Posh Metro Manila high school prohibits wireless ‘earpods’ because students keep losing them

Today in Rich Kids of Manila, a posh private high school in San Juan City just prohibited its students from bringing wireless “earpods” to school, apparently because they keep losing them.

A copy of the letter announcing the new rule at Xavier School was shared on the Facebook page Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall last night and has since gone viral with 6,500 reactions, 4,600 shares, and 1,300 comments as of this article’s posting.

Photo: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.
Photo: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.

“Due to numerous cases of lost earpods in school, as well as the safety risk brought about by bringing expensive, easily misplaced gadgets, only wired earphones will be allowed in school starting July 22, 2019,” a letter from the institution’s Junior and Senior High School computer teacher states.

It then underscored the new rule and says towards the end, “Bluetooth/wireless earphones, earpods, headsets are now prohibited.”

A mother whose son studies at the Catholic school for boys confirmed to Coconuts Manila that she received the same letter.

Xavier School is located in the affluent Greenhills neighborhood in Metro Manila’s San Juan City. It’s run by Jesuit priests and originally catered to the Chinese-Filipino community. The school counts many sons of businessmen and politicians as students and alumni. This includes Senator Sonny Angara and former Senator J.V. Ejercito, also both sons of politicians.

Netizens thought the new rule was hilarious and reacted to the idea that teenagers own such expensive gadgets. Apple AirPods, the most popular wireless ear pods today, cost around PHP8,000 (US$157.13) in the Philippines.

Facebook user Jeffrey Kua said what everyone was thinking: “1st world problems.”

Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.
Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.

“Omg I lost my AirPods bro … I’ll just cry in my Lambo Aventador for a bit,” Gian Piero Akira Espeleta joked a student would say.

Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.
Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.

April Benosa was also sarcastic in her post. “Their problems are so serious, I also got stressed out,” she said in Filipino before laughing. “It’s so hard to be rich.”

Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.
Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.

Masayoshi John Otomo, meanwhile remembered how they were not allowed to bring Discmans and cassette players to school without approval from a teacher and the school principal.

Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.
Screenshot: Xavier-ICA Freedom Wall/FB.

So much new material for AirPod flexing memes.

Read more Coconuts Manila articles here. 



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