Fratmen face court for Atio hazing death

The Manila regional trial court (RTC) judge hearing the hazing case involving members of the Aegis Juris fraternity will proceed with the determination of probable cause, denying their bid to suspend the issuance of an arrest warrant.

The fraternity members charged for the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III faced their first hearing before Judge Alfredo Ampuan on Friday.

The judge denied respondThe ent Ralph Trangria’s motion to suspend the issuance of an arrest warrant pending his appeal before the Department of Justice, which indicted the fraternity men for hazing.

Ampuan said a motion to suspend an arrest warrant is among the prohibited motions under the Supreme Court guidelines for a continuous trial.

The judge also denied outright a similar motion filed by accused Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo for judicial determination of probable cause.

Meanwhile, the court set hearings for bail sought by Rodrigo, Mhin Wei Chan, Jose Miguel Salamat, John Robin Ramos and Aegis Juris fraternity leader Arvin Balag only after the determination of probable cause.

The court also gave the prosecution time to comment on the fraternity men’s motion seeking to quash the case and well as their bid to discharge as a witness Marc Anthony Ventura, who detailed how the fraternity men took turns paddling and beating up Castillo at the fraternity library in September last year.

The fraternity men contended that Castillo could not have died of the bruises he sustained during the alleged hazing rite.

Castillo’s death, which was investigated by the Senate, raised anew the debate on the hazing rites prevalent in universities despite a law banning hazing.

The Anti-Hazing Law or Republic Act 8049 imposes life imprisonment for deaths due to hazing. The information filed against the fraternity men, with bright futures ahead of them as law students, is a non-bailable offense.