MANILA, Philippines -- Policemen arrested on Thursday afternoon four students, including a girl, of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, accused of taking part in raping a freshman marketing student inside the school campus last month.

Police Officer 3 Rowena Albano of Manila Police District Station 8 said the suspects, aged 15 to 16 and all classmates of the victim, were charged at the Manila Prosecutor's Office but were turned over to the Manila Youth and Reception Center "pending the recommendation of the prosecutor."

The female suspect was arrested for alleged conspiracy with the other suspects, police explained.

The victim was reportedly taken to the hospital after she collapsed when she came face to face with her alleged abusers during the inquest proceedings.

Superintendent Jimmy Tiu, Station 8 commander, said investigators were looking at the possibility the abuse was part of an initiation to an organization, which was reportedly not recognized by the school.

"The victim claimed she was enticed by somebody from the school to join an organization, more likely a fraternity or a sorority," Tiu said.

There were initial reports that around 20 students were involved in the incident. "She did not give an exact number but she said there were many others who abused her, some whose names she did not know but whose faces she would be able to recognize," Tiu added.

The victim told authorities that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on June 25 inside the campus compound. She said she was forced to drink liquor allegedly laced with drugs before they took turns in raping her.

Speaking on behalf of PUP president Dr. Dante Guevarra, public affairs assistant director Danny Pata said the school is willing to provide the victim with financial support and legal assistance.

"We'll provide her with lawyer if she needs one," Pata told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net. "But we'll just wait for the authorities to solve this problem. Nobody wants this to happen, we'll let the police do their investigation."

In a television interview, Guevarra said that as much as they would like to beef up security in the state-run university to avoid such incidents, they lack funds to hire more guards, and may just resort to asking police to help secure school premises.

Another PUP official, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak on the matter, said their other priority is to calm parents of students and assure them that the school authorities are trying to address the security issue.

Parents of the suspects were fuming mad after learning that their children were arrested inside the campus and were being accused of rape.

"How can that happen? My child is a 15-year-old girl, how can she be accused of rape?" the mother of the female suspect said.

Other students, meanwhile, condemned the arrest made by the authorities saying the suspects were humiliated in front of their fellow students.