“Always Ready to Defend”

Abstract Global North theorizations of boyhood often overlook the exploitation and inequality that impacts men and boys from former colonies in the Global South. These theorizations may not acknowledge how institutions with colonial roots shape boys transition to manhood. This article then explores the construction of tunay na lalaki, a Filipino term for true manhood, by utilizing the case study of one historically colonial, elite-building, and public Filipino university. Utilizing a feminist methodology with staff and student leader interviews, the study reveals that universities purport a localized and neo-colonial form of hegemonic masculinity through tunay na lalaki . Fraternity men within the university strengthened by their barkada (egalitarian peer group) culture, embody this masculinity. While universities condone fraternity culture, they offer ways to decolonize this neo-colonial hegemony. The reconceptualization of hegemonic masculinity as tunay na lalaki furthers theorizations on non-marginalized masculinities from the Global South.