MANILA, Philippines - Hazing and maltreatment of cadets are not tolerated in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, the military said yesterday.
Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the traditions developed in schools are not sanctioned.
“The focus of the ROTC is to develop leadership and discipline among the youth so they can serve the country,” he said.
Zagala reminded ROTC units to ensure that cadets are not maltreated during drills.
The La Sallian, the official student publication of De La Salle University, reported that DLSU has suspended its ROTC program pending an investigation on the complaints about alleged hazing incidents.
Citing an affidavit by six students who allegedly experienced hazing, ABS-CBN News reported that the cadets were punched, choked and were forced to chew on tissue and balls of scotch tape and drink alcohol.
A female cadet was allegedly forced to kiss another female cadet, while a male student claimed his leg was stapled.
Reports about the alleged hazing in La Salle surfaced after College of St. Benilde sophomore Guillo Cesar Servando died after sustaining multiple injuries during initiation rites of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity.
Servando’s death has sparked calls to replace The Anti-Hazing Law, which some sectors claimed has failed to curb maltreatment and physical abuses in fraternities.