House passes bill to plug loopholes in Anti-Hazing Law

The House of Representatives last night passed on third and final reading a bill that will plug all loopholes in the AntiHazing Law, by prohibiting all forms of hazing conducted during initiation rites in all fraternities, sororities, and similar organizations in campuses and communities.

Voting 210 in the affirmative and zero negative, the Lower Chamber approved House Bill (HB) 6573, a consolidation of two legislative proposals to repeal Republic Act No. 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law of 1995.

HB 6573 or the Revised Anti Hazing Law is jointly authored by Reps. Eric Olivarez (NP, Parañaque City); Christopher V.P. De Venecia (PDP-Laban, Pangasinan): Florida Robes (PDP-Laban, San Jose del Monte City); Bernadette Herrera-Dy (Bagong Henerasyon Partylist) and Rozzano Rufino Biazon (LP, Muntinlupa City).

Aside from imposing a total ban on all forms of hazing, HB 6573 also provides for the regulation of all forms of initiation or initiation rites as requisite to gaining membership in fraternity, sorority, and other organizations.

The bill also mandates the registration of fraternities, sororities and community-based organizations in schools and local government units.

Olivarez said the bill differentiates initiation and initiation rites from hazing, as the former refers to “ceremonies, practices, rituals and other acts that persons must perform to take part in order to be accepted into a fraternity, sorority or organization.”

Hazing, under the measure, is prohibited at whatever stage of the initiation rite and practice. The act includes pressuring or coercing an individual to violating the law, undergo any brutality of a physical nature; be subjected to unnecessary prolonged exposure to the elements, forcibly consume any food or substance and other activities that would unnecessarily risk physical or psychological harm.

According to Olivarez the bill also increases penalty to a term of 20 years to life if acts committed against the victim result to death, suicide, rape, sodomy or mutilation.

Under the measure, administrative sanctions may be imposed on the accused even before conviction.

The bill makes it mandatory for faculty adviser of a fraternity, sorority and other school- or community-based organizations to monitor their activities.

Also, the presence of any person during the hazing will be considered a prima facie evidence of participation unless that individual undertook measures to prevent the commission of the crime.

The bill also provides that all officers of the organization will be held jointly liable with those members who actually participated in the hazing.