UST student in viral beating confession guilty in another physical abuse case

MANILA, Philippines — Kyle Viray, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) student tagged in the viral beating confession was excluded from the university after a new complaint of physical abuse surfaced.

According to a resolution from the Office to the Student Affairs (OSA) obtained by Rappler, Kyle Viray, a College of Science student, has been found guilty of  another physical abuse incident which happened on August 2017 involving a student from a different college. 

He is also barred from taking any course or post graduate studies in UST and will not be issued a Certificate of Good Moral Character.

The source of the resolution requested that the victim not be named for privacy concerns. 

The complainant said Kyle abused her 6 times: 4 times on August 2017, and twice on September 2017. 

In a counter-affidavit submitted to OSA, Viray denied all allegations filed by the complainant, further saying that the complainant is riding along the controversy involving him. He also denied that he had a romantic relationship with the complainant. However, a move-in clearance from the Viray’s condominium said he declared the complainant as his girlfriend. This document was submitted to OSA.

Exclusion vs. Expulsion

In the Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education, exclusion “is a penalty that allows institution to drop the name of the erring student from the roll of students.”

Exclusion is different from expulsion, which was reported earlier. When a student is expelled, he or she can no longer be admitted to any public or private institution in the country. This, however, needs the approval of the chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

On July 14, Diane Kimberly C. Arcena, Viray’s ex-girlfriend, also accused him of physical abuse in a series of tweets that went viral. 

The Student Welfare and Development Committee (SWDC) of UST’s College of Science looked into the incident and found him guilty of violating the university’s Code of Conduct and Discipline, prohibiting students from “inflicting injuries, physical or otherwise, on another person, whether inside or outside the campus.”

As a consequence, the SWDC decided Viray will not be allowed to attend the graduation ceremony and ordered him to perform “250 hours of community service.”

SWDC opted for leniency after considering that Viray was a graduating student and the incident was his first offense.

Arcena said she has filed a complaint against Viray in the prosecutor’s office of Manila.

Under the Republic Act 9262 or Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, perpetrators, if proven guilty, will serve a prison term depending on the gravity of the crime, will pay a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000, and should undergo psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment.- Rappler.com

Angelika Ortega is the current executive editor of TomasinoWeb, the official digital media organization of University of Santo Tomas