Press Release
July 2, 2014

Villar wants to add more teeth to the anti- hazing law

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar yesterday urged the Senate to immediately act on her proposed measure to add more teeth to the Anti-Hazing Law following the death of 2nd year Hotel and Restaurant Management student Guillo Servando, 18, and injuries to three others during the hazing of Tau Gamma Phi fraternity in De La Salle-College of St. Benilde.

Saying fraternity violence has destroyed many promising young men and women and hurled them to the graves, Villar wants to strengthen the existing law on hazing.

"We should prevent serious injuries and even death of students who join fraternities," said Villar as she called on law enforcers to use the full force of the law to punish all those responsible in the latest hazing that resulted to Servando's death and injuries to three other students. Under SBN 503 or "An Act to Further Strengthen the Existing Mechanism for Deterrence to the Commission of Crime in the Conduct of Fraternity, Sorority, Confraternity and Organization Initiation Rites, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 8049," which she introduced, Villar is pushing to make parental consent a requirement for an applicant below 21 years old to become a member of fraternity, sorority, confraternity or organization.

Villar's bill further states that parental consent is also needed during the initiation rites of a neophyte who is also below 21 years old.

"It shall be stated in the parental consent signed by either the mother or the father that voluntary approval is being given for a son or daughter to undergo initiate rites," said Villar in her proposed measure.

The requirement for parental consent was among the amendments Villar introduced in the existing Republic Act No. 8049, more popularly known as the Anti-Hazing Law, which prohibits physical violence during initiation rites and metes penalties ranging from prison correctional to reclusion perpetua should the person subject to hazing or other forms of initiation rites suffer any physical injury, dies or is raped.

Aside from parental consent, SBN 503's Section 4 which listed the Rules of conduct of initiation rites also bars any form of contact, and any willful act, directly or indirectly pursued by any member or officer of the fraternity, sorority, confraternity or organization, to inflict physical harm and injury upon the neophytes. They are also absolutely prohibited from employment of any form of sexual harassment or any action, motive or imminent plan leading to such before, during and after the conduct of initiation rite.

The senator said there are groups whose membership are based on the applicant's acceptance of physical violence or sexual abuse.

"Women in the groups are given a choice of hirap or sarap---a choice of beatings or sex with male members," said Villar.

If a person suffers physical injury or dies due to hazing or other forms of initiation rites, she said the officers and members of the fraternity, sorority, confraternity or organization who actually participated or who were present, but did not take steps to prevent the infliction of harm, shall shoulder all actual damages suffered by the applicant including up to the amount of lost future income.

According to Villar, lost future income represents the loss of earning capacity of the victim due to death or total disability.

"The amount shall be computed by the court based on, but not limited to the person's state of health, educational attainment, nature of occupation, whether existing or prospective, and obligation to support dependents," read Villar's bill.

"They shall also suffer imprisonment--prison correctional to reclusion perpetua, depending on the gravity of the offense."

Villar asserted that the current law on hazing has not deterred physical harm or death of applicants to fraternities, sororities and organizations.

In fact, she said these are groups whose memberships are based on the applicant's acceptance of physical violence or sexual abuse.

"What is worse is that non-members of fraternities or sororities, the so-called "barbarians," have often fallen prey to fraternity violence--violence elicited by a brotherhood which many believe to have degenerated into a barbaric gang," lamented Villar.

She cited the case of Mass Communications student Nino Calinao, a non-fraternity member, who suffered this fate when he was killed near a fraternity hangout. Students believe that it was a case of mistaken identity.

All these incidents of fraternity violence, Villar said, underscored the need to boost the existing mechanism for deterrence of the commission of crimes in the conduct of initiation rites.

Since Villar believes that this bill answers that need, she calls for its immediate passage into law.

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