A 22-Year-old freshman law student from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) might be the latest addition to the country’s long list of lives lost in fraternity hazing.
The Manila Police District (MPD) confirmed on Monday Horacio Tomas Castillo III died from cardiac arrest triggered by traumatic injuries. He was found dumped and lying on the pavement in Balut, Tondo, Manila last Sunday morning after medical technologist John Sarte chanced upon his body, which was bloated and bore heavy bruises in both arms, cigarette burns and candle-wax drippings.
MPD Spokesman Erwin Margarejo said, however, he could not yet confirm if Horacio indeed died in a fraternity-hazing incident. However, he did confirm that the frat-hazing angle is being investigated, especially since the student’s own parents believe Horacio died during the initiation rites of UST’s Aegis Juris Fraternity.
Horacio’s parents also received an anonymous text tipping them their son was at the Archangel Funeral Home in Sampaloc, Manila. His parents did find Horacio there, but he was first brought to the Chinese General Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival at 9:21 a.m.
The victim’s father, Horacio Tomas Castillo Jr., told reporters their family was aware of Horacio’s recruitment to the Aegis Juris Fraternity and believes his son died during the Greek organization’s initiation rites.
He said the family allowed Horacio to join the fraternity after being told Aegis Juris does not practice violent initiation, and that they actually advocated against it.
“He told me the fraternity he was joining doesn’t do hazing. He said they have initiation rites, but there is no violence involved,” a relative of the victim said.
If it shall be confirmed that Horacio died trying to be part of an organization that was supposed to feel like family, his would not be an isolated case. He will be joining the ranks of Benilde’s Guillo Servando (Tau Gamma Fraternity) and San Beda’s Marc Andre Marcos (Lex Leonum), along with countless others who died trying to earn the right to be part of a fraternity.
The enactment of Republic Act 8049 (antihazing law) in 1995 appears to do nothing to stop the often violent and abusive traditions designed to admit new members into organizations, fraternities and sororities. Moreover, a lot of these cases remain unsolved to this day.
Now, Horacio’s family urges members of UST Law’s Aegis Juris Fraternity to return their calls in order to attain justice for the torture-slay of their son, whom they claim they have never even hurt under the guise of discipline at home.
“You recruited our son. We hope you cooperate because we trusted you, especially when we were told even the UST Law dean is a member of that fraternity. We thought it would do him good,” the victim’s mother said.
UST has released a statement regarding the incident, expressing “sadness for this unfortunate incident”. “The university gives its profound sympathy and offer our prayers to his family for their pain and anguish, seeing that the life of our very own student [was] taken away because of a senseless act,” the statement read.
UST in the statement condemned “hazing in any form or manner” and confirmed it wants to make sure “that the perpetrators be meted the appropriate sanctions and brought to justice”.
“Violence has no place in an academic institution,” UST said.