THE stairs in front of the 7-Eleven store at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) campus in Manila, which drew controversy after College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS) students were photographed there, have been marked with warning tape for “repairs.”
Just days after the controversy, The Varsitarian, UST’s 96-year-old student journal, published a photo on Saturday showing that the front stairs of the 7-Eleven have been barricaded with caution tape.
Aside from the main stairs going to 7-Eleven, the stairs in front of several other establishments also have to be “repaired.”
Some students found it amusing that the stairs have to be repaired, with one user remarking, “Only in the Philippines, hindi pa sira, inaayos na agad.”
On February 15, TomasinoWeb showcased CICS students wearing “Type B” uniforms, which are worn early in the school year. One of the photographs depicted students entering a convenience store.
Photo Courtesy: TomasinoWeb
The post attracted many social media users, resulting in thousands of “Haha” replies, as jokes propagated online that the store’s employees’ uniforms resembled CICS uniforms because of the colors and pattern.
The Varsitarian interviewed 7-Eleven employees to obtain their take on the issue. One of its employees, a UST alumnus, described what happened as “elitism.”
“Sales associates are one of the most hardworking and admirable retail front liners you’ll ever meet,” the alumnus said.
“So, for a person to find it demeaning that their students’ Type B uniform can be associated with that of a CVS (consumer value stores) uniform is so elitist, disappointing, and uncompassionate,” added the alumnus.
“We face so many challenges in life, let’s not add similarities in uniform as one of them.”
Another employee recognized the similarities between the two uniforms, but understood that the photo was not intended to cause any harm and was only for “fun”.
“Katuwaan lang talaga siya ng students kasi, syempre, sa generation nga natin iba na, so wala namang masamang dating sa akin. Natuwa nga rin ako kasi kaparehas,” a 7-Eleven employee explained.
“Sa likod lang naman may kapareho pero sa harap magkaiba naman. Wala namang mali doon sa litrato, marami lang nakapansin kasi mukhang pareho nga…. Wala naman sigurong intention yung mga bata para sumama ang loob ng iba,” the employee said.
