Recall of warrants vs San Beda fratmen in hazing case baffles victim’s kin

Marc Andre Marcos. INQUIRER file photo

SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines — A recent court order withdrawing warrants it had issued for the arrest of some accused in a case involving the suspected hazing death in July 2012 of San Beda law student Marc Andre Marcos has created a lot of questions for his family, one of the victim’s relatives said Wednesday.

The regional trial court in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, on June 3 ordered the arrest of ten members of the Lex Leonum Fraternitas, believed to be responsible for Marcos’ death. However on June 13, the same court recalled the arrest warrants against eight of the accused, after they submitted a motion calling for a judicial determination of probable cause.

Of the ten fraternity members, only Jenno Antonio Villanueva and Glenn Meduen, failed to submit motions, hence they are still “to be arrested,” according to Superintendent Joseph Peñaflor, Dasmariñas City police chief.

The warrants for the arrest of Emmanuel Jefferson Santiago, Richard Rosales, Mohamad Fyzee Alim, Chino Daniel Amante, Julius Alcancia, Edrich Gomez, Dexter Circa and Gian Angelo Veluz were “hereby recalled,” he said.

A relative of the Marcoses said in a telephone interview that the recall order has created more confusion regarding the case.

“The stand of the family now is that we are really confused. Why did the court recall the warrants when it initially already found probable cause” by issuing the warrants, asked the relative, who asked not to be named for fear of being cited in contempt for talking to the media.

The relative, who has knowledge of court procedures, also argued that the accused should have been taken into custody first before “legal remedies become available to them.”

Marcos, a freshman at the San Beda College, died on July 30, 2012, allegedly after undergoing initiation rites of the Lex Leonum Fraternitas.

The police in August last year filed murder charges against 37 people, including Veluz’s parents, Angelito and Violeta, who owned the farm in Dasmariñas City where the hazing rites took place.

The Marcos family filed a motion with the Dasmariñas court, “asking them to explain to us what happened,” the relative said, because of fear that “this might just end up like the case of Marvin Reglos.”

Reglos, also a law student at the San Beda College, died of injuries sustained during hazing allegedly carried out by the Lambda Rho Beta fraternity five months before Marcos’ death.

Citing the long wait for the court to resolve Reglos’ case, his counsel  last week filed a motion to resolve all pending incidents at the Antipolo regional trial court.