2 Aegis members say they were not present at Atio’s initiation rite

Horacio Tomas Castillo III, a 22-year-old freshman law student at the UST, died of a heart attack after suffering injuries due to hazing, allegedly conducted by some members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity. (Photo by CYRILLE CUPINO / Radyo Inquirer)

Two members of Aegis Juris Fraternity implicated in the death of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio Tomas “Atio” Castillo III sought the dismissal of the complaints filed against them before the Department of Justice (DOJ), claiming they were not present during the initiation rite.

In their separate counter-affidavits filed Thursday before the DOJ panel of prosecutors led by Assistant State Prosecutor Susan Villanueva, Alex Bose and Nathaniel Anarna Jr. said they were not in the perimeters of the UST campus in Manila nor the Aegis Juris fraternity library when the crime happened.

“I was not at the alleged place of incident during the alleged final stages of the initiation of Atio, specifically when the late Atio Castillo was allegedly paddled and subsequently died,” Bose said in his 26-page counter affidavit.

Bose also claimed he did not participate in any manner in the alleged planning, initiation rites, hazing, coverup, meetings, chat messages, robbery and/or other purported criminal activities against the person or property of the late Atio Castillo.

In his 16-page counter-affidavit, Anarna made a similar denial, claiming that he never went to the place of the incident from September 11 to 17, 2017.

“I vehemently and strongly deny all allegations/ accusations against me, the truth of the matter being that I am completely innocent of all offenses charged,” Anarna said.

Anarna said he has never met Castillo.

“I do not know and neither have I ever seen Atio,” Anarna said.

Dead member included in complaint

Anarna said members of the Aegis Juris fraternity were “indiscriminately impleaded” in the case because even a deceased member of the brotherhood, Cavite Provincial Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, was named in the complaint.

Bose and Anarna were two of the 18 fraternity members accused of killing Castillo, a freshman law student and neophyte of the Aegis Juris fraternity.

Fraternity president Arvin Balag, master initiator Axel Hipe and other key respondents, including John Paul Solano and Ralph Trangia, have already filed their counter-affidavits to the DOJ panel last week.

Fraternity member turned state witness Marc Anthony Ventura said 10 Aegis Juris brothers – including Balag, Hipe and Trangia – took turns in hitting Castillo on the wee hours of Sept. 17.

The three have denied the accusations, including Balag who said there was no witness that would prove the “abuse of superior strength” that resulted in the death of Castillo.