in the Philippines. I was hoping that other frat members will learn from the experience that I had.

Introduction

So many young promising men had been put to waste. So many dreams had been shattered. So many families had been broken.

The fraternity system has become a big black hole that sucks these young promising men to their graves. The fraternity as an institution, despite its noble and lofty ideals, has degenerated into becoming a barbaric gang. Internally, its organizational structure has become so hierarchically feudal, with the head becoming the law and the members losing their individuality. Externally, it has imbibed the culture of the tribesmen and treats other tribes as an unforgivable “enemy”.

With the barbaric culture of the fraternities, school administrations have responded with iron fists. They apply more stringent measures and harsher penalties to those caught in the act of violence. Others have totally banned the formation of the fraternities in the campus and deny the fraternities’ existence. Some schools even equate frat members with criminals preying on unsuspecting students/victims.

Fraternity as a Family

raymund narag — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:16:12 +0000

I wrote this article in March 2002. I was invited by the UP Center for Women’s Studies to share on the problems affecting the fraternity system.

Fraternities, especially in the Philippines, are not understood by most people. Filipinos cannot understand why students join it despite the attendant violence of hazing and rumble. Filipinos do not understand how fraternity members rationalize their existence.

I wrote this article to reflect upon the reasons why students become fraternity members. I used the point of view of a frat member in rationalizing the existence of the fraternity. By doing so, I hope people will come to understand their inner psyche.

I do not endorse this kind of thinking. Even when I was still in college, I struggled against this thinking. However, by most accounts, this is still the prevalent thinking among fraternity members.

Enjoy reading and hope to hear your thoughts. Fraternity as Family

Fraternity violence

raymund narag — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:59:50 +0000

This is a research I conducted for the Small Arms Survey. This is a research about the prevalence of use of firearms among fraternity members and its consequences. Fraternity violence

Lead exposure and crime

raymund narag — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:45:26 +0000

This is an article I wrote with Dr. Jesenia Pizarro and Dr. Carole Gibbs. This is the first article I wrote in a peer-reviewed journal where I was the first author. Lead exposure and crime

Supermax Prisons: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and Where We Are Going

raymund narag — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:37:44 +0000

This is an article I wrote with my mentor, Dr. Jesenia Pizarro. This is the first article I co-written that was published in a peer-reviewed journal. Supermax prisons

Freedom and death inside the City Jail

raymund narag — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:22:42 +0000

This is the book I wrote after I got released from Quezon City Jail. This book was funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and was administered by the Program Management Office of the Philippine Supreme Court. Freedom and Death Inside the Jail