Are you, your brother’s killer?
The Philippine Star
columnist Ms. Ana Marie Pamintuan published today a very heartfelt article
about a young man dream of wanting to be
a part of the legal profession. … that made a fate make an ugly turn that no
one can return to.
Titled “ Brother hood”
tackles a little bit of the history of
hazing in the country…. Which up until
now seems to be a ghost that will always comes up and shocks the country to the
expense of the country’s youth
Below is the full quoted
article :
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| The Anti-Hazing Law, Republic Act No. 8049, was passed way back in 1995. (photo credit to owner) |
The sight of the parents
grieving over the brutal killing of their son is made more heartbreaking by the
thought that they might never get justice. This has been the fate of many other
parents who have lost their children to fraternity hazing, or who grapple with
the continuing trauma of those who were lucky to survive.
The Anti-Hazing Law,
Republic Act No. 8049, was passed way back in 1995, four years after Ateneo de
Manila law student Lenny Villa was murdered by members of the Aquila Legis
fraternity in a Caloocan safehouse.
RA 8049 “regulates” but
does not ban hazing. The law must have been crafted by persons belonging to
fraternities with a tradition of violent initiation rites. And like many laws
in our weak republic, RA 8049 is just an empty threat.
It describes “hazing” as
“an initiation rite or practice as a prerequisite for admission into
membership in a fraternity, sorority or organization by placing the recruit,
neophyte or applicant in some embarrassing or humiliating situations such as
forcing him to do menial, silly, foolish and other similar tasks or activities
or otherwise subjecting him to physical or psychological suffering or injury.”
Why are such acts merely
regulated rather than banned? Now you know why hazing continues. *
The law does prohibit
inflicting “physical harm” on any fraternity or sorority neophyte or applicant.
And the law imposes stiff sanctions on violators: at least four years for
physical injury that does not lead to any form of temporary or permanent
impairment; six to 20 years for injuries that cause such impairments including
insanity, blindness or impotence; and life in prison in case of a neophyte’s
death, rape, sodomy or mutilation.
Under RA 8049, the dean
of the University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Civil Law may be held liable as an
accomplice in the hazing death of Horacio Tomas “Atio” Castillo III at the
hands of Aegis Juris fraternity members. The law student’s dad Horacio II said
he was reassured by dean Nilo Divina that Atio would not suffer physical harm
during the hazing rites. Divina has said he has been on leave from Aegis Juris
(Shield of Justice) for eight years.
RA 8049 states: “The
school authorities including faculty members who consent to the hazing or who
have actual knowledge thereof, but failed to take any action to prevent the
same from occurring shall be punished as accomplices for the acts of hazing
committed by the perpetrators.”
“The officers, former
officers, or alumni of the organization, group, fraternity or sorority who
actually planned the hazing although not present when the acts constituting the
hazing were committed shall be liable as principals.” *
Tough provisions. Now if
only the law could be enforced…
All three branches of government have conspired to ensure the
survival of hazing. The vile tradition lives on in both the Philippine Military
and National Police Academies. Perhaps those who suffered violent hazing as
plebes can’t stand the idea of the younger generations being spared from the
same barbaric treatment.
Congress “regulated”
hazing instead of prohibiting it. Members of fraternities and sororities in the
prosecution service and judiciary make sure their “brothers” and “sisters”
remain beyond the reach of the law.
How many Aquila Legis
members actually paid for Lenny Villa’s hazing death? This is a rare case where
conviction was obtained. As the case went through the judicial process for two
decades, 26 of the 35 fraternity members tagged in the hazing were convicted by
a regional trial court, but 19 were cleared by the Court of Appeals. Cases
against three others were dismissed by the CA ostensibly for undue delay in
their trial. The Supreme Court itself was not remiss in doing its part for
brotherhood; it downgraded the offense against five of the remaining convicts,
from homicide to reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
Some of the young
barbarians, now in middle age after 26 years, were even allowed to practice
law. No doubt their parents moved heaven and earth to sell the argument that
their children didn’t know what they were doing, and it wasn’t fair to deprive
them of a bright future in the legal profession just for a little bit of
youthful torture and murder. *
It’s intriguing that law
students think violence and inhumanity and breaking the law are needed for
initiation into the legal profession. This has to be one of the reasons for the
weakness of the rule of law in our country, and for our broken criminal justice
system.
I wish I could say it
must be a guy thing, but the madness has also spread to sororities. The girls
must be spending too much time with pet dogs; they feel the need to assert
alpha status in the worst ways they can think of on their sorority “sisters” –
by burning initiates with cigarettes and melted wax, beating them with paddles,
and even having them raped by fraternity “brothers.”
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