THE OFFICERS and members of the fraternity involved in the hazing and death of Political Science (PolSci) alumnus Horacio Castillo III were temporarily prohibited from entering the University.
In a memorandum, Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said members of Aegis Juris Fraternity are “not be allowed to enter the campus or the Faculty of Civil Law or attend classes until further notice.”
“Investigation will be immediately conducted to determine culpability so that appropriate sanctions may be imposed,” the memorandum read.
Castillo, a graduate of PolSci in 2017 and a freshman in the UST Faculty of Civil Law, was found dead in a sidewalk in Tondo on Sunday morning, sustaining injuries from a fraternity hazing, autopsy showed.
The body of the law freshman was dumped on the area of Balut on Sunday, covered in a blanket. Castillo, only 22, was declared dead on arrival in the Chinese General Hospital, philstar.com reported.
In a radio interview, the father of Castillo, Horacio Castillo Jr., said his son “went through extreme pain and suffering.” “We saw the body. It was full hematoma. We saw burn marks, cigarette marks and ‘yung patak ng kandila over the body and he was bloated.”
Castillo served as the chairperson of the finance committee of The Political Science Forum. He was also a member of the Students’ Democratic Party, the oldest political party in the University.
Aegis Juris Fraternity, established in 1979, is a law school-based fraternity in the Faculty of Civil Law.
According to Republic Act 8049 or Anti-Hazing Law, no hazing or initiation rites by any fraternity, sorority, and organization shall be conducted without prior notice to the concerned school or institution seven days before the initiation rite. No physical violence should also be incurred during the initiation rites.
It also stated that “If the person subjected to hazing or other forms of initiation rites suffers any physical injury or dies as a result thereof, the officers and members of the fraternity, sorority or organization who actually participated in the infliction of physical harm shall be liable as principals.”
UST condemns violence on law student
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, The University of Santo Tomas vowed to uphold and reiterate Christian values and reject any action that contradicts them.
“[W]e condemn in no uncertain terms hazing in any form or manner. Violence has no place in an academic institution, particularly in the University of Santo Tomas that values and promotes charity and compassion,” the statement read.
“We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators be meted the appropriate sanctions and brought to justice,” it added.
The UST Central Student Council called for the a justice and “rigorous investigation” on the people involved in the death of Castillo.
“We call on the University administration and the students to condemn this violent act against a fellow Thomasian,” the statement read. “Fraternities deal with brotherhood, but violence should not be its currency.” F – ALI IAN MARCELINO V. BIONG and VANN MARLO M. VILLEGAS
