Suspect in hazing of San Beda law student fails to surrender

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines  – The prime suspect in the hazing death of San Beda law student Marc Andre Marcos has not surrendered, Calabarzon police director Chief Superintendent James Melad said yesterday.

Melad said Gian Angelo Veluz failed to appear before authorities on Friday, the day set by his father Angelito Veluz.

Melad said Gian is still considered a suspect in Marcos’ death, along with Soledad Sanda, Marlen Guadayo and a certain Marcelo Cornelio, who are all still at large.

But Melad said police investigators under Task Force Marcos are still hoping Gian would appear within the week.

Gian was tagged as one of the master initiators of the Lex Leonum fraternity, which initiation rites supposedly led to Marcos’ death.

Melad said Gian and 30 other people involved in the hazing have been charged for murder, serious physical injuries and violation of the anti-hazing law under Republic Act 8049 before the Dasmariñas City Prosecutors’ Office last Wednesday.

This developed after Ryan Christopher Maranan and Ephraim Daniel Lara, both freshmen law students of San Beda College, appeared before the Cavite police to give their sworn statements that they were among the 24 neophytes who underwent initiation with Marcos last Saturday.

They identified Gian as among the five master initiators and their “handler.” Gian’s family owns the 12-hectare farm in Sitio Bisaya, Dasmariñas, Cavite where the initiation rites were conducted.

Melad said they would consider the case cleared and solved after the filing of criminal charges and identification of several suspects and the sworn statement of a security guard, two San Beda law neophytes and two farm caretakers.

He said Maranan and Lara could be considered potential witnesses in the case and would be placed under police protection pending the investigation of the death of Marcos.

Cavite police director Senior Superintendent John Bulalacao said Maranan and Lara have identified several other fraternity members present during the initiation rites but this has to be verified.

He said Maranan and Lara could identify the other “initiators” in the hazing if they would be shown their photographs.

Bulalacao said investigators are still verifying the fraternity members involved in the death of Marcos.

He said another neophyte, who was not immediately identified, also sent feelers to be placed under police custody.

Bulalacao said they are still convincing Maranan and Lara to stand as witnesses.

He said both are now under police protection with uniformed officers accompanying them and their families.

“At the moment, they (Maranan and Lara) are still in their homes but they will be later transferred by their parents to a hospital for treatment of their injuries,” Bulalacao said.

But despite the police protection, Maranan and Lara have yet to signify their intention to turn witnesses, Bulalacao said.

“We are convincing them to become witnesses. They are still hesitant since they owe their loyalty to the organization (fraternity),” Bulalacao said.

Bulalacao added investigators are tracking down eight other neophytes who were with Marcos during his fatal initiation.

The victim collapsed while having dinner after the initiation.

“We are still looking for the other neophytes. We are willing to offer them protection if they want it,” Bulalacao said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo assured the other neophytes in Marcos’ fatal hazing that they would be given police protection if they choose to surface and cooperate in the investigation.

‘Murder is murder’

Malacañang, on the other hand, said it is leaving it up to Congress to amend the anti-hazing law in the wake of the fatal hazing of Marcos.

Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) chief Manuel Mamba said Republic Act No. 8049 was a good law regulating hazing but it was apparently not being enforced.

“If you look at it, (lawmakers) have done good laws already. Everything that needs to be done to prevent hazing is there. But the truth is it is not being followed... They do away with the law,” Mamba said over radio dzRB.

“They still stick with the tradition of hazing, in fraternities and sororities and organizations that they don’t even think about the law,” he said.

Mamba said it was high time for the law to be enforced to stop hazing.

“Amendments will always be entertained but in my view, it’s more of the enforcement that we should do, especially now that there were those who died because of hazing,” Mamba said.

On the part of the executive, Mamba said there was no need to tell Congress that it would be a priority measure.

“Malacañang is leaving it to Congress to study this. And the PLLO is also studying this,” Mamba said.

He added they would want to provide their own take on the issue anytime Congress would need it.

Lawmakers called on the House of Representatives to immediately tackle amendments to the country’s seven-year-old law against hazing following the tragic death of Marcos.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, however, said there was no need for a stronger law because it would entail law enforcement.

He stressed the suspects must be prosecuted and punished if evidence would warrant.

“Murder if murder. Homicide if homicide,” Enrile said.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said hazing should be totally banned, not just regulated under the anti-hazing law.

Herrera-Dy renewed her call to review the country’s anti-hazing law after Marcos died during initiation rites.

Herrera-Dy, who admitted to being a member of a sorority, filed House Bill No. 6084 last April to amend the existing anti-hazing law.

The measure expands the definition of hazing to include fraternities and sororities in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the PNP.

The bill also seeks to recognize “psychological suffering” as a form of hazing.

Under the existing anti-hazing law, a person found guilty of hazing shall face a punishment ranging from prison correctional (four-year imprisonment) to life imprisonment.

For his part, AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe said amendments to RA 8049 would facilitate the prosecution of offenders.

Batocabe filed a separate measure, House Bill No. 5912, last March proposing changes to the existing anti-hazing law.

Under his proposed measure, intoxication and the presence of non-resident or alumni fraternity members during initiations are considered to be circumstances that will increase penalties for persons found guilty of hazing.

Batocabe’s bill is actually a response to a proposal made by Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to include these “aggravating circumstances” under the current law.

Sereno penned the high court decision finding five members of the Aquila Legis fraternity guilty of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide for the death of Lenny Villa in February 1991.

The bills filed by Batocabe and Herrera-Dy have been pending before the House committee on revision of laws for months now. The measures have not been tackled in a single committee hearing since they were filed.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the case of Marcos underscored the need to strengthen RA 8049, which regulated hazing and other forms of initiation rites in fraternities, sororities, and other organizations.

There are at least three pending bills before the Senate regarding hazing. One of them is authored by Sotto and the other two by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Under Sotto’s Senate Bill No. 3131, anybody involved in hazing shall be liable as principals of the crime and shall be punished with life imprisonment.

He said the measure must have more teeth to include officials who allow hazing.

Sotto added the law must be stronger because the students were hard headed and could not seem to learn. – With Aurea Calica, Mike Frialde