So young, so gone

In my college days back in UP, I heard and saw firsthand quite a number of incidents of fraternity-related violence.

Once, I went to a party hosted by a college batchmate at her residence not too far from the Diliman campus. One of the guests was a frat man and at the time, there was an ongoing war between two rival fraternities, both UP organizations.

Sometime that evening, all the fun, the banter and the merrymaking we were enjoying was rudely interrupted by the loud banging of a vehicle being smashed by truncheons; of metal being destroyed and glass shattered.

When we dashed out of the house to check, it was too late. As it turned out, a group of young men belonging to a rival fraternity drove by my college batchmate’s house to destroy and attack the frat man’s car parked a few steps away from the gate. By the time we realized what had happened, the men had boarded their getaway car and disappeared into the darkness.

Another incident I distinctly remember was the death of Niño Calinao, a senior UP Journalism student who was shot and killed sometime in February 1999, after being mistaken for a member of a rival fraternity. He was the son of a jeepney driver and was the brightest hope of his family to ease out of poverty.

These were such senseless deaths.

I think about these incidents again now following the recent conviction of 10 Aegis Juris fraternity members over the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III in 2017.

According to The STAR’s banner story yesterday, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 11 found Arvin Rivera Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Axel Munro Hipe, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Ralph Trangia, John Robin Ramos, Jose Miguel Salamat, Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo and Marcelino Bagtang Jr. guilty of violating Section 4 (1) of Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law of 1995.

Thus, the fraternity members were sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay Castillo’s family P461,800 in actual damages, P75,000 in civil indemnity, P75,000 in moral damages and P15,000 in exemplary damages.

“The untimely death of Atio caused pain, agony, anxiety, suffering and mental anguish to his parents because it deprived them of his company, love, support and companionship,” the court decision read.

The fraternity members have been detained at the Manila City Jail since May 2018.

Castillo, then 22 years old, was declared dead on arrival at the Chinese General Hospital on Sept. 17, 2017 following initiation rites of the Aegis Juris fraternity.

The family said there is now closure but they also want UST to be held accountable for the death of their son.

Tragedy

One family’s closure, however, means tragedy for the 10 young convicts and their families.

What happened that evening of Sept. 17, 2017 destroyed not only the life and dreams of Atio but that of everyone else involved in the hazing.

The 10 young men sentenced to life in prison have been living a nightmare since that night instead of living the dreams they nurtured once upon a time as young law students.

How sad and tragic that even in this day and age, we continue to hear of fraternity-related deaths.

Moral decay

Fraternities, common across the globe, are mostly Greek-lettered organizations, supposedly because like in Ancient Greece, they represent academic integrity, excellence and a strong moral purpose.

However, such violence and death clearly negate whatever ideals of brotherhood, integrity and leadership these organizations supposedly espouse. Their moral purpose has turned into moral decay.

They have become comparable to criminal organizations, like a mafia of sorts.

Initiation rites are part of fraternities’ traditions that are passed on from one generation to another. It’s supposed to be a test of one’s loyalty to the organization by showing how far one is willing to go to be part of such an exclusive cabal.

But hazing as part of the initiations is stupid and should no longer have a place in any organization in this day and age.

The “woke” generation themselves must put their foot down on such violations of their rights, just as they would balk at anything under the sun. They shouldn’t be walking into their own graves.

If they do not allow themselves to go through such an absurd recruitment process, they would send a signal to the organizations that it is time to revisit the old rules and break such cycles.

School authorities must also be more active in monitoring and regulating the activities of these fraternities.

Hopefully, the conviction of the men involved in Atio Castillo III’s death will teach leaders of fraternities a lesson that it’s time to end the culture of violence corrupting the fraternity system far too long.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.