Hazing suspects’ parents eye lawsuit vs Manila cops

The parents of the 10 Aegis Juris fraternity members charged with the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law student Horatio “Atio” Castillo III will file criminal and administrative charges against some Manila police officers for allegedly forcibly entering one of the suspects’ house.

In a letter addressed to National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran, the parents claimed that several policemen barged into Ralph Trangia’s house on March 22 in an attempt to implement the arrest warrant issued by a Manila judge.

Along with Arvin Balag, Oliver John Onofre, Mhin Wei Chan, Axel Munro Hipe, Juan Miguel Salamat, John Robin Ramos, Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo, Joshua Joriel Macabali and Marcelino Bagtang, Trangia is charged with violating Republic Act No. 8049 — a nonbailable offense — over Castillo’s death in September.

On March 22, they were ordered arrested by Judge Alfredo Ampuan of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 before he inhibited himself from the case.

In their letter, their parents said that the policemen “did not present any warrant of arrest and neither did they present a search warrant allowing them to enter the house of Trangia.”

Manila Police District (MPD) spokesperson, Supt. Erwin Margarejo, said he did not know whether these police officers were indeed from the MPD although he stressed that they would “always abide by the rule of law provided by our Constitution.”

In the same letter, the accused’s parents also requested that their sons remain in the custody of the NBI, saying they would be in danger should they be transferred to the MPD.