EDITORIAL - Bloody rites

Only last February, law school freshman Marvin Reglos of San Beda College in Manila had died in a suspected hazing case, allegedly at the hands of the Lambda Rho Beta fraternity in Antipolo City. Reglos’ companion at the initiation rites, who survived the hazing on Feb. 18, helped in the investigation, which led to the indictment of fraternity members Erick Edrosolano Castillo and Bodjie Amorin Yap.

After the school mourned Reglos and condemned the barbarity, you’d think lessons would have been learned. Instead another law school student, this time of the San Beda branch in Alabang, Muntinlupa, has died apparently from injuries suffered during fraternity initiation rites over the weekend in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Police said Marc Andrei Marcos was seriously injured, with bruises and contusions all over the body, when brought to a hospital by three men and two women identified as cooks at the compound of a fourth year student in the same school. The two women are missing, police said.

Like the Philippine Military Academy, law schools have gained notoriety for violent fraternity initiation rites. The weakness of the criminal justice system has contributed to this. It took 21 years, for example, before a final ruling was handed down in the fatal hazing of Leonardo Villa at the hands of the Ateneo law school’s Aquila Legis fraternity. When the final verdict was given by the Supreme Court last February, the sentence was four months to four years in prison and damages and indemnity amounting to over P1 million, imposed on Vincent Tecson, Junel Anthony Ama, Antonio Mariano Almeda and Renato Bantug Jr.

Villa’s killing led to the passage of the Anti-Hazing Law or Republic Act 8049, which could not be applied retroactively to his case. With the light sentence on his killers, it’s not surprising that the decision did not deter the fatal initiation rites that Reglos underwent, and five months later, the apparent hazing of Marcos. Until strong deterrents are in place, youths will not be disabused from the belief that initiation into the law profession involves breaking the law, in the most atrocious way.