Rep. Bernadette Herrera (File photo from her Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — Fraternities and other groups engaged in hazing should be blacklisted by barangays and towns, Rep. Bernadette Herrera of Bagong Henerasyon party list said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
That was her response to the case of John Matthew Salilig, an Adamson University chemical engineering junior, whose body was found dumped in Cavite on Tuesday, apparently a victim of fatal hazing.
Herrera directed her statement in particular to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).
“I am calling on the DILG, CHEd, as well as DepEd, to exercise zero tolerance on all forms of hazing by fraternities, sororities, and other groups. Zero tolerance through a ‘one strike policy’ that results in the blacklisting and ‘persona non grata’ status of any group and persons who conduct, authorize, protect, or provide assistance to conduct hazing,” she said.
“The Anti-Hazing Law has enough provisions, measures, and safeguards. It is now up to the implementers to tighten the implementation at the local government level and with better execution with LGUs [local government units],” she added.
According to Herrera, it seems fraternities are now more active outside campuses to avoid being monitored by school authorities.
“It is now up to the DILG mainly to improve the capacity of LGUs to implement the law, especially on community-based fraternities, sororities, and gangs. Help the LGUs, especially the barangays, to register all of these groups and their members. Identify them so it will be easier to monitor and make arrests when there are violations,” she said.
“Hazing and these frats and gangs should be treated as criminality and peace and order priorities so that the LGUs will take better action,” she added.
The death of Salilig has drawn condemnation from different circles, with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez offering a P500,000 reward for anyone who could provide information that would lead to the arrest of those involved in the hazing.
According to police reports, the Adamson student’s body was found in a grassy area in Barangay Malagasang of Imus, Cavite.
Imus police case investigator Sgt. Jessie Villanueva told INQUIRER.net on Tuesday said that they were looking at fraternity-related violence, as Salilig was said to be attending the initiation rites of a fraternity in Laguna when he went missing.
Nine persons of interest who have been tagged in the incident are still at large, while three have voluntarily come forward to give their statements to the police.
Keeping an eye on fraternities
Meanwhile, former Rep Alfredo Garbin of the Ako Bicol party list, where he is now executive director, appealed to LGUs and even telecommunication companies to be on the lookout for fraternities that might be engaged in hazing.
Garbin, one of the authors of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 and a member of the well-known fraternity Tau Gamma Phi, also asked Adamson University to expel students involved in the killing of Salilig.
“I appeal to the mayors and police to disband and crush the fraternities or groups responsible for John Matthew Salilig’s death and for the killing of other hazing victims,” Garbin said.
“I request Adamson University to expel any student of theirs, if any, who invited John Matthew Salilig to join the fraternity and initiation. I ask the DOJ to enlist Dr. Raquel Fortun to conduct a thorough autopsy of the remains of John Matthew Salilig and to direct the NBI to secure all physical, forensic, and cyber evidence to ensure the arrest and conviction of the criminals who tortured and took the life of John Matthew Salilig,” he added.