House caretaker to stand as state witness in hazing case

MANILA, Philippines - The caretaker of the house in Makati City where the fatal hazing of student Guillo Servando took place will stand as a government witness and be included under the witness protection program of the Department of Justice (DOJ), police said yesterday.

Makati Police chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban said Jomar Pajarito would be given protection by government after his family began receiving threatening text messages.

Lukban said Pajarito still lives in the house in Barangay Palanan with his wife and child.

Pajarito’s wife also reported having seen several people circling the house after her husband surfaced and agreed to turn witness in the hazing case.

It was in the same house where Servando, an 18-year-old student from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, and three other recruits underwent hazing by members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity on June 28.

“We will bring him to the DOJ for inclusion in the witness protection program on Monday. He only asks that his wife and child also be included in the program,” Lukban said.

Pajarito surrendered to the police two days after Servando died and led investigators to his house in Barangay Palanan.

Pajarito, however, insisted that he merely watched and did not participate in the hazing.

Two witnesses later belied this, saying Pajarito even fed the neophytes with chili and chocolates, and also made them sniff ammonia to prevent them from fainting.

Authorities on Friday charged 20 people implicated in the death of Servando with violating Republic Act 8049, the Anti-Hazing Law before the DOJ.