UP execs probe alleged student kidnapping, assault

MANILA, Philippines — The administration of the University of the Philippines is looking into the reported kidnapping and assault of a student inside the university’s flagship campus in Diliman, Quezon City on Thursday night.

UP Diliman chancellor Michael Tan yesterday said they have initiated an investigation on the incident, which supposedly involved a student behind an anonymous Twitter account critical of a fraternity.

“I have been receiving reports of heightened tension in UP Diliman following social media posts claiming that the handler of a Twitter account had been abducted and then released with injuries inflicted on him,” he said in a statement.

“The alleged victim has not made statements of his own. Neither has he made a physical appearance, but the social media posts have turned viral.” ?Jerwin Agpaoa, UP vice chancellor for student affairs, said they would form a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident, stressing the need to get details from those involved.

“We hope to get as many details about the case because we have facts circulating online coming from so many groups and individuals and they tend to clutter the objectivity of the situation. We hope to be able to get in touch with the main personalities, those directly involved in the case so that we can get to the bottom of this, identify if indeed it was members of the fraternities who abducted and beat the guy up,” he told The STAR.

The Twitter account of the alleged victim was temporarily shut down on Thursday night, with members of the UP community sharing claims that he was abducted while walking towards his dormitory. Shortly after midnight, the account went live again, with the owner claiming to have suffered “busted lip” and other injuries indicating assault.

He has not replied to a request for a statement on the incident. The UP police are verifying the supposed assault. The university’s engineering student council confirmed though that the victim was an engineering student.

While the investigation is ongoing, Agpaoa said they have heightened security on campus to ensure the safety of students.

Addressing students who gathered to protest fraternity-related violence in the university, Tan said they would not suspend classes as it would mean walking into the trap set by those he described as “terrorists.”

The reported assault on the student came a week after a scuffle between members of Upsilon Sigma Phi and Alpha Phi Beta, which supposedly have declared a truce while the investigation is ongoing. – With Emmanuel Tupas