by Stan Castillo
Being loved is indeed a splendid experience. It’s always comforting to know that there is someone who thinks deeply about you. Just the discreet gestures of tickling, hugging and stroking can bring chills down one’s spine. But what if all of these were being done to you by your teacher, coach or even a complete stranger? I bet it could bring chills down your spine too; not in delight though, but more of in utter fear. The sad reality is that there are a lot of people, especially women, who face these kinds of encounters all the time. Being loved is one thing, but being harassed is another.
We don’t have to look far to hear of someone who actually went through such an experience. Angelique “Angee” de Leon, a fellow student from our school who consented to give out her name, stands as an example of a student who was taken advantage of by her basketball coach when she was still in high school.
Four years have passed since Angee filed a sworn affidavit indicating the series of advances made to her by the much older coach. In the span of Angee’s membership in the basketball club, the coach constantly made inappropriate gestures. In her freshman year, the coach used to tickle her whenever he could. It might sound silly to consider this act as inappropriate but what made this suspicious is how it escalated in the succeeding years. He had begun to touch her legs come second year and in her third year, the coach actually cornered her in a room. Fortunately, her friend came in the room early enough to prevent possible and drastic improper actions made towards her.
This instance did not just happen once. In the third time, the coach hugged her while face to face and murmured “Mahal mo ba ako kasi alam mo naman na mahal kita?” No one can really know for sure if he really did love her but one thing was for sure, Angee did not feel the same way. We can’t really blame her because their relationship was only of the professional level. The only way to categorize their relationship was the fact that Angee was his student and he was her coach.
The series of events led Angee to conclude that her coach’s inappropriate acts towards her were definitely deliberate. She couldn’t let this man continue to harass her even during her last year in high school. This traumatizing realization prompted her to speak up and to make known to all the sexual harassment that this man, whom she trusted, inflicted upon her.
Angee filed a case against her coach despite her school’s opinions. Suddenly, her life turned upside down as she began to live under a microscope. She became the talk of the student body, and her every move became the basis of the students’ judgments about her. No one expected a student to come out with such a scandalous experience. Almost everyone thought that Angee would transfer schools or to stop the case. But instead of doing these, she chose to do one of the most remarkable things a girl at that age could possibly do -- she pursued justice.”
Angee’s senior year in high school couldn’t get any more worse, with the students talking behind her back, the teachers creating buzz about her and the school advising her to cease the case.
She later found out that this wasn’t the first time her coach got a complaint. There have been others but they did not pursue any legal action against the coach for fear that it might disrupt their chances of graduating. It was only Angee who fought back and instead of getting the respect that she deserved, people from her school actually thought of her as the villain.
It suddenly became difficult for her to continue to walk day after day, in a school environment filled with hostility and resentment against her. Her senior year had been so difficult to an extent that she decided not to attend her prom. “I chose not to experience one of the supposed highlights of high school” Angee shared. She did not want to give teachers and students the power to judge her character by the way she would look that night. That maybe by wearing a dress that bared even the littlest patch of skin would make people say “kaya naman pala siya minanyak”. As if being harassed was even her fault. But despite what other people said about her, she remained strong and hopeful.
Angee only wished that it was that easy; to forget such a haunting experience. The only thing that made her see through it all was the support of her family and friends who stood by her fight for justice. Angee bravely faced the scrutiny for having done what she, or any maltreated woman, was supposed to do – be strong enough to stand for her rights and for those who also underwent the same experiences.
Angee indeed is an empowered woman who, despite her struggles, stood firm in saving what was left of her dignity Instead of letting the experience damage her for the rest of her life, she used it as a driving force to open up a new chapter in her life, one that eventually led her to Miriam College.
“One of the reasons why I chose to study in Miriam College is actually because of this case. The school made me feel safe and respected despite my experience. The school taught me to stand up again. ” said Angee.
Through Angee’s decision to let her story be told, she gives us the opportunity to learn from her experiences so that if we ever encounter a similar situation, or know of someone who is, we would be empowered enough to know in ourselves that we should not let anyone take advantage of us.
Not everyone can rise up to such an adversity as Angee did. With her story, we get to realize that the road to justice is not an easy one. She also shares to us that it is through times of hardship that we can also discover the kind of love that truly counts, one that is not determined by physical gestures alone. This is the love that she received from family and friends who supported her in good times and in bad. But most of all, it is the love that she gave to herself when she fought for her own rights, a love that no one else can provide except her.
To be a victim of harassment can really be traumatizing, but to fight for one’s rights at the face of scrutiny and at such a young age? Well, that’s astoundingly inspiring.
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Hindi ako nagsulat niyan. Blockmate ko na si Stan Castillo (as previously stated). Pinublish sa school newsletter namin at may permission ko to state my name dahil hindi ko kinakahiya ang nangyari sa akin. Thank you Stan for a wonderful article and for telling my story.
Bakit ko ikakahiya?
Mali bang lumaban ako? Mali bang ipagmalaki kong minsan na akong nahulog at muling bumangon? Mali bang pinaglaban ko ang alam kong karapatan ko?
Most of you may not understand how I felt dahil hindi pa nangyayari sa inyo.
Isolated case daw kasi. Kaya hindi masyado tinutugunan ng pansin.
Pero ito talaga isa sa mga malaking naka-contribute sa kung sino ako at kung anong klase akong babae ngayon... Matapang at hindi agad-agad magpapatalo.
Salamat sa magulang ko dahil pinalaki nila akong maayos. Strong enough to stand on my own but wise enough to know that I am not as tough as a stone. I can break down and I need my friends and family. Breaking down is not a sign of weakness. Acknowledge it...then deal with it.
Ito actually dahilan kung bakit ako nagkaroon ng advocacy.
Subconsciously, nagkaroon ako ng advocacy.
Advocacy to empower women.
Not just to inspire them but to actually help them through everything. One by one.
Not just by merely providing inspiration through my blog...
Hindi lang sa break-up, hindi lang sa ganitong klase ng situation...
but to actually be with them through their downs... and bring them back up again. I may have to apply tough love though. I'm apologizing in advance. I'm kinda bipolar.
Hindi ko masyado naramdaman maging alone throughout all my obstacles despite the cliche na feeling mo mag-isa ka sa problema...
You should feel the same way also. You deserve a friend.
If you need anything, PM me on Facebook.