The Philippine Star

Palace open to amending hazing law

- By DELON PORCALLA

alaca an is open to proposals to amend the nti- a - in aw to ive it more teeth and prevent further incidents of violent initiation rites in colle es and universiti­es

f there are efforts to amend the law a ainst ha in in on ress, the overnment, throu h the epartment of ustice and other a encies, is willin to help and cooperate to ma e it more effective, residentia­l ommunicati­ons Operations Office Secretar erminio oloma said dur- in a wee end interview over dzRB.

a e it s a out time to remind us that we should not allow these thin s to happen in allowin our children to oin such or ani ations practicin

hazing, he said

oloma made the statement in re s onse to calls to im ro e the year old nti azing a or e ublic ct follo ing the death of uillo esar er ando, a so homore student of e a alle ni ersity ollege of aint enilde ho succumbed to multi le in uries he sustained during initiation rites of the au amma hi fraternity in a ati ity last ee

t the same time, oloma called on la enforcemen­t agencies to intensify their ongoing in estigation on the death of er ando

ustice has to be ser ed and let those accountabl­e be brought to the bar of us tice, oloma said

resident uino, ho e er, sees no need for the go ernment to im ose a total ban on fraterniti­es in uni ersities and colleges

don t thin there is a need for a full ban hat is not allo ed here is an nti azing a already in the boo s, uino said

o one has to as , hat is lac ing in terms of enforcemen­t that re ents us from e ercising the full enalties embod ied in that la , he said

ll consult our legal e erts and the la enforcemen­t side as to e tensi ely hat more can be done

uino called on the elders in society, ho ha e most robably undergone fra ternity hazing during their time, to hel the schools sto this ractice

uino said he finds hazing irra tional

ill be criticized, am not a member of a fraternity, but to inflict such harm on eo le you ill call brothers really es ca es any logic that can fathom, uino said

nd thin ould li e to call u on all the elders of these arious fraterniti­es e en if you had to undergo the same, isn t it about time that you ere the most acti e in ma ing sure that it sto s he as ed

he atholic isho s onference of the hili ines also called on schools to clam do n on fraterniti­es and secret societies ith iolent rites

resident and ingayen agu an rchbisho ocrates illegas urged atholic schools to ic out teach ers and rofessors ho recruit students for secret societies that include iolence of any form in their initiation rites after obser ing the demands of due rocess

atholic school ought to be a basic ecclesial community ut hoe er has murder, in ury or indignity in his heart for his brothers or sisters has thereby se ered himself from such a community, illegas said in a letter addressed to atholic col leges and uni ersities

illegas said the romotion and rolif eration of societies that ractice iolence by no less than school administra­tors and faculty members of atholic schools are sim ly unacce table to the atholic hierarchy

ot only does such membershi lend a semblance of legitimacy to clandestin­e organizati­ons it is also a counter sign of the e angelical alues that ought to manifest themsel es in the conduct and de ortment of our atholic school teach ers ho are called to be salt of the earth, light of the orld, he said

illegas urged atholic school admin istrators to instead romote legitimate organizati­ons among students

hat this should tell our atholic school administra­tors is that the licit organizati­ons and recognized affiliatio­ns that e resently offer them are not in teresting enough and do not gi e them that sense of security and solidarity that fraterniti­es and li e organizati­ons seem to offer, illegas ointed out

he challenge, therefore, to our atho lic school administra­tors is to foster those organizati­ons, here there is genuine care, here the charity of hrist truly re ails, and here each is concerned that none is in ant of anything that can be su lied he added

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