Families of hazing victims join call for review of anti-hazing law
MANILA, Philippines — Following the death of a student linked to fraternity rites, families of hazing victims have called for a review of the anti-hazing law as they questioned its sufficiency in penalizing the act.
The Crusade against Violence also raised fear over the impending passage of the measure to make the Reserve Officers Training Corps program mandatory again, which they said is closely linked to the death of John Matthew Salilig, a student of the Adamson University.
A law with stiffer penalties on acts of hazing was passed in 2018, following the death of University of Santo Tomas student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III but the CAV group pointed out that this did not deter members of organizations and fraternities from committing the offense.
“This leads to the question of whether the law is sufficient to prevent hazing from proliferating,” they said in a statement on Sunday.
“We believe it’s the right time to review the anti-hazing law and call on Congress and Senate to conduct an inquiry regarding this matter,” they added.
Last week, the decomposing body of John Matthew Salilig, believed to be a victim of hazing of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity, was found in a vacant lot in Imus, Cavite.
Days later, the Public Attorney’s Office said it is handling a case of another hazing victim from Cebu, Ronnel Baguio who died in December 2022 and also supposedly at the hands of Tau Gamma Phi members.
These are two more deaths even after the enactment of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, which already carries stiffer penalties, and parents also still worry about the “impending threat to the welfare and safety” of the youth due to the impending passage of the mandatory ROTC law.
“To say that John Matthew Salilig’s death is irrelevant to the proposed bill is an insult to all hazing victims who died mercilessly from the hands of their so-called brothers,” the CAV said.
“We enjoin everyone, especially the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, Department on National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Justice, to please join our crusade against hazing and prevent this from further happening,” they added.
In 2018, former President Rodrigo Duterte revived the call for mandatory ROTC, which was made optional after UST student and cadet Mark Chua disclosed the corruption in the university’s ROTC program.
Chua went missing after the story on the issue was published on the school’s publication, The Varsitarian. His body, wrapped in carpet and face covered in masking tape, was found floating in the Pasig River in March 2001.
After Salilig’s death, lawmakers are again faced with calls to drop the administration-backed measure to mandate ROTC, but some senators would not budge as they distanced the program from hazing. — with reports from Xave Gregorio
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