https://studentaffairs.lehigh.

edu/content/what-hazing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hazing_deaths_in_the_Philippines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternities_and_sororities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Hazing_Act_of_1995
http://www.chanrobles.com/antihazinglaw.htm#.WjOwMUqWbIU
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/183279-fast-facts-anti-hazing-law-philippines
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/infographic/09/27/17/deaths-caused-by-hazing
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/specialreports/626256/hazing-deaths-in-phl-
1954-present/story/
https://www.rappler.com/nation/161836-hazing-cases-philippines
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/09/27/Frat-related-deaths-anti-hazing-law-Horacio-
Castillo-Guillo-Servando.html
http://reporter.ph/famous-cases-of-hazing-in-the-philippines/
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/09/27/horacio-atio-castillo-timeline.html
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/627270/lacson-amend-not-repeal-anti-
hazing-law/story/
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/627339/zubiri-wants-amended-anti-
hazing-law-passed-before-december/story/
http://www.eaglenews.ph/senate-wants-proposed-amendment-to-anti-hazing-law-passed-
before-december/
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/933436/solons-push-to-speed-up-passage-of-anti-hazing-law-
amendments
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/626338/solon-says-anti-hazing-law-
allows-hazing-must-be-overhauled/story/

In 2012, former law professor and now Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te wrote
that “by not defining hazing as a criminal act per se, subject to specific very narrowly-
drawn exceptions, the law itself guarantees that hazing will continue.” (READ: Death and
brotherhood)
The law also does not entirely cover the effects on mental health of an applicant – only if
he or she becomes "insane, imbecile." Imagine the number of now-members who were
subjected to the paddle and fortunately left physically “unscathed” but left
withpsychological scars.

We've been through this before: collective grief, a chorus of condemnation, a call for
reforms. We grieve each time a young life is lost to hazing. We go through the motions of
self-flagellation. And then we forget.
The death by hazing of Guillo Cesar Servando on June 28, 2014 has sparked vigorous
debates on all aspects related to fraternities and the secret rituals they go through – as if
these were new to us. Should schools ban fraternities and sororities altogether? Or should
they merely regulate them? The question is made complicated by the fact that Servando's
school, De La Salle University-College of St Benilde, in fact bans students from joining
fraternities and sororities. Student groups have likewise renewed calls to amend the anti-
hazing law to put it more teeth. Others have started to campaign for more transparency
among fraternities, arguing that the more open an organization is, the more it tends to
obey rules.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, the most prominent member of the APO fraternity, warned
that those guilty of killing Servando will pay the price. Would he have said the same had
his own fraternity, not the Tau Gamma Phi, been the one involved in the crime? And what
has this top official done in the past to convince us he stands solidly against hazing, a
ritual that is as old as politics itself?
Worse than posturing is silence – which is deafening in the corridors of power where men
and women belonging to fraternities and sororities walk side by side with apathy. For
every hazing death that hogs the headlines we hear nothing from them. They – who easily
craft petitions against corrupt presidents or quickly release statements against wrong
policies or strongly lobby for the resignation of inefficient bureaucrats – suddenly turn
mute in the face of mortality made real and bloody by hazing.
Fraternities, after all, usually make the pain caused by hazing worth it. Beyond giving
members tickets to sure employment, these organizations pave the road to success,
wealth, and key positions in public and private sectors. Members of Sigma Rho, Upsilon,
Aquila and Utopia fraternities, for example, hold key positions in all branches of
government, most specifically the judiciary. Some of our country's most well-connected
businessmen, politicians and lawyers have gone through all the rituals of fraternities, to
include hazing. This isn't true only in the Philippines. Some of the most famous and
infamous names on Wall Street belong to the top fraternities in America. Various
estimates show about a quarter of the biggest CEOs in the United States belong to a
fraternity or sorority.
Yet every single year young students die due to hazing. We sometimes hear about these
deaths, but we also often don't.
In the Philippines, we have an anti-hazing law that does not criminalize hazing, and the
fact that it passed speaks well of our lawmakers' respect for the secret and medieval
rituals of these organizations. The title itself says it all: it is an act to "regulate" hazing.
Other countries have declared it illegal, finding no sense to regulate a violent act. In the
US, more than 40 states have already made hazing illegal.
This is the least that our powerful men and women could do to make up for their long
years of silence. For them to collectively condemn hazing and pave the way for its ban
and criminalization. All other recommendations – making fraternities more transparent,
building a non-violent environment, creating a counter-culture that fosters respect for
human life – require a cultural revolution, which is a tall order for people who have
managed to justify and accept violence through their silence.
To the powers that be: ban hazing, make it a crime. And help us realize this one step
toward a more modern, less medieval society. - Rappler.com
https://www.rappler.com/views/63198-editorial-cartoon-hazing

The Anti-Hazing Law

Passed in 1995, Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law regulates initiation rites and
prohibits physical harm and violence against applicants.
It was the death of Ateneo law student Leonardo Villa in 1991 that resulted in its passage.
The law mandates that no hazing or initiation rites shall be allowed without prior written
notice to the school authorities or head of organization seven days before the conduct. At
least two representatives of the school or organization must also be present during
initiation to ensure that violence will not be employed.
The law also states that “if the person subjected to hazing or other forms of initiation rites
suffers any physical injury or dies as a result thereof, the officers and members of the
fraternity, sorority or organization who actually participated in the infliction of physical
harm shall be liable as principals.”
Life imprisonment will be imposed on individuals involved if initiation rites result in
death, rape, sodomy or mutilation.
Since it was enacted under former President Fidel Ramos, several neophytes attempting
to join fraternities and sororities have incurred injuries or died in brutal and unregulated
initiation rites.
In 22 years, only 1 conviction
While the law is still in place, many of the reported deaths due to hazing since 2000 did
not lead to justice for the victim's families.
Over two decades since its passage, there has only been one conviction for hazing. In
2015, the Supreme Court found two Alpha Phi Omega members guilty of violating the
law for the death of University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) student Marlon
Villanueva in 2006.
In 2015, Anthony Javier, a student at the Western Mindanao State University in
Zamboanga City died after hazing by the Tau Gamma Phi WMSU-chapter. The year
before, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde student Guillo Cesar Servando was also
killed in hazing rites of a chapter of the same fraternity.
In 2013, John Mark Dugan, a 19-year-old sophomore marine cadet at the Maritime
Academy of Asia and the Pacific died of hazing.
San Beda law students Marc Andre Marcos and Marvin Reglos were killed in separate
hazing rites by different fraternities in 2012. The accused in Marcos' death were cleared
of charges in 2013 for lack of probable cause.
READ: Hazing deaths in the Philippines: A recent history
Proposed amendments
For Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Castillo’s death shows
that fraternities have not learned “the tragic and painful lessons of previous fatal hazing
incidents."
Lawmakers from the lower and upper house have filed separate bills seeking to amend
the 22-year-old Anti-Hazing Law.
Majority leader Tito Sotto filed Senate Bill 223 last year which seeks to impose
maximum penalty in instances when hazing is committed under the influence of illegal
drugs and liquor and when there is a presence of non-resident or alumni fraternity
members during hazing.
Gatchalian, meanwhile, believes the current Anti-Hazing Law is not effective in stopping
fraternities, sororities and other organizations from hazing their new recruits.
“The Anti-Hazing Law must be overhauled to eliminate loopholes and ensure that all
persons responsible for these cruel and senseless hazing deaths will be held accountable
to the full extent of the law. It's time for the Senate to take up this proposed legislation,”
he said.
Gatchalian's Senate Bill 199 seeks to prohibit all forms hazing. Only initiation rites or
practices which do not inflict physical or psychological suffering or injury to the
applicant shall be allowed.
The measure also poses stiffer penalties to those involved in hazing. Aside from life
imprisonment, a fine of P3 million will be imposed if hazing results in death, rape,
sodomy and mutilation.
If non-resident and intoxicated or under the influence of illegal drugs individuals
participate in hazing, they will face life imprisonment and a fine of P2 million.
Imprisonment ranging from 20 to 40 years and a fine P1 million will be imposed on
participating members and officers involved in hazing.
Gatchalian likewise wants schools to educate their students regarding the consequences
of conducting and participating in hazing.
Just like Gatchalian’s bill, House Bill 3467 authored by Dy also seeks to make all kinds
of hazing illegal.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/09/21/1740694/anti-hazing-law-22-years-1-
conviction
As the Senate looks into the fatal hazing of a University of Santo Tomas law student, the
House of Representatives is considering a bill that would repeal the 22-year-old Anti-
Hazing Law and prohibit the practice in schools and communities.
The House justice subcommittee on prosecutorial reforms on Tuesday approved House
Bill No. 3467, or the proposed Revised Anti-Hazing Law, which would enforce standards
against hazing rites stricter than those provided in Republic Act No. 8049.
The bill seeks to prohibit hazing and regulates initiation rites by student or community
organizations, including fraternities and sororities.
Not just regulation but ban
“The main difference is that in RA 8049 we were regulating hazing, as opposed to this,
where we are prohibiting hazing,” said Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy,
a principal author of the proposal.
The bill seeks to bar any fraternity, sorority or youth organization from inflicting not only
physical injuries but also psychological injuries, she said.
Herrera-Dy said the bill made a distinction between “hazing” and “initiation rites,” and
expanded its coverage to include community-based organizations.
Some of the pertinent changes include requiring fraternities, sororities and other
organizations to register with schools or local governments.
Another is the requirement to assign a faculty adviser who would be responsible for
monitoring the activities of fraternities and sororities in schools.
“Another highlight of the bill is impermissible defenses so that consent of the victim shall
not exempt the perpetrator from liability,” Herrera-Dy said.
Before Castillo’s death
“This is so that the child’s waiver shall no longer be used as an excuse to be exempted,”
she said.
Penalties under RA 8049 would be retained, including for death and physical injuries.
The justice committee chair, Reynaldo Umali, clarified that the committee had begun
working on the bill even before the hazing death of UST law student Horacio Castillo III.
His panel invited several resource persons to give inputs on the bill.
Deputy Supreme Court Administrator Raul Villanueva, speaking in a personal capacity,
proposed that school authorities be made accountable whether or not any death or
physical injury resulted from hazing.
He also suggested that school heads be held accountable whether or not they were aware
there was hazing.
“To my mind, it can be legislated that whether or not there is knowledge, so long as there
is death or serious physical injury, it may enjoin school heads that these activities are
really regulated,” he said.
Once the bill is approved by the mother committee, the justice panel chaired by Umali,
the proposed measure will be tabled for plenary debate.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/933671/house-justice-subcommittee-approves-

anti-hazing-law-revisions#ixzz51KT37K9h
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Former senator Joey Lina, the author of the Anti-Hazing Law of 1995, admitted on
Monday that it is very difficult to file charges against individuals who were supposedly
involved in hazing rites.
"It's very difficult to identify, charge and punish those who were involved in hazing
because you have to prove, number one intent to commit a wrong among the legal...
number two we have to prove that the person accused was the one who inflicted the
injury whether it resulted in physical or psychological injury," Lina said during the Senate
probe on the death of Horacio "Atio" Castillo III.
"It's a question of the entire criminal justice system. A law is only as good as it is
enforced or implemented. This Republic Act 8049 precisely crafted by the 9th congress to
address a gap in our legal system. What is that gap? There is no crime called hazing
whether in the revised penal code or under the special laws," Lina added.
Senator Miguel Zubiri earlier pointed out that the current Anti-Hazing Law has loopholes
that allow suspects to be acquitted.
The senator said he wants all forms of hazing to be prohibited as the current law only
regulates it.
Under the Section 3 of the anti-hazing law, "no hazing or initiation rites in any form or
manner by a fraternity, sorority or organization shall be allowed without prior written
notice to the school authorities or head of organization seven (7) days before the conduct
of such initiation.
"The written notice shall indicate the period of the initiation activities which shall not
exceed three (3) days, shall include the names of those to be subjected to such activities,
and shall further contain an undertaking that no physical violence be employed by
anybody during such initiation rites," it added.
It further states in Section 4 that penalties include life imprisonment if a person dies after
being subjected to hazing.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, for his part, filed Senate Bill 199 in 2016, which includes a
provision that instead of castigating fraternities, sororities, or organizations involved in
the death of new recruits, it would prohibit hazing per se, or the very act of hazing.
The bill only allows initiation methods that do not inflict direct or indirect physical or
psychological injury on neophytes. — BAP, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/627162/author-of-anti-hazing-law-it-s-
not-easy-to-punish-people-involved-in-hazing/story/

The author of the country's anti-hazing law says the death of a law student from alleged
fraternity hazing rites means "many of our young people still do not conform with the
law."
Former Senator Joey Lina, author of Republic Act (RA) No. 8049, or the Anti-Hazing
Law of 1995, spoke to News Night Monday about the death of Horacio Tomas Castillo III
and said fraternity initiation rites that inflict injury are illegal.
Lina said, "A law is meant to establish standards of behavior and it's up to the young
people to follow or not to follow the standards."
Lina raised the case of two students from UP Los Baños who were sentenced by the
Supreme Court over the death of a fellow student - the first conviction under RA 8049.
Dandy L. Dungo and Gregorio A. Sibal Jr. were sentenced to life in prison for their
involvement in the death of Marlon Vilanueva.
He also said that even though a law exists, violations can still happen.
Lina said, "Still, there are elements in our society who do not obey the law. If there is
disobedience to the law, then the justice system must now operate."
In the case of Castillo, Lina said, authorities must do all they can to collect the evidence
to "pin down the malefacors, or the ones behind the death of Mr. Castillo."
He added, "The law is only as good as it is followed or implemented. It sets a standard. If
people violate the standard, then they have to follow the consequences."
Section 4 of RA 8049 states: "If the person subjected to hazing or other forms of initiation
rites suffers any physical injury or dies as a result thereof, the officers and members of
the fraternity, sorority or organization who actually participated in the infliction of
physical harm shall be liable as principals."
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/09/19/Former-senator-on-alleged-hazing-death-
justice-system-must-operate.html