Ateneo de Manila:
Nest of the Blue Bloods
The Ateneo de Manila University is an institution which takes pride in itself. It takes pride in its faculty, in its students, in its facilities, in its trees, in its grass, in its doors, in its doorknobs and in the screws which attach its doorknobs to its doors.
There is no clearer sign of this pride than the name by which all alumni call their school: THE Ateneo. They will never tell you that they came from Ateneo, they shall tell you in a ringing voice that they graduated from THE Ateneo.
The article is inseparable from the noun in the same way that the belief in the infallibility of their school is inseparable from the graduates.
Don't get the wrong idea though. It isn't all a lot of hot air.
Tracing its roots all the way back to 1859, the Ateneo de Manila University is one of the oldest and most established educational institutions in the Philippines.
It has produced several prominent figures in all fields, including the national hero of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal.
It is also considered as one of the top three universities in the country by international surveys.
Don't bother telling an Atenean that though, he won't be able to hear you unless you say something like "number one" or "top". The fuss however is not simply because of the academic quality of the university.
One of the Ateneo's most used catchphrases is that it puts emphasis on a "holistic education". This means that their curriculum is loaded with theology and philosophy.
Furthermore, you will be told that the Ateneo instills the qualities necessary to lead in its graduates. That mostly means that you'll meet all the right people and that you'll be taught how to say the worst things in the best way.
I say this all in the name of humor hoping that the Blue Eagles do not swoop down on me and tear me to shreds, especially since I am one of them.
Yes you read that correctly. The school is represented by a bird of prey colored like Grover and yes I came from the Ateneo too.
To do justice to the school, I will sincerely attest to the fact that some of their products do indeed represent the ideals of excellence, morality and service that the Ateneo de Manila University holds so dear.
What can be more generally stated about their graduates is that they exude an unmistakable aura of confidence, whether or not there is any basis for it.
What I can attest to even more sincerely is the skill of the Ateneo in brainwashing its students.
It has been six years since I last called myself a pupil of this school and yet despite all the shots I've taken at it and despite my acknowledgement of the truth that I've been brainwashed, I still love the school. My heart exults at their triumphs and sinks with their failures.
There is no denying the fact that Ateneans believe in their greatness. This belief is so strong in fact that they have managed to draw interest from people who never had anything to do with the school.
The best proof of this is their infamous rivalry with La Salle, another prominent university in the Philippines. The collegiate basketball matches between these two rivals draw larger and more raucous crowds than championship games.
Truth to tell, it is no surprise to see accounts of their clashes leave the confines of the sports page.
This is partly due to the passion of Atenean and La Sallite writers and partly due to the fact that their rivalry has indeed become an object of interest even for those who have never been part of either institution.
The Philippines would certainly be a less interesting place without the graduates of the Ateneo de Manila University.
Let's not bother too much about whether or not it would be a better place.
I'm sure any Atenean would be more than willing to spend a day with you on that subject.
Check out the website of Ateneo de Manila University for more information.
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