Police get new witnesses on UP frat killing

Four witnesses have come forward to shed light on the killing of 19-year-old Den Daniel Reyes, which stemmed from a brawl between the Alpha Phi Beta (APB) and the Sigma Rho fraternity groups inside the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus in Quezon City last week.

Police investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Central Police District said at least four students, two of them Sigma Rhoans, have provided probers details of what really transpired last Thursday night.

CID deputy head Superintendent Cecilio Aguilar said the witnesses gave police investigators possible leads to the identities of the UP students involved in Reyes' brutal death.

Quezon City police officials, however, said it was too early for the police to file charges against any student.

In a related development, the APB vowed to file criminal charges this week against three to five members of the rival Sigma Rho fraternity group for the incident.

APB lawyers are now preparing affidavits of several witnesses claiming Sigma Rhoans Fulgencio Factoran III alias Bibit; Gil Taway and Marshal Rongo were the ones who attacked Reyes in a dimly-lit portion street between the Ipil Residence Hall near the UP College of Law on Thursday night.

Factoran is a son of former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Fulgencio Factoran Jr.

APB spokesperson Joel Erestain branded as "illogical" Sigma Rho's claims that the attack started from the APB.

"Their story is totally untrue, if not illogical," he told The STAR. Erestain, a second year UP law student, pointed out that Reyes was attacked from the back.

The APB maintained that Reyes was walking towards the Yakal Residence Hall when he was assaulted.

Despite the preventive suspension issued by UP Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ma. Theresa Jazmines against the officers of the two law-based fraternities, both groups refused to declare a truce and continued hurling accusations over the media.

In a related development, Sen. Gregorio Honasan sought over a weekend a review of the Anti-Hazing law which he said has failed to curb campus violence.

"The law is supposed to serve as deterrent, but recent reports indicated that certain fraternities or groups still resort to the prohibited initiation rites which allow senseless brutalities before their new recuits could be accepted as members," he said. -- With Perseus Echeminada