All 10 accused in Atio hazing case surrender to NBI

All of the accused in the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III have surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday after they were ordered arrested by a Manila court.

NBI spokesman Atty. Ferdinand Lavin confirmed the surrender of the 10 Aegis Juris fraternity members to the bureau.

“Yes sir. (We are) still checking the circumstances surrounding the surrender,” Lavin said in a text message.

In an ambush interview, Lavin confirmed that all 10 have undergone booking and medical procedures at the NBI’s Death Investigation Division.

Lavin added that the accused were “picked up” by NBI agents at an unspecified location at around 11 a.m. He also did not clarify whether the fraternity members had voluntarily surrendered.

The fraternity members were ordered arrested by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 40 after it found probable cause in the charges filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for violation of the Anti-Hazing Law.     /muf