Fratman names 6 behind Atio’s death
THE Senate on Wednesday released the testimony of John Paul Solano, in which he identified six Aegis Juris Fraternity members whom he saw at the fraternity library where UST freshman law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo 3rd died from hazing.
Solano, 22, a medical technologist, gave the testimony on Sept. 25 in an executive session. Senators were forced to release it because Solano had yet to execute a sworn testimony to help speed up the case.
The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs and the Committee on Justice and Human Rights resumed a joint probe into the death of Castillo on September 17 after the initiation rites of the Aegis Juris law fraternity.
According to Solano, the fratmen whom he saw at the library were Zack Abulencia, Arvin Balag, Axel Munro Hipe, Oliver John Audrey “Ojay” Onofre, Dan Ragos, and Mark Anthony Ventura.
Hipe, Onofre, Ventura, and Balag declined to answer questions from the senator regarding their alleged participation in the hazing, and invoked their rights against selfincrimination. Abulencia and Ragos did not attend the probe.
The Senate cited Balag in contempt after he evaded almost all the questions of the senators. Solano said Balag was the GP or grand praefectus, the president of the fraternity.
“We cite resource persons in contempt very sparingly. We are very careful because you are denying them their liberty, their freedom. But we will not allow them to make the committee look like a fool,” said Lacson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order.
Balag was detained in one of the rooms at the Senate parking lot.
Solano scolded
Solano said he evaded police questioning for a while but eventually he decided to “surrender.”
He said University of Santo Tomas law dean Nilo Divina had encouraged him to “tell the truth” amid insinuations that he failed to stop the hazing of Castillo.
“One thing that is clearly established in this proceeding was that I have no liability, I have no culpability. I have no knowledge prior to this incident and I was not party to any cover-up so there’s no way that I could be liable,” Divina said in a chance interview.
It was also Balag who told Solano to lie to the Chinese General Hospital staff that he just saw Castillo sprawled on the road in Balut, Tondo.
Solano tried to prevent the Senate from allowing Lacson, by virtue of Resolution 529, to make public his testimony on the ground that he had
But Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, author of the resolution that was adopted by 21 senators on October 12, scolded Solano for trying to stop the “Mr. Solano, ginagagomobaang
aming committee. (Are you trying to fool our committee?) Do you want to disrespect our committee?” Zubiri asked.
Solano replied, “No, your honor.”
‘ Trangia not in frat library’
Solano’s testimony also indicated that Ralph Trangia, one of the suspects in the fatal hazing, was not at the Aegis Juris fraternity library.
Trangia, accompanied by his moth- just days after Castillo’s death.
It was reported that the pick-up vehicle used in bringing Castillo to the Chinese General Hospital was registered to Trangia’s father, Antonio. It was driven by the family driver, Romeo Laboga.
US with her son but she invoked her right against self-incrimination country after the death of Castillo.
Chat group cover-up
Facebook chat messages intercepted by the Manila police indicated that some members of the Aegis Juris had planned not to cooperate with any investigation on the death of hazing victim Horacio Castillo 3rd.
Senior Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel, Manila Police District (MPD) chief, was able to discover this after he requested the Philippine National Police Anti-Cyber Crime Group to “provide technical assistance for the exploitation of information on social media accounts of the suspects involved in the death Castillo.”
It was Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian who asked Coronel about his request from the PNP Anti-Cyber Crime Group.
Coronel said, “During the course of the investigation of the hazing incident, we received several [pieces of] information, particularly social media communication or exchanges of information, which we believe [were] published or reported and communicated by members of these fraternity members pertaining to the [hazing] of Atio Castillo.”
“There were two threads which were submitted to the anti-cyber - - tion. In these social media exchanges of information, it was indicated that several fraternity members, not only residents but also alumni, were aware of the death of Atio Castillo even in the early morning hours of September 17 when Atio was brought to Chinese General Hospital,” Coronel said.
Gatchalian also asked Coronel to a discussion at Novotel in Cubao.
“Apparently a social chat page or Facebook page was put up by members of the Aegis Juris fraternity discussing the ways, means and actions that they will take regarding the investigation of (case of) Atio Castillo,” Coronel said.
“We have monitored that several members of this fraternity met in the Novotel purposely to discuss their actions to be taken in this investigation,” the MPD chief said.
“Based on the exchange of communication, it would appear that the tendency of the fraternity to conceal or obstruct justice was very evident. They would like to evade, avoid at all cost investigation and prosecution of this case.”
Atty. Marvi Abo, Bryan Bangui, Atty. Cecilio Jimeno, Atty. Alston Kevin Anarna, Atty. Ferdinand Rogelio, Atty. Edzel Bert Canlas, Atty. Cesar Ocampo Ona, Arvin Balag, Jose Miguel Salamat, Atty. Gaile Dante Acuzar Caraan 3rd, Atty. Henry Pablo Jr., Atty. Michael Vito, Atty. Cesar Monga dela Fuente, Atty. Nino Cervanes, Ronald Cheng, Atty. Manuel Angelo Ventura 3rd, Milfen Alvarado, and Atty. Chet Villaroman.