A Manila court on Tuesday convicted 10 Aegis Juris fraternity members behind the death of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III in 2017.
The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 11 found Arvin Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Axel Hipe, Ralph Trangia, Oliver Onofre, Joshua Macabali, Robin Ramos, Marcelino Bagtang, Hans Rodrigo, and Jose Salamat guilty of violating Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law.
The autopsy showed that the 22-year-old freshman died from “severe blunt traumatic injuries” after allegedly undergoing the initiation rites of the said fraternity.
Meanwhile, Atio’s parents were emotional as they criticized the school and its administrators for their liability in the case.
“At this point, I would like to say that I am holding the University of Santo Tomas responsible for the death of our son. It has been proven that Aegis Juris has been practicing hazing, and it is time to check your policies and laws in the school,” Atio’s mother, Carmina Castillo, told the media.
She added that UST, the Faculty of Civil Law, and Dean Nilo Divina “failed to protect” their son.
Meanwhile, Atio’s father, Horacio Castillo II, said “it is about time heads should roll in UST.”
Prior to the decision’s promulgation, Atio’s parents shared that they expect the fraternity members to be “perfectly convicted.”
“Very obvious that hazing happened and the prosecution, we have proven with our evidence and our witnesses that hazing happened, so we expect conviction,” Carmina said.
Horacio likewise said “today will mark the beginning of something big” as he hopes the current generation will now be protected.
This incident paved the way for the passage of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, as well as the landmark case of Balag vs. Senate of the Philippines.
Manila Standard has sought comment from UST but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.
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