Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said it cannot be guaranteed that there will be zero hazing-related incidents upon the signing of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018.
“Honestly, probably we still have several cases [of hazing] that are not being reported to authorities. We cannot immediately expect a zero-crime incident even after that law was signed,” the PNP chief said.
However, he assured that despite the fact that total eradication of hazing cannot happen now, it will, at least, be minimized. But in due time, such initiation ceremony will eventually be eliminated.
“That’s the way it is. There is a time for adjustment and we will do that little by little until eventually, it will be eradicated,” Albayalde said.
He cited the improvement that’s already happening in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), where records of hazing incident have been decreasing.
While he admitted the presence of hazing rites in PMA, Albayalde defended that the practice is viewed as a “cherished tradition.”
(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 07/ 13 /18)