Press Release
November 10, 2012

FRATMEN IN HAZING NOT OFF THE HOOK - CHIZ

THE 27 members of Lex Leonenum Fraternitas from the San Beda College of Law will still have to "face the music" even after their school expelled them.

"Their expulsion is only the administrative consequence of their actions. Hindi dito nagtatapos and pananagutan nila kundi simula pa lang," Sen. Chiz Escudero said.

The senator said the filing of appropriate criminal charges against the 27 persons will be handled by the Department of Justice.

They were implicated in the death of 21-year-old freshman law student Marc Andre Marcos caused by hazing last July 30.

Marcos underwent initiation rites by the fraternity on a farm in Cavite province. He succumbed to severe injuries while being treated at De La Salle University Medical Center.

Earlier, Escudero condemned the death of Marcos. "It cannot be business as usual anymore when it comes to fraternity violence. Senseless deaths such as Marcos' from hazing goes against the very grain of the brotherhood that fraternities should exemplify and in fact contradict it," he said.

Escudero chairs the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

The senator renewed his call for stricter monitoring of fraternities, especially those that have a track record of excessive initiation violence.

He said his committee is now studying possible measures to address fraternity hazing including amendments to the Anti-Hazing Law and reviewing the budgets of state colleges and universities to see how the institutions can help curb such activities perpetrated by recognized fraternities.

"If we want to eradicate hazing, then there must be firmly established chains of command responsibility within the colleges and universities that host fraternities. There must be accountability," Escudero said.

News Latest News Feed