Neophyte claims drugs, women in Tau Gamma hazing rites

MANILA, Philippines - Neophytes of Tau Gamma fraternity were forced to bring in illegal drugs and women during their initiation rites.

Levin Flores, a minor and fellow neophyte of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde student Guillo Cesar Servando who died during hazing rites last June, bared this yesterday during preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice.

Flores said some members of the fraternity ordered them to buy and bring marijuana to their meeting as one of the tasks in the initiation process.

The tasks, he recalled, concluded with the hazing rites.

In earlier hearings, it was found that five respondents have already left the country, namely: John Kevin Navoa, Esmerson Calupas, Hans Killian Tatlonghari, Eleazar Pablico III and Alyssa Valbuena.

The 20 respondents led by Cody Errol Morales, reported head of Tau Gamma Phi fraternity-De La Salle chapter, were slapped with charges of violation of Section 4 Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law, which is punishable with life imprisonment for the crime of death by hazing.

The other respondents are Navoa, Calupas, Tatlonghari, Pablico, Valbuena, Daniel Paul Bautista, Jemar Pajarito, John Paul Almazan, John Paul Arevalo, Hans Killian Vic Angelo Dy, Mark Andrew Ramos, Mike Castañeda, Justin Francis Reyes, Carl Francis Loresca and Steven Jorge Peñano, an alias Kiko, and alias Bea and another unidentified suspect.

Almazan, Pajarito, Arevalo, Loresca, Peñano and Dayanghirang attended the earlier hearings last July 31, Aug. 7 and 14.

Department of Justice (DOJ) officials earlier said that this case is a “priority.”

The arrest of the respondents, however, is not expected until the DOJ finds probable cause in the charges and files the case in court, which would then issue the arrest warrant.