6 Negros ROTC officers sacked over ‘hazing’

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Six criminology students in Negros Occidental have been terminated as cadet officers of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) due to their alleged involvement in a hazing incident.

The termination came after a 19-year-old criminology student of the Bago City College complained that he and four others were maltreated by their upper classmen.

The maltreatment reportedly occurred in the restroom of the school last week, according to Army Capt. Rodillo Famulag, chief of the 605th Community Defense Center (CDC) of the Army Reserve Command.

The complainant said he was kicked by one of the ROTC officers, causing his head to hit the wall. He said he felt unwell the following day, prompting his parents to have his condition checked.

The complainant reportedly suffered  hematoma in the abdomen.

Famulag said investigation showed the incident occurred during a regular school day and not during ROTC training.

He clarified that the incident had nothing to do with the ROTC training, saying it was part of a ceremony of getting accepted into a fraternity group.

Famulag said they do not tolerate any wrongdoing committed by ROTC officers, even as it is not related to the training.

“To prevent them from doing it possibly during ROTC training, we have to remove them this early,” Famulag said.

The 605th CDC supervises the training and activities of Army reservists in Negros Occidental.

Lt. Leomel Adolacion, deputy police chief of Bago City, yesterday clarified that there was no hazing.

“Maybe  the suspects did it for fun, although it happened on campus,” Ado-lacion said.

He said they have referred the complaint to the school administration for appropriate action.