EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in
Chief  Timothy Kudo
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 Michael Falcone
Viewpoint Editor
 Cuauhtemoc Ortega
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 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao
 Kelly Rayburn
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 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao
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This year’s Pilipino Culture Night had a special theme:
“Oligarchy,” courtesy of Samahang Pilipino’s
directors.
Three of Samahang’s board members voted to exclude singing
the American national anthem at this year’s show in protest
of American foreign policy toward the Philippines. They did this
without soliciting input from nearly 300 members, even though the
organization’s chorale group had been preparing to sing it
for the last two quarters. Instead of the anthem, the board opted
to have a “moment of silence” at the beginning of the
show, after many members protested the decision. The silence served
the dual purpose of protesting U.S. foreign policy and remembering
those negatively affected by it.
The fact that it only took three members voting against the
anthem makes the idea that the group is run democratically a joke.
The group’s vice president, Jonah Lalas, a former Viewpoint
editor, said the board needed to be “efficient.” While
democracy may be slow and cumbersome, this excuse is exactly what
so many dictators of the past have used to seize power.
Groups have a right to express and act on their political
beliefs, but when only a few members decided on what beliefs to
express, it becomes unethical. Members of Samahang should hold
their elected leaders accountable by demanding a public apology for
this oversight.