December 21, 2018
This is the catchphrase of the notorious Ateneo-educated bully Joaquin Montes.
There are at least four different video clips showing this growth-stunted 15-year-old beating up his classmates and peers when they refuse to kneel down in front of him and kiss his crotch.
I don’t care if he’s “just a teenager.” This is appalling and Ateneo shouldn’t give #JoaquinMontes a pass. #NeverTolerateBullying pic.twitter.com/H8yPxayoVk
— Sarah Chaudhry the Snowperson⛄🎄 (@sarahtfchaudhry) December 21, 2018
The first clip that made the rounds on social media shows him bullying a classmate inside the school bathroom, by the urinals. He basically made it a habit of asking his prospective victims whether they’d prefer to kneel in front of him or be beaten up (bugbog). His ability to inflict physical damage on boys taller than him come from his having a black belt in taekwondo.
Ateneo is a school that is an infamous bastion for “yellows” who align themselves politically with the Aquinos and Cojuangcos, the rich plantation owners of Hacienda Luisita, where for decades peasants have been shot dead while asking for their rights. Despite this history, Ateneans portray themselves to the international media as defenders of human rights. It was a shock to the political system of the Philippines when a non-Atenean like Rodrigo Duterte with no strong ties to the northern centers of power was popularly elected president.
The release of the Joaquin Montes videos reinforced among Duterte supporters the notion that the liberal critics of the current administration are nothing but hypocrites who have regularly used their generational wealth to get away with such crimes as tax evasion and murder with impunity. Even after decades of running the country, the wealthy establishment comprising prominent Ateneo alumni did not make any significant progress in improving the lives of the average Filipino.
To date, no disciplinary action has been taken against Joaquin Montes, and in fact, school administrators have referred to his unidirectional violence as nothing but a fight among boys. His parents have also received no sympathy after their posting of unapologetic statements on social media.
