What is a Bedan?

By: Francis Arthur A. Corpuz

       Overheard at many schools is the roar of the Pride inside the small den in Mendiola. A small but mighty community empowers the institution's glory and name in whatever aspect. Bedans boasted how intact they are with each other, thus the term Bedan Brotherhood. Some say San Beda is the best school in the whole University Belt, and even competent enough to line up with Philippines' Big 4 Universities.

No matter what outsiders say about our school, instinct tells us to protect the institution. It's perfectly fine, I guess, But I think we need to reevaluate our sense of pride in some ways.

Lately there were rants on how students were scrutinizing the administrators of the school for the low-class facilities, incompetent faculty despite the 15% tuition fee increase, unilateral school policies, and unexplainable rules which rooted out of nowhere. Whenever these were given, some overprotective students start bashing the opinion immediately. You can say it's a natural instinct, but nonetheless proves one point: that their institution is beloved and you can't do anything against it; you might as well just transfer to another school or just simply follow the rules, it doesn't hurt anyway.

We say that being a Bedan is a great feeling and I've got nothing against that. We're so attached to our institution that we make sure our school is left unscathed. We're so attached to it that we even bash other people for scrutinizing the institution itself of its negative attributes, but then again, we say that we're proud Bedans. However, Bedans are either the ones who are unconsciously blind and those  who are aware of the truth. The former assumes loyalty from things which are on the shallow level; however the latter enjoys the gift of true loyalty because he is able to see what really matters.

But little did they realize that they were trapped in a blind loyalty with our institution. They tend to perceive San Beda holistically as a perfect school. They think that if somehow a brave Bedan stands out from the rest and admits that the school is lacking this, he's not a real Bedan. Are we that scared of admitting our own false things, that if someone raises  that issue we tend to retaliate and disclaiming him of the title "Bedan"?

We need to realize that loyalty comes in so many forms you won't even recognize. The mere fact that a Bedan himself is criticizing the school forwards a sense of loyalty from him to the institution itself. It's about the wrong perception we use whenever we see these posts. I'm not saying that you shouldn't rebut his criticisms, but not up to the extent that you're going to question his identity as a Bedan.

Soon we'd realize that these critics are more "Bedan" than we are right now.