The country has an anti-hazing law, Republic Act 8049, enacted way back in 1995. But the law, passed by lawmakers who themselves belong to fraternities that they entered through violent initiation rites, does not ban hazing.
The long-winded formal title of the law itself says it: “An act regulating hazing and other forms of initiation rites in fraternities, sororities, and other organizations…” RA 8049 specifically allows “hazing or initiation rites” under supervised circumstances, if school authorities are duly notified.
Not surprisingly, hazing continued after the law was enacted, and so did the torture and deaths. Even sorority members in top universities and medical schools indulged their inner beasts, burning neophytes with cigarettes, slapping them and pulling their hair, and dripping hot melted candlewax on the skin. Such abuse is enough to turn the gentlest soul into a latent homicidal psychopath as he or she enters adulthood.
This insanity is perpetrated by youths and sanctioned by elders who should be providing guidance in civilized, humane behavior. The latest fatality was University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo, who was beaten literally black and blue by the animals he had thought would be his “brothers” in UST’s Aegis Juris fraternity.
The anti-hazing law was passed after Leonardo Villa was killed in initiation rites conducted in 1991 by the Aquila Legis fraternity of Ateneo de Manila. Why aspiring lawyers would believe such cowardly violence should be part of character building is a mystery.
What is not a mystery is why violent hazing continued long after Villa’s death. Thanks to fraternity members throughout the criminal justice system, his murderers have all gotten off lightly, with some even joining government service.
Now, after the death of another promising law student in fraternity initiation rites, the Senate has recommended a total ban on hazing. Perhaps this time, lawmakers belonging to fraternities or sororities where violent hazing is a lunatic tradition would not get in the way. If that ban had been imposed and properly enforced after the death of Lenny Villa, Atio Castillo would still be alive today.