UP president vows to act on alleged hazing incident

MANILA, Philippines - University of the Philippines president Alfredo Pascual, whose fraternity Upsilon Sigma Phi is currently embroiled in an alleged hazing incident, has vowed to punish those who will be found guilty.

“President Pascual will not condone any violation of the university rules or the anti-hazing law,” UP vice president for public affairs Prospero de Vera said in a text message to The STAR.

“(He) will make sure those found guilty will be meted with appropriate punishment,” De Vera added.

On Friday, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan confirmed that the Upsilon Sigma Phi has been implicated in a hazing incident that left a student wounded.

“The family of the victim has authorized me to divulge the name of the fraternity and to say that they would be taking legal action next week. They are requesting for privacy,” said Tan.

He said since the victim is a minor it is important to maintain confidentiality in all aspects of the proceedings, noting the university will respect efforts to protect the identity of the victim. 

He said administrative and legal actions are being initiated by the university.

Tan asked the public to spare the family from more grief as they are going through a crisis.

Upsilon members suspended

Following Tan’s confirmation of the incident, the university student council (USC) suspended three of its officers who are members of the Upsilon fraternity.

“The preventive suspension is not a punishment, but serves as a recourse to protect the integrity of the investigation and the rights of the USC members under suspension,” the USC said in a statement, noting that the suspension is based on its rules.

Suspended until July 14 were USC vice chairman JP delas Nieves, councilor Carl Santos and business administration representative Aaron Letaba.

The USC said it is conducting a fact-finding investigation on the matter.

In a separate post, USC chairman Arjay Mercado condemned the incident.

“At the end of the day, accountability for the victim matters. No student deserves to undergo such acts of violence,” Mercado said.

Meanwhile, UP student regent Neill John Macuha urged the UP Diliman administration to work against the culture of violence among fraternities.

Macuha called on the organizations to instead focus on pressing issues such as the socialized tuition and the pork barrel scam.