Bacolod school exec denies hazing on campus

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The principal of a high school here, where an alleged hazing victim was studying, said yesterday no such activity occurred on campus.

Evelyn Casiano, principal of Abkasa National High School in Barangay Mandalagan, was reacting to reports that one of their students, John Kurt Inventor, 15, died after allegedly joining a fraternity initiation rite last week.

In an interview with Bombo Radyo, Casiano said no fraternity or gang exists in the school.

Inventor died of septic shock last Monday. His family believes he died from injuries due to hazing.

The family initially thought the boy only had a fever. But when he vomited blood, they took him to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital .

Doctors found the boy had bruises on both knees, cigarette burns on his feet, a fractured shoulder, and a stab wound in the buttocks that may have been inflicted with an ice pick.

Casiano said he met with Inventor’s classmates, teachers and the discipline committee members of the school after learning about the report.

She said none of them had any idea about what happened to Inventor.

Casiano also found out that Inventor, a transferee, had a different group of friends outside the campus.

The city police’s women and children’s protection desk has yet to see the results of the autopsy on the victim.