4 UP-Diliman students hurt in alleged fraternity-related violence

Four students of the University of the Philippines-Diliman were hurt when alleged members of a fraternity struck the victims with baseball bats inside the campus in Quezon City on Thursday afternoon.

A post of UP Alyansa, a student political party, said the students suffered injuries after bonnet-wearing men hit them with baseball bats near the University Computer Center around 4 p.m.

The victims, believed to be members of Alpha Sigma fraternity, asked help from two friends but another group of men hit them.

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According to Superintendent Richard Fiesta, chief of Quezon City Police District’s Anonas Police Station, after attacking the victims, the suspects then fled in a getaway Peugeot van.

A car chase ensued when UP Diliman police ran after the van, which slammed a closed gate in the campus until the police were able to block them along Commonwealth Avenue.

“Five suspects are detained in our station but we can’t confirm if they are UP students as they refused to reveal (further) information about their identities except their names,” Fiesta said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.

The students who were hurt were brought to nearby hospitals to seek medical treatment. As of Friday, all victims have been discharged except for one who is still confined at the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center.

“Right now, we are preparing all documents for the referral of cases to the prosecutor’s office,” Fiesta said.

The suspects will be facing frustrated homicide, malicious mischief and illegal possession of firearms charges.

Two days prior to the incident, UP Alyansa said there had been a similar incident where a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity was mauled.

The student party condemned the recent spate of frat-related violence inside the UP campus.

“Consistent with its unwavering stance against this culture of violence, UP Alyansa calls on the fraternities involved, Alpha Sigma and Upsilon Sigma Phi, to be accountable,” it said in a Facebook post.

“These actions do not prove who among them is the greater fraternity; instead, these actions only showed grave disregard for the welfare of their fellow students,” Alyansa added. IDL