Senators seek stiffer penalties on schools after Adamson student’s hazing death

Senate of the Philippines | INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The Tau Gamma Phi fraternity did not secure a permit from Adamson University when it conducted the initiation rites that took the life of chemical engineering student John Matthew Salilig through hazing.

Daniel Perry, the “master initiator” of the fraternity’s Adamson chapter, was asked by Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Tuesday if they knew they were violating the law when they proceeded with the hazing.

“Opo (Yes),” he said during a hearing on Tuesday by the Senate committees on justice and human rights, and public order and dangerous drugs.

READ: Senate probes Adamson student’s hazing death 

Perry had been the master initiator for three Tau Gamma Phi welcoming rites, but he said the fraternity did not seek permission from Adamson for holding such activities.

He also noted that they were not aware that securing a permit was necessary to conduct the welcoming rites.

Dela Rosa further prodded if Tau Gamma Phi was registered as an organization in Adamson, which Perry responded to by shaking his head.

“So tama iyong sinasabi ni Senator Raffy Tulfo na bigyan natin ng mas mabigat na penalty, kung pwedeng reclusion perpetua, pati iyong school administrator kung nagpapabaya sila dahil namamatay ang mga bata,” dela Rosa fumed.

(What Senator Raffy Tulfo was saying is right. We need to have stiffer penalties, maybe reclusion perpetua, to even the school administrators if they were found negligent since children are dying.)

Dela Rosa also cited the loco parentis principle, where parents give parental authority to school officials to control their children for latter’s best interest.

Earlier, Tulfo said he would push for amendments in the Anti-Hazing Act to give more teeth to the law by holding liable school administrators, fraternity members, and even owners of venues where violent initiation rites are conducted, especially if they had knowledge of the hazing but failed to take necessary action.

Under the Anti-Hazing Act, a fraternity, sorority, or organization shall seek permission from school authorities seven days before the conduct of initiation rites.

At least two representatives from the school must be present in the initiation “to see to it that no physical harm of any kind shall be inflicted upon a recruit, neophyte or applicant.”

Not recognized, not covered by school policies

Lawyer Jan Nelin Navallasca, director of Adamson’s Office for Student Affairs, affirmed that Tau Gamma Phi is “not recognized” as an organization in the school.

“In other words, their activities are not covered by our policies,” he told senators.

Navallasca said there are only three fraternities recognized by Adamson under its College of Law. He also said he is cognizant of the existence of other fraternities but “do not know them personally.”

Dela Rosa, however, slammed the school policy of not recognizing other fraternities in their campus, saying this is “tantamount to saying they don’t care about these fraternities.”

“Alam pala ninyo na meron niyan, bakit hindi niyo ni-regulate? Ibig sabihin, naghuhugas-kamay lang kayo,” he pressed.

(You know that they exist, why did you not regulate them? That means you’re just washing your hands on this incident.)

Dela Rosa also cited the loco parentis principle, where parents give parental authority to school officials to control their children for latter’s best interest.

Tulfo further grilled the school for not identifying and summoning fraternity leaders and members to discuss with them the outlawed activities like hazing and harassment, among others.

“Alam mo nga na it exists pero sabi mo, hindi recognized. You should have done something. Ibig sabihin, i-n-u-t-i-l ka,” he added.

(You know it exists, but you said they aren’t recognized. You should have done something. That means you are u-s-e-l-e-s-s.)

But Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (Pacu) legal counsel Anna Maria Abad argued that they were acting on such issues by conducting orientations about school policies and regulations every semester.

“Pasensya na, established iyan na may ginagawa kayo pero kulang pa rin kasi may namatay (I’m sorry, that’s established that you’re doing something about it, but it’s lacking since someone died),” Dela Rosa said.

He then broached the idea of creating a policy that would expel students who insist on forming fraternities in the school.

Taking this suggestion into account, Abad said they have to “tread a delicate balance” since it remains a constitutional right for people to form associations.

An orientation too late

Senator Francis Tolentino, who presided over the hearing, pointed out that while the new semester in Adamson started in January, its in-person seminar on the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, Anti-Bullying, and Drugs Addiction and Resistance Education is only scheduled on Saturday, March 18 – a month after Salilig died.

SCREENSHOT OF ADAMSON UNIVERSITY MEMO / Screengrab from Senate of the Philippines (YouTube)

“We recognize the shortcoming. We scheduled [it] prior to the incident actually, because there were other considerations like academics,” Navallasca, however, explained.

Still Tolentino thought that if the orientation was only scheduled earlier, it may have prevented the violent incident.

“Hindi kaya nagkaroon ng pagkukulang ang unibersidad, ang Adamson? Kung nagawa ito, wala sana tayong hearing ngayon,” he stressed.

(Isn’t this a shortcoming on the part of Adamson? If this was done earlier, we won’t have this hearing now.)

Tolentino then called on Pacu to work with the Commission on Higher Education in ensuring that schools hold these orientations at an appropriate time in order to serve its purpose.

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