Duterte signs law banning hazing

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has signed into law a consolidated bill that declares hazing by school fraternities as a criminal offense.

Republic Act 11053 or the law “prohibiting hazing and regulating other forms or initiation rites of fraternities, sororities and other organizations,” also provides higher fines and longer imprisonment for violators.

The new law, known as the “Anti-Hazing Act of 2018,” effectively amends RA 8049, the anti-hazing law that was passed 23 years ago in 1995.

RA 11053, a consolidation of Senate Bill 1662 and House Bill 6573, is an offshoot of the death of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III, at the hands of his colleagues in the Aegis Juris fraternity.

Castillo, a 22-year-old freshman, died of heart attack after sustaining massive injuries inflicted on him during the initiation rites of Aegis Juris outside the UST campus.

Last January, the House unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill 6573.

Administration and opposition lawmakers approved in plenary HB 6573, or the “Anti-Hazing Act,” that prohibits the act of hazing, regulates other forms of initiation rites of fraternities, sororities and other groups and provides penalties for its violation.

The bill provides that the head of the school or an authorized representative must assign at least two representatives of the school to be present during initiation rites, who shall see to it that no hazing is conducted.

All fraternities, sororities and organizations must be assigned a faculty adviser responsible for monitoring their activities.

The person or persons who participate in the hazing shall suffer imprisonment for 20 years and one day to life imprisonment and a fine of P1 million if this results in the death, suicide, rape, sodomy or mutilation of the victim.

The legislation was passed also in response to numerous reports of hazing done particularly by members of fraternities and sororities in reputable universities, which resulted in the torture and worse, death of the victims.

Among the many authors of HB 6573 are Reps. Bernadette Herrera-Dy (chair of the House committee on public information), Rozzano Rufino Biazon (Muntinlupa), Christopher de Venecia (Pangasinan) and Ricardo Belmonte (party-list Serbisyo ng Bayan).

The bill prohibits all forms of hazing at whatever stage of the initiation rites or practice. Fraternities, sororities and organizations not based in school, such as those in communities, are also covered by the prohibition. – With Christina Mendez