Witness names 23 fratmen in Atio hazing

The state witness in the fatal hazing of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III has implicated 23 brothers in the Aegis Juris fraternity as the Department of Justice (DOJ) added UST Faculty of Civil Law dean Nilo Divina and 46 other individuals considered as new “persons of interests” in the case to the immigration lookout bulletin.

In a six-page affidavit submitted to the DOJ, Marc Anthony Ventura said the 23 members of the fraternity were present during Castillo’s initiation rites held in their library last Sept. 17. Ventura, a member of the fraternity who

participated in the hazing and is now under the witness protection program (WPP), gave nine new names – Edric Pilapil, Zach Abulencia, Daniel Ragos, Dave Felix, Sam Cagalingan, Alex Cairo, Luis Kapulong, Kim Cyrill Roque and Ged Villanueva – as he confirmed the participation of their fraternity president Arvin Balag, master initiator Axel Munro Hipe and 12 other members – Ralph Trangia, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Mhin Wei Chan, Daniel Hans Matthew Rodrigo, Karl Matthew Villanueva, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Marcelino Bagtang, Zimon Padro, Jose Miguel Salamat, Leo Lalusis, Alex Bose and Robin Ramos – alwas ready charged before the DOJ.

Ventura also recalled a female companion of Bose present in the library during the initiation rites.

The initiation rites started at 2 a.m. with a prayer so that nothing untoward would happen during the process, according to the witness.

He said they required Castillo to do some stretching before proceeding with the rites, which included punching the neophyte’s arms and hitting him with paddles.

Castillo collapsed after the fourth hit of the paddle at around 5 a.m. Another member with medical background, John Paul Solano, was summoned to help revive him.

When Solano failed to revive Castillo, they decided to bring him to the Chinese General Hospital, where the neophyte declared dead on arrival.

Ventura is among 37 respondents facing charges for murder, robbery, violation of the Anti-Hazing Law, perjury and obstruction of justice in the DOJ.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II explained that because of his coverage in the WPP, Ventura will eventually be dropped as one of the respondents in the complaints filed by the Manila Police District and Castillo’s parents which are currently undergoing preliminary investigation in the DOJ.

LBO vs 47 more fratmen

The DOJ also issued a third lookout bulletin order (LBO) against 47 individuals charged and implicated in the case.

Apart from Divina, also in the list are trustees of the Aegis Foundation Inc., which occupies the frat library where the hazing was conducted: Arthur Capili, William Merginie, Cezar Tirol, Oscar Ce, Alexander Flores, Alvin Dysangco, Emmanuel Velasco, Henry Pablo, Gabriel Robeniol, Michael Joseph Fernandez, Allan Christopher Agati, Paulino Yusi, Arnel Bernardo and Edwin Uy.

Both Divina and Capili are also trustees, based on the complaint, while Velasco died in 2013.

The new order brought to 67 the total number of individuals now covered by the LBO in connection with Castillo’s fatal hazing.

“In order not to frustrate the ends of justice to ensure that persons-of-interests shall remain within our jurisdiction, and considering the gravity of the offense, there is a strong possibility that they may attempt to place themselves beyond the reach of the legal process by leaving the country,” the DOJ explained in its order, which was addressed to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente and acting Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan Jr.

It required all immigration officers to be on the lookout for the subjects should any one of them pass through the immigration counters in any of the country’s international airports and seaports.

They are also told to immediately coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to obtain additional information about the subjects of the order.

Unlike a hold departure order issued by a court, which automatically prevents the subjects from leaving the country, the LBO is issued for monitoring purposes only, just like the previous watchlist order.

Individuals listed in the immigration LBO may be allowed to leave the country after securing an allow departure order from the DOJ.

Aguirre said the names as subject of the latest LBO were cited in the Senate inquiry on the hazing case.

‘Unfortunate’

Divina yesterday vowed to comply with what he dubbed as an “unfortunate” decision of the DOJ to include him in the LBO.

“It is an unfortunate but not entirely unexpected development,” Divina said in a statement.

“It is clear that I have no liability because I have no prior actual knowledge of the alleged hazing incident and I am not a party to any cover-up. Nevertheless, I will comply with whatever order the DOJ may issue,” he added.

Divina, an alumnus of the fraternity, denied knowledge of the hazing and stressed that he took a leave of absence from Aegis Juris when he became dean.

He reiterated his commitment to help in the probe of Castillo’s death.

“In fact, I just came from two overseas business trips. In both cases, I had to cut short my trip and adjust my schedule to be able to attend to Senate committee and DOJ hearings,” he said,

“I am committed to fulfill my duties that require my presence. At the same time, I will not hesitate to challenge any act which transgresses my right. I remain confident that in time my name will be cleared and I will be vindicated,” added Divina.

Follow Ventura’s example

Divina welcomed the decision of Ventura to cooperate with the DOJ in the quest for justice for Castillo’s death and called on their other frat members to follow suit.

“The decision of Mark Ventura… to come out and shed light on the facts is a most welcome development... I trust that Mr. Ventura tell the whole truth in the spirit of remorse. I hope that others will follow suit,” he said in a statement.

Divina also lauded Aguirre for his “relentless efforts” in finding witnesses in the case.

“This only shows his commitment to ferret out the truth and bring to justice those who may be responsible,” he stressed.

Final Senate hearing?

The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs will hold on Nov. 6 what could be its final hearing on Castillo’s hazing death even as senators welcomed the confession of Ventura.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the committee, welcomed Ventura’s move but said “it’s still a long way to go before justice is finally served.”

Lacson said that after consultations with members of the committee, the panel will hold its hearing on the incident on Nov. 6 “to possibly wrap up the inquiry.”

He added that the committee will soon introduce pertinent legislation to strengthen Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law “with the end in view of avoiding future deaths or physical harm on young people like Atio Castillo III.”

MPD moving with caution

Meanwhile, Manila Police District (MPD) spokesman Supt. Erwin Margarejo said they will not question DOJ’s decision on Ventura’s fate “because they have the judicial authority to decide.”

“However, we are still waiting for his under-oath statement because we still have to assess his motive in coming out and we are very cautious in handling this case,” Margarejo told The STAR.

He said Ventura’s decision to surface is a welcome development for the MPD “and if he is sincere, we thank him for telling the truth.”

“We just hope that he is not a Trojan horse in the end,” he added.

But the MPD gave assurance that Solano’s case is different and he is not yet off the hook just because he was not present in the initiation rites.

“The mere fact that Mr. Solano has the body of Mr. Castillo means that he has a lot of explaining to do,” Margarejo said.