UP ‘fraternity incident’ bared but execs mum

Days before a fraternity neophyte died in Manila allegedly due to hazing injuries on Saturday, another student spent a week in the hospital also after taking a beating from his fraternity recruiters, this time from the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City.

The Inquirer learned from sources that the 17-year-old UP student underwent initiation rites at the hands of members of Upsilon Sigma Phi inside a building in Quezon City.

The student was confined for a week at St. Luke’s Medical Center also in Quezon City and was discharged on June 23.

The UP Diliman administration issued a statement Thursday confirming that there was a “fraternity incident” but said it was not giving details pending an investigation.

“The Diliman administration is in touch with the family. They want justice but also want to keep their privacy,” said UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan in a statement posted on the university’s official Facebook page. Tan writes a column for the Inquirer.

The Inquirer tried to reach Tan for an interview but he did not pick up his phone. He  sent a text message saying he was in Taiwan.

The Facebook post, titled “Official Statement of UP Diliman on the Fraternity Incident,” stressed that “we respect their (family’s) decision and therefore cannot give details about the case even as we continue with our investigation.”

The paper also contacted a family member of the UP student, but the family declined requests for an interview.

Sources said the matter was raised by Sen. Pia Cayetano, who sits in the UP Board of Regents as chair of the Senate committee on higher education, during a board meeting on June 30. Cayetano could not be immediately reached for comment.

Upsilon’s members include Alfredo Pascual, the current UP president.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has yet to receive any report or complaint about the hazing incident, according to QCPD director Chief Supt. Richard Albano.

“If there is [such a case], I encourage [the victim’s family] to come out. Report it to the police so we can give it the proper attention,” Albano told reporters. Erika Sauler and Jaymee T. Gamil