Ouch!

We have varied reasons why we blog. Some of us blog to share their recent adventures and misadventures. Others just want to tell the world how happy they are that they met their crush at the corridor. Still others blog to air out their grievances, grievances they cannot otherwise say but in a blog.

As for the students of Quezon City Science High School, they blog because they want to expose the misdeeds of their Principal. Result: They were suspended for doing so.

Indeed, a bad news to read:

Officials of the Quezon City Science High School (QCSHS) recently suspended four students who allegedly posted a blog that criticized the school’s principal.

Aside from suspending the four students whose identities were withheld, QCSHS’s principal Zenaida Sadsad also ordered the closure of the school’s two student publications, Electron and Banyuhay.

The concerned blog, http://scientiaetvirtus.multiply.com that was posted on social networking site multiply.com, contains articles and photographs against Sadsad’s policies and person as well as the students’ gripes over irregular lunch hours and required subjects, among others.

The personal attacks against Sadsad in the blog even included violent declarations such as “Sadsad must die”.

Questions arise, however. If she’s not what the students said she is, then why do the students have to suffer from suspension? If she did not do what the students said she did, then why she went so far as to ordering the closure of the two student publications, Electron and Banyuhay? Why did she gravely abuse her authority to get even with the students.

She could have cleared her name by repudiating the students’ allegations, either through the students' blog itself or through other medium.

In my opinion, suspending the students and closing the publications are unnecessary. The school officials’ response to the students’ criticisms smacked of guilt on the former's part. Sure, the students’ criticisms do not stem from the sheer pleasure of criticizing someone. Something, someone must have provoked them. Otherwise, they would have not mustered their courage to put up a blog to criticize their principal.

My unsolicited advice: As Justice Malcolm said in United States v. Bustos, “[Wo]Men in public life may suffer under a hostile and an unjust accusation: the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear conscience. A public officer must not be too thin-skinned with reference to comment upon his official acts. Only thus can the intelligence and dignity of the infividual be exalted.”

No doubt, the criticisms wounded the Principal, and they could have easily been healed with "the balm" of her "clear conscience." If she did nothing bad, keber. She need only act as if she really did not do anything bad. However, as it turned out, her conscience is probably far from clear. So to fend off the wounds the students inflicted upon her, she suspended them. After all, it is easier to shoot the messenger than to drop by the confessional box.

Ouch! Truth does really hurt.