Courtesy: The Varsitarian
THE Manila Regional Trial Court has found 10 members of the Aegis Juris fraternity guilty beyond reasonable doubt in the 2017 hazing death of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III.
Acting Presiding Judge Shirley Magsipoc-Pagalilauan of Branch 11 sentenced them to reclusion perpetua for violation of Section 4 (1) of Republic Act No. 8049, the Anti-Hazing Law of 1995. The decision was handed down during a packed promulgation attended by relatives and legal counsels.
Those sentenced were:
Arvin Balag
Mhin Wei Chan
Axel Munro Hipe
Oliver John Audrey Onofre
Joshua Joriel Macabali
Ralph Trangia
John Robin Ramos
Jose Miguel Salamat
Marcelino Bagtang Jr.
Danielle Hans Matthew
They were ordered to jointly and severally pay the relatives of Castillo the following amounts:
P461,800.00 as actual expenses
P75,000 as civil indemnity
P75,000 as moral damages
P75,000 as exemplary damages
All the amounts shall earn interest at the rate of 6% per annum upon finality of the decision until fully paid.
Castillo, a 22-year-old freshman at the university’s Faculty of Civil Law, died from “severe blunt traumatic injuries” after allegedly undergoing the initiation rites of the Aegis Juris fraternity. Police reports indicated that Castillo had extensive bruising on his upper arms and burns from candle wax.
His death sparked widespread calls for stricter anti-hazing legislation, leading to the passage of Republic Act 11053, which prohibits all forms of hazing.
