New hazing complaints filed vs 18 Tau Gamma fratmen

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines —  Two new complainants filed separate criminal charges yesterday against 18 members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity allegedly involved in the hazing rites that killed Adamson University (AdU) student John Matthew Salilig.

Col. Randy Glenn Silvio, Laguna police director, told The STAR that the criminal complaints filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) were for the same offense of violation of Republic Act 11053, the Ant-Hazing Law.

Among the 18 charged were four persons of interests who surrendered recently to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and seven others earlier implicated in the Salilig case.
Complainants in the new case were identified by Silvio only as one alias “Bin-Laden” and an alias “Lee,” who are both witnesses to the hazing rites that ended the life of Salilig.
Earlier, six suspects in the custody of the Biñan City Police Office were charged with the same criminal offense before the DOJ in Manila. The complainants were an alias “Diesel” and an alias “JM.”

Named as respondents in the case were Michael Lambert Ritalde, Mark Pedrosa, Earl Anthony Romero, Tung Cheng Teng, Jerome Balot and Sandro Victorino.
Last weekend, Daniel Perry, the “master initiator” of Tau Gamma’s Adamson chapter who surrendered to Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla last week, was the seventh respondent charged with violating the anti-hazing law.

Inquest proceedings

Yesterday, the seven suspects earlier charged in the hazing death Salilig underwent inquest proceedings in Manila with the victim’s family in attendance.

The DOJ prosecuting panel submitted the case for resolution after the suspects either withdrew their request for a preliminary investigation or submitted their counter affidavits.

Some persons of interest have also surrendered to the NBI, which is looking into the liability of the fraternity men and their refusal to bring Salilig to the hospital after the hazing rites.

Salilig’s remains were found in a shallow grave in Imus, Cavite on Feb. 28.

Frat group chat

Meanwhile, the NBI is now in possession of 250 pages of screenshots of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity group chat thread about the initiation rites that ended the life of Salilig.

This new evidence – showing conversations from the day before the initiation rites (Feb. 17) until the day after Salilig’s death – is now part of the NBI’s investigation.

At the meeting, attended by 14 fratmen, the conversation delved on the itinerary for the “welcoming rites” on Feb. 18 and the new members who would be “welcomed.”

The new members included Salilig, who was given the alias “Kamote,” and two others referred to as aliases “Scottie” and “Nike.”

One user said that all members are required to attend the meeting and the welcoming rights on Feb. 18 and will be removed from the fraternity if they do not comply.

At around 8:01 a.m. of Feb. 18, the group talked about the waivers to be printed, and past 8 a.m., members started arriving in Biñan City.

On the evening of Feb. 18 after the initiation rites, messages from the group chat can be seen reporting that one of the members was not feeling well: “(I)ba na ang nararamdaman nito,” one user said in the group chat.

However, they did not specify who they were referring to. “(H)iga niyo,” replied one user in the group chat.

Before 9 p.m., Salilig was taken to one of the members’ house that matched the narration of one of the persons of interest. One fratman reminded the other members not to bring Salilig to the hospital.

“Layo kayo sa (CCTV)” a user told one member alias “Bishop” by mentioning him in the group chat.

Around 9:37 p.m. members in the group chat reported that the third year engineering student was not breathing. One user asked the group if the victim still has a pulse at 9:45 p.m.

Members tried to revive Salilig, but later accepted the fact that he was gone.

Past midnight of Feb. 19, members talked about deleting the conversations and hiding the body of Salilig, they also instructed the members to cover his body and change the vehicle’s plate number.

Before 8 a.m., members started leaving the group chat until all members cleared out at 8:53 a.m.

An alias “Biggie,” one of the persons of interest who was part of the group chat, denied claims that he took part in the initiation rites and varnishing of the paddle used. He claimed he was removed from the group chat but did not know why.

Other cases

In a separate development, a grieving mother surfaced at yesterday’s press conference of the Public Attorneys’ Office (PAO) in Quezon City to demand justice for her 18-year-old son who also allegedly died at the hands of Tau Gamma Phi members.

Marycarh Rabutazo showed a picture of her son Reymarc, who reportedly died due to hazing rites in Laguna on March 20, 2022.

At least 12 suspects are detained on charges of hazing before the Sta. Cruz, Laguna Regional Trial Court. Three more fraternity members are to be included in the complaint, the PAO said.

The PAO also provided an update in the first case brought to them in relation to the death of 20-year-old University of Cebu marine engineering student Ronnel Baguio in hazing rites by the same fraternity last December.

Baguio’s mother, Leny, also attended yesterday’s press conference in which PAO Chief Persida Acosta revealed that one of the suspects – a professor who allegedly recruited the victim – had deleted his incriminating social media messages.

Acosta said investigators were able to secure screenshots of the professor’s messages to Baguio, but the fact he deleted them indicated that he had tried to “conceal the crime.”

The PAO chief urged the public to join calls to put an end to the culture of hazing in the name of brotherhood and tradition. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Mark
Ernest Villeza