23 frat members, couple sued for neophyte's death

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation-6 has recently filed charges against 25 persons and several other John Does behind the death of fraternity neophyte last year.

NBI-6 regional director Elfren Meneses, Jr. said 23 of the accused are members of the Kapatiran ng mga Kabataang Kriminolohiya (KKK or K3) and the other two are the parents of one of the frat members.

Charged for violation of Section 4 of the Republic Act 8049 (Anti-Hazing Law of 1995) are Yrel Abello, Emmanuel Castillo, Jonathan Colmenars, Vergel Deatras, Ryan Domines, Bonie Duyag, John Rey Ester, Vincent Grace Ganzon, Jessie Gialogo, Ireene Joy Gorero, Christian Lacson, Jhan Lopez, and Joseph Magallon.

Also charged were Blits Ver Necesito, Ruben Oscares, Alfredo Pajarito, Jr., Nemitz Rollo, Gerardo Sua, Denmar Sustento, Faye Tagoc, Ryan Titular, Mark Vincent Vega, and James Medianero and his parents.

Meneses said they have included Medianero’s parents in the case after it was learned that the couple allowed the initiation to be done at their house. “So, they knew all along na may hazing doon,” he said.

Although the NBI has no witness, for now, to prove the presence of the accused when the supposed hazing happened, Meneses said that a note written by the victim Menardo Clamucha, Jr., is enough to charge them in court.

Clamucha wrote the note stating the people he knew were present during the KKK initiation. He allegedly gave it to his mother a day before he died. Meneses said that the note was already verified. “After all, dead man tells no tales,” he added.

Meneses said that evidence strongly suggested that all named fraternity and sorority members, and even the unidentified suspects, actively participated, lent moral support or acceded to the hazing. "All subjects then being conspirators are equally liable for the crime. The act of one is the act of all,” he said.

Clamucha, then a second year Criminology student of the University of Iloilo from Cabatuan town in Iloilo, was recruited for KKK membership, and underwent several stages of initiation with the final rite done on July 16, 2010 at Medianero's residence in Pototan town.

The victim was described to be weak and in pain during the final initiation, and had vomited several times. He finished the rites but did not go home right away, and only did so the next day (July 17). His mother claimed seeing his son to be in pain and very weak, and confided to her that he joined the fraternity. It was then that he wrote the names of those who were present at the initiation rites.

That day, he was brought to the Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital in Cabatuan but was transferred immediately to the West Visayas State University Medical Center in Iloilo City because he needed surgery. He however died the following day.

Based on an earlier autopsy done by the NBI-6, Clamucha suffered from multiple organ failure, severe intra-abdominal sepsis, ruptured duodenum and blunt abdominal injury. He also had multiple abrasions and contusions on his head, trunk and extremities and that his cause of death was blunt traumatic injuries on the trunk. – THE FREEMAN