Angara: College of St. Benilde also liable for hazing victim’s death

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MANILA – Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said on Thursday that the College of St. Benilde must be held accountable for subsidiary liabilities for the death of the hazing victim, Guillio Cesar Servando.

Servando, a sophomore student of St. Benilde, was reported to have died because of severe physical injuries he allegedly acquired from a hazing initiation conducted by members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity.

“Under the Family Code, schools, for example, kapag naaksidente ‘yung anak mo, may (when your child meets an accident, have) subsidiary liabilities. In the same way, that principle should also be applied (to victims of hazing by) fraternities,” Angara said in a Philippine Star Report .

Angara, who is a lawyer belonging to the University of the Philippine’s SigmaRho fraternity said that this same principle is adopted by the Anti-Hazing Law.

“In fact, it is (the school’s role) to be aware of what’s going on, and to have a — (for) each fraternity to be recognized, you must have a faculty adviser under the law,” he said.

He also cited that in UP, a faculty adviser is required for each fraternity so that he or she will be “administratively liable” for any transgressions committed by the group.

“That’s what happens in UP. There are faculty advisers. Kapag may nangyari na gulo, may nag-rumble for example ‘yung mga fraternities, pinapatawag ‘yung mga advisers. ‘Mag-usap kayo, ano ba’ng nangyari dyan’ (When trouble erupts, for example if fraternities engage in rumbles, the advisers arer summoned. ‘You talk, what happened here’)?” Angara said.

Reviewing the Anti-Hazing Law, Angara said the owner of the house where the initiation happened is also liable for the student’s death.

“And let’s run after everybody who was involved. Under the anti-hazing law, kahit wala ka doon nu’nghazing, kapag ikaw ang may-ari nu’ng bahay at alam mong may hazing doon, liable ka din.Mananagot ka rin dapat. Kapg ikaw ay officer ng fraternity, kahit wala ka doon, kahit hindi ka nag-paddle (even if you were not there during the hazing, if you own the house and you knew there was hazing there, you are liable. You should be held accountable too. If you are an officer of the fraternity, even if you weren’t there, even if you did not wield the paddle),” he said.

Despite what happened, Angara, like other senators who are also members of fraternities, said it is not necessary to ban fraternities.

“I don’t think you can do that that would be unconstitutional because the freedom of association is guaranteed under (the Constitution). A fraternity is just an association; it’s an aggrupation of persons.Hindi mo puwedeng ipagbawal ‘yan (You cannot ban that),” Angara said.

With reports from Philippine Star