DOJ orders NBI to probe death of student in hazing

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the death of Marc Andrei Marcos, a San Beda College (SBC) law student who died last Monday from injuries he suffered during a hazing incident in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Marcos was the second law student from SBC who died in fraternity initiation rites this year.

Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III said he gave the NBI until tomorrow to submit an initial report.

He said the NBI has been specifically tapped to pinpoint which fraternity conducted the hazing and who should be held liable.

Baraan said the DOJ initiated the probe even without a request from the victim’s family since the NBI was mandated to investigate sensational crimes.

“It is a heinous crime under the law. In fact that’s non-bailable,” he told reporters in an ambush interview.

SBC officials finally broke their silence on the death of Marcos.

“While students cannot be denied the right to associate, San Beda College does not approve or countenance membership in any clandestine organization, which employs as part of its ceremonies or other practices any act that results in injury, imprudence or coercion,” SBC said in a statement released Monday night.

It said that the school administration has required every student, as a condition for enrollment, to sign an undertaking not to join fraternities, with a statement of the rule prohibiting membership in these organizations and an enumeration of the reasons for the prohibition.

SBC said they will form a panel of inquiry and those found responsible shall, with due process, be expelled.

Marcos was declared dead on arrival at the De La Salle University Medical Center in Dasmariñas, Cavite after reportedly undergoing initiation rites of the Lex Leonum fraternity in a nearby farm.

Police said Marcos died of multiple injuries after three men and two women, identified as Soledad Sanda and Marlen Guadayo, brought the victim to the hospital.

The three men immediately left the hospital.

Senior Superintendent John Bulalacao, Cavite police director, said Marcos was said to be “badly wounded” when taken to the hospital.

He said investigation revealed that the victim was severely beaten by unidentified suspects in a farm in Sitio Bisaya, Lt. Cantimbuhan street Barangay Zone 3 in Dasmariñas.

Bulalacao added that further investigation disclosed that Soledad received a text message from a certain Gean, saying he had reported the incident to the police.

He said further investigation showed that Gean turned out to be Gian Angelo Veluz, 27, a fourth year student of SBC Alabang and a resident of Lt. Cantimbuhan street.

“Allegedly, Soledad Sanda and Marlen Guadayo are cooks of the Veluz family at their farm located in Barangay Zone 3, Dasmariñas.”

Senior Superintendent Bernabe Balba, regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 4A, said charges of violation of the Anti-Hazing Law or Republic Act 8049 were filed before the Dasmariñas prosecutor’s office against Sanda, Guadayo and Veluz.

He said Soledad and Guadayo have disappeared and the police have launched a manhunt for the suspects.

Balba said investigators have already identified several members of the fraternity who participated in the initiation rites.

Balba clarified that nobody has been arrested.

He said security guards identified Veluz as one of the men who brought Marcos to the hospital.

Balba said the victim, along with other neophytes and top-ranking officers of the Lex Leonum fraternity, arrived at the Veluz farm on Saturday for the initiation rites.

Baraan, also a fraternity member and graduate of the San Beda College of Law, lamented that the Marcos case is the latest death caused by hazing.

“Hazing is really prohibited by law. This should stop,” he said.

Marcos was a graduate of AB Legal Management from the University of Santo Tomas before he transferred to SBC to take up law.

“This is sad because this is the second time that the victim is a student of San Beda law. The first case even involved my own fraternity (Lambda Rho Beta). But together with the secretary, we have expressed our denunciation of this kind of hazing resulting in death of neophytes,” Baraan lamented.

– With Rey Galupo, Ed Amoroso, Sandu Araneta, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla, Marvin Sy, Paolo Romero, Ric Sapnu