10 Aegis Juris fratmen kicked out of UST
Screen grab from video footage obtained by the MPD shows members of the Aegis Juris fraternity in an elevator of a Quezon City hotel where they met to discuss the death of UST law student Horacio Castillo III. The video was taken on Sept. 17, hours after the neophyte was killed during initiation rites.
MANILA, Philippines — Ten officers and members of the Aegis Juris fraternity implicated in the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio Tomas “Atio” Castillo III have been prohibited from enrollment at the UST Faculty of Civil Law since school year (SY) 2015-2016.
In an interview with radio station dzBB yesterday, UST Faculty of Civil Law dean Nilo Divina revealed that some of the Aegis Juris members had been “kicked out” due to poor academic standing.
At the Senate hearing last Wednesday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson presented a table listing the 17 members of Aegis Juris who have been both “debarred,” in the jargon of the UST Faculty of Civil Law, and “qualified” for enrollment since the first semester of SY 2015-2016.
John Paul Solano, tagged by police as the primary suspect in Castillo’s case, was debarred from enrollment at the UST law school after getting a grade of 67.75.
Arvin Balag, who got a grade of 75.35, and Jose Miguel Salamat, with a grade of 70.03, were also debarred effective the first semester of SY 2016-2017.
Seven others, with their corresponding grades, were also debarred in the second semester of the same school year: Mhin Wei Chan, 74.90; Oliver John Audrey Onofre, 76.95; Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo, 78.39; Axel Munro Hipe, 68.56; Ralph Trangia, 68.13; Aeron Salientes, 78.54 and John Zimon Padro, 74.66.
The seven men had also been considered “conditionally enrolled” for the first semester of school year 2017-2018.
Trangia, who left the country for the United States last Sept. 19 – two days after Castillo died – and came back last Oct. 10, has also been tagged as primary suspect in the case. His father Antonio owned the red Mitsubishi Strata with plate number ZTV-539, which transported Castillo’s body to the Chinese General Hospital. Castillo was declared dead on arrival in the morning of Sept. 17.
Salientes meanwhile cleared his name before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last Sept. 23, claiming he was no longer active with Aegis Juris for personal reasons.
Fraternity members Marc Anthony Ventura has been absent without leave since the second semester of the same school year, while Ranie Rafael Santiago and Karl Matthew Villanueva has been on leave starting the same period.
Only four members – Jason Adolfo Robiños, Marcelino Bagtang Jr., John Paulo Garcia and Joshua Joriel Macabali – were cleared to enroll for the first semester of SY 2017-2018.
Robiños has also cleared his name before the Manila Police District, claiming he was no longer active with Aegis Juris for health reasons.
“Unfortunately, September 17 nangyari ang kay Atio. Kung debarred na sila, hindi na siguro sila nakapag-recruit kay Atio (If they’re already debarred, then they might not have recruited Atio),” Lacson told Divina during the same Senate hearing.
Divina explained that the grounds for debarment, or prohibition to enroll for the next semester, include the failure to meet the quotient point index (QPI), or the minimum average to be able to progress to the next semester, failure to meet nine units in one semester; or failure in half of a student’s load for a semester.
The minimum QPI per level, according to Divina, is 78 for first year, 79 for second year and 80 for both junior and senior years. – With Marvin Sy
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