12 fraternity members to face raps in Laguna hazing

SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna, Philippines — Police have identified at least 12 persons of interest behind the alleged hazing of a university student in San Pablo City in Laguna province two weeks ago.

Lt. Col. Eliseo Bernales, San Pablo City police chief, on Tuesday said these people, most of them male and students or alumni of Laguna State Polytechnic University, were members of a fraternity allegedly responsible for the injuries of Jonathan Cabueños, 18.

“We’ve identified them through a [Facebook group] chat. We’ve talked to school [officials on Monday] and we’re just waiting for them to send us the list [based on] their records,” Bernales said in a telephone interview.

Cabueños, a criminology student, began to undergo initiation rites on Sept. 15.

Cabueños, during an interview with policemen at a hospital, told police that he underwent a series of rites related to his acceptance to the fraternity. He said he was blindfolded and taken to undisclosed locations where fraternity members beat him up, hit him with a paddle and burned his back with candle wax.

On Sept. 24, Cabueños was at the school gym when he collapsed. He was taken to a hospital in San Pablo but was later transferred to a hospital in the City of Sto. Tomas in Batangas province. He was eventually transferred to Chinese General Hospital in Manila. —Maricar Cinco