Witness recounts events leading to Reglos’ hazing in resort

MANILA, Philippines—”Married men restricted by their wives.” “Men attending a reunion.”

These were some of the excuses allegedly given by several suspects in the killing of alleged hazing victim Marvin Reglos when they were asked by a resort worker why they had no women in their group when they checked in at the resort in Antipolo City where police said the initiation took place on February 19.

A witness, a resort worker who was at the Guillean’s Place resort from the evening of February 18 to the early morning of February19, recounted during the hearing presided over by Antipolo Regional Trial Court Branch 97 Judge Miguel Asuncion, what two of the 20 men said in two conversations at the resort on Feb. 18.

(The Philippine Daily Inquirer is withholding the name of the witness on the request of the Reglos family based on their security concerns.)

The witness was presented by the prosecution in the resumption of the hearing for the petition for bail of two accused—Eric Castillo and Bodjie Yap—on Tuesday.

Although charges of violating the anti-hazing law have also been filed against several others—including Arjay Gregana and Kevin Brian Pe—in connection with Reglos’ death, warrants of arrest have yet to be issued against them.

Gregana, Castillo, Pe and Yap are linked to the Lambda Rho Beta Fraternity, which Reglos, a San Beda law student, was hoping to join.

The witness said he first asked Gregana that question when the fraternity member informed the resort staff that he was going out to buy more liquor for his companions.

According to the witness, Gregana said the bottles of drinks they had initially bought were not enough.  But Gregana was told that he might not find any store still open at that hour.  Gregana did not answer back, after which the witness asked why they had no women in their group.

The witness said Gregana replied that they were all married men and that they were “bantay-sarado” (or restricted by their wives from socializing too much with other women.)

The witness told Rolando Villacorta, one of the counsels of the Reglos family, doing the direct examination that Gregana did not say anything more.

Gregana, he said, re-joined four companions at the swimming pool.

The witness said that in another instance, he approached Pe to ask him the same question.

It was past midnight by then, and Pe was seated on a rocking chair in the premises of the resort, the witness said.

Pe, according to the witness, answered that it was only the boys’ “reunion.”

“What happened after that?” Villacorta asked.

The witness said that he didn’t bother to ask anymore and shifted to other topics, including a discussion on the names of movie stars who shot a movie at the resort.

The conversation ended at around 12:40 a.m., the witness said.

Some 20 minutes later, he said he heard someone shout “Wag Brad! (No brother!)”

The voice, he said, came from the function hall.

When he checked the function hall, he said he saw Reglos kneeling, with some 10 men surrounding him.

The hearing was still ongoing, as of press time.

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer though, Villacorta, said the witness was presented to show that the evidence of guilt against Castillo and Yap was “strong” enough for the judge to reject their petition for bail.

Raffy Ayap, Reglos’ cousin, said that they were hoping that the court would deny Yap’s and Castillo’s petition.