‘SMUTTY CHITCHATS’: ‘Lewd’ chat group exposes years of sexual harassments in UPV

By Daily Guardian Editorial Team

 

A leaked group chat containing lewd photos of women, ex-girlfriends, and friends of members of a fraternity in the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) went viral on Wednesday.

Alleged screenshots of the chats by UPV Scintilla Juris (SJ) Fraternity members were exposed by Twitter account Manyaks of UPV.

The leak led other victims of alleged sexual harassments and bullying at the state university to come out and narrate their travails in the hands of not just SJ members but other fraternity members and individuals as well.

The group chat was “infested” with disturbing exchanges of nude photos and videos, sexual objectification, sexist remarks, and lewd comments of members of the fraternity.

Twenty-three-year-old Gabriela (not her real name) was one of the subjects of the sexual objectification in the group chat.

Her old photos were shared in the group chat and became the target of lewd and hateful comments.

“I was scrolling the screenshots and I immediately recognized the blurred photos. It was me. Indi lang siya isa but damo-damo nga photos from 2017, 2018, 2019 and even recently,” Gabriela told Daily Guardian.

Gabriela shared that she never showed interest and malice to the members of the fraternity who were involved in the incident.

In fact, one of the members of the group chat belonged to her circle of friends.

“I wasn’t really expecting it from (fraternity member). We were really close. We have the same circle of friends. I was disappointed and hurt. I felt really harassed every time makakita ko paper bag I get traumatized,” she shared.

The paper bag allusion was about one of the exchanges in the group chat where the participants thought of using a paper bag to cover her face.

The pain of the incident even gets worse for Gabriela who was also a victim of bullying when she was in high school.

“When I was in high school, I was bullied because of my pimples and my face. It was only during college that I mustered the courage to flaunt my style because I felt empowered. Seeing those exchanges ruined my self-confidence that I built through the years,” she lamented.

She could not help but express dismay as UPV is no longer a safe space for women who became victims of sexual harassment.

“UPV as an institution also gave me a sense of assurance that I won’t be objectified because I thought people here are empowered. Then this happened. UPV is no longer a safe space for us women,” she said.

Another victim who sought anonymity disclosed to Daily Guardian that she and her friends became victims of sexual objectification and made-up stories of the same fraternity members in the leaked group chat.

“This guy spread baseless rumors to his friends that something already happened between us. He also tagged me as ‘bigaon’ (slutty) and made other lewd comments about me. I was really not expecting this,” she shared.

Gabriela and other victims of sexual harassments of the involved fraternity members took to Twitter to reveal their experiences.

Based on the leaked chats, the fraternity members seemed aware of the dangers if their messages got out in the open.

In the group chat, one of the members even said, “Basi ma lonsileaks ta di [we might be lonsi leaked]” referencing the time when Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity also went viral following leaks of their controversial group chats.

With the leak, several victims of other fraternities and alumni of UPV also mustered the courage to speak out on social media about isolated rape and drunken incidents and several form of sexual harassments – an alarming culture that has been silently happening inside the state university which is based in Miagao, Iloilo.

Other suspects that were mentioned in the leaks and subsequent “Twitter storms” by the victims were members of Beta Sigma and Silak fraternities.

Daily Guardian tried reaching out to the group chat participants but some of them have deactivated their social media accounts or cannot be reached for comment.

RALLY OF SUPPORT

Institutions rallied behind the victims of the alleged sexual harassments.

One of them is Bantay Bastos, a campaign launched by EveryWoman in partnership with the University of the Philippines College of Social Work and Community Development-Department of Women and Development Studies aimed to “actively tackle and address misogyny and gender-related violence in Philippine society by holding public figures accountable for their words and actions that degrade and harm women.”

Bantay Bastos called on Scintilla Juris and the UPV Administration to hold the members of the chat group accountable.

Gabriela, a cause-oriented group advocating for women’s rights, also offered help to the victims via social media.

“It has come to our attention that reports of sexual violence perpetrated by some students in UP Visayas are currently making rounds on Twitter. Sharing this tweet so victims can immediately seek help,” Gabriela’s Twitter account said.

REACTIONS

On Thursday, UPV Scintilla Juris released a statement apologizing to those who were harassed or violated by some of their members.

“UPV Scintilla Juris denounces misogyny, sexual violence, and homophobia. We are already taking action. A fact-finding committee and disciplinary action committee were already created to ensure accountability at the soonest possible time.”

Their sorority, UP Stella Juris, issued a separate statement on Thursday strongly condemning all forms of harassment and blatant disrespect against minors and people regardless of gender affinity.

“There is no place to justify nor tolerate any malicious conduct identified by Twitter account Manyaks of UPV and allegedly committed by certain individuals who were identified as members of UP Scintilla Juris fraternity,” the Stella Juris statement said.

The UP Visayas administration also strongly condemned “the boorish and discreditable behavior of some of our constituents involved in the latest misconduct in social media”.

“We deplore all acts that demean or put to shame women and members of the LGBTQIA+. The University strives to promote and protect the rights of everyone in our community. We will not tolerate any form of harassment or attack against anybody. We are committed to ensuring that UP Visayas remains a safe space for all,” UPV Office of the Chancellor said in a separate statement on Thursday.

The administration said it is now investigating the matter and assured that “it will leave no stone unturned to ensure that appropriate sanctions will be imposed upon those responsible for this offense that has tarnished its reputation and disregarded the code of conduct that it has endeavored to live by”.

The administration also called on other victims of sexual harassment to get in touch with Anti-Sexual Harassment Office (oash.upv@gmail.com) or the Office of Student Affairs (osa.upvisayas@up.edu.ph).

 

CHARGES

Police Colonel Columbo Allan Aberia, officer-in-charge of the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas said perpetrators who allegedly shared lewd photos and videos online may face charges for violating Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act and Cybercrime Prevention Act amongst others.

Aberia also encouraged the victims to reach out to the police for the filing of blotter reports and complaints.

“They can report to us and file a formal complaint. They have to save the screenshots and evidences so we will know the circumstances and act on the matter,” he told Daily Guardian.

In Western Visayas, the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit said majority of the reports that they received include online scams, monetary scams, libel, and online sexual harassments.

For the victims, the group chat leaks also placed in the limelight the urgent need for universities and academic institutions to address alarming and isolated incidents of sexual harassments among students and its constituents.

“There should really be an outlet and platform for students to report these horrifying incidents. I think the UPV administration should have realized it a long time ago,” one of the victims shared.

UP Alumni Association Inc. (Iloilo Chapter) has expressed its intent to set up a help desk at the Office of the Alumni Relations for complaints and counseling for the victims as well as perpetrators.

“We have coordinated with the Women Law Advocates of the Philippines – Iloilo Chapter, UPV Alumni Lawyers, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for assistance and referrals for filing of cases against the wrongdoer. You can reach us through upaa.iloilo@gmmail.com or visit the Office of the Alumni Relations,” UPAA President Dennis Guevara said in a statement.

Gabriela said she is motivated to file legal chargers against her perpetrators.

Driven by the overwhelming support from her friends, professors, and the public, she said they will be forming a support group to help victims of sexual abuse and harassment in UPV.

“For every woman out there, always look out kon sin-o gasurround sa imo. Don’t trust people too much. I am speaking in behalf of those who wanted to keep quiet. Hopefully, the victims will take good care of their mental health. Be strong,” Gabriela said.