TIP gives probers frat men's names

The Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) has provided the police with the list of members of the Samahang Visaya fraternity group to help them track down the names and whereabouts of some four to five suspects in the probe of the Feb. 3 grenade explosion that left one student dead and more than 44 others injured.

Central Police District director Chief Superintendent Victor Luga said investigators have started to interrogate about 20 members of the SV to shed light on the incident.

"My men have interviewed members of the group to help us in the investigation," Luga told The STAR in an interview. The TIP has expressed its intention to cooperate in the investigation for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

Police confirmed the angle that a war with a rival group resulted to the untimely death of 22-year-old Dhian Rey Navarro and injuries to other students last Thursday.

Navarro, who headed the Confederation of the Fraternity and Sorority Groups in TIP, succumbed to fatal wounds in the neck and head.

One of Navarro's fraternity mates at the Samahang Ilocano group, Romualdo Tugaba, admitted to the police that he and his group figured in a brawl with members of the Batangas Varsitarian on the eve of the grenade blast. Tugaba was treated at the Quirino Medical Hospital after the blast.

Apparently, the heated argument resulted to the bomb attack. The Batangas Varsitarian is allied with the Samahang Visaya, while the Samahang Ilocano (SI) is the domineering fraternity group inside the campus.

To avert any retaliation from the SI, Luga talked with Tugaba as well as the other ranking officials of the group. He also warned them against performing any act of revenge towards the rival fraternity.

Concerned students and parents have expressed fear that another fraternity-related violence will happen as an offshoot of Navarro's death. They noted that about 95 percent of the persons injured were members of the Samahang Ilocano.

As of press time, police operatives are still working double time to track down the suspects.

The Quezon City police have coordinated with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Camp Crame for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators, Luga said.

To avoid any other fraternity-related incidents in Metro schools, National Capital Regional Police Office director Chief Superintendent Edgar Aglipay will meet with members of the security officers of all schools in the metropolis, to address concern over fraternity wars and other crimes inside campuses.