NBI to file charges vs doctor in UP hazing case

A doctor who supposedly holds the key to the mystery surrounding the death of alleged hazing victim Cris Anthony Mendoza may soon find himself in big trouble.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to file criminal charges of obstruction of justice against Dr. Francisco Cruz for not cooperating in the investigation.

Cruz was the one who reportedly brought Mendez to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City in the wee hours of Aug. 27.

“We have given him an ultimatum and still he has not shown up here. So our legal officers are now preparing the papers for filing of the case with the Department of Justice next week,” said NBI Head Agent lawyer Romulo Asis, chief of the bureau’s Anti-Terrorism Division.

This developed as another witness surfaced at the NBI yesterday to prove it was Cruz who “approved” the release of Mendez’s body from the hospital to the St. Peter’s Memorial Chapel.

The new witness, an employee of VMMC who refused to be named for security reasons, told investigators at NBI that he was among the signatories of the papers for release of Mendez from the hospital.

“He (Cruz) told me he would take charge of the body since the relatives of the student were in Quezon province,” the witness revealed to reporters.

Investigators said the testimony of the new witness is “vital” in the case as it only strengthened the link of Cruz to Mendez’s mysterious death.

Mendez, a graduating Public Administration student at the University of the Philippines, died last Aug. 27 due to severe beating. He was allegedly recruited by the Sigma Rho fraternity before his death.  – Edu Punay