Hazing victim’s father to appeal DOJ ruling

MANILA, Philippines - The father of hazing victim Guillo Cesar Servando will ask the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reconsider portions of its ruling on his son’s case, which their camp believes could lead to the acquittal of the accused.

Aurelio Servando told The STAR that their camp would ask the DOJ to remove the phrase “with intent to kill” in the charge sheet against members of the Tau Gamma Phi.

His camp believed that the phrase was “totally unnecessary” to render the accused guilty of violating the Anti-Hazing Law.

“That goes against the grain of the Anti-Hazing law. My lawyers believe that (the phrase) ‘with intent to kill’ is for murder cases,” Servando said.

“We would like to appeal to the DOJ, because of that four-letter phrase, our case could be dropped,” he said in an interview.

In the information that the DOJ filed in court on Nov. 5, the department identified those liable for Guillo’s death as Cody Errol Morales, head of the fraternity’s De La Salle University chapter; Paul Martin Bautista, Kurt Michael Almazan, Esmerson Nathaniel Calupas, Hans Killia Tatlonghari, Eleazar Pablico III, John Kevin Navoa, Vic Angelo Dy, Mark Andrew Ramos, Michael David Castañeda, Justin Francis Reyes and three other unidentified persons.

In filing the case, the DOJ said “…above-named accused, conspiring, confederating and mutually helping one another during the final initiation rites of the Tau Gamma Phi, La Salle College of Saint Benilde chapter, with intent to kill, did then and there, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously assault and employ physical violence upon the person of Guillo Cesar Servando.”

Servando’s son died last June after joining fraternity initiation rites held in Palanan, Makati.

Servando said they would also appeal the exclusion of Almazan from the Witness Protection Program.

“He was the first to surrender. He provided us information about the others and he narrated what happened. I owe that to him. What (we know about the) hazing came from him,” Servando said.

In dropping Almazan’s application to become a witness in the case, the DOJ said his excuse that Morales only pressured him to participate in the initiation rites is “self-serving and at the same time uncorroborated.”