MANILA, Philippines – The head of the University of the Philippines (UP) System on Tuesday, July 8, gave his assurance that due process will be observed in the university’s investigation of a recent hazing incident on its Diliman campus.

“I would like to assure the university community that the UP System administration will ensure that due process is observed in the conduct of the investigation and that the provisions of pertinent university rules and existing laws are enforced,” UP president Alfredo Pascual said in a statement.

The UP Diliman administration confirmed on July 3 a recent hazing incident involving one of its students. On July 4, Chancellor Michael Tan revealed the student is a minor, and the fraternity responsible is Upsilon Sigma Phi. 

The family requested for privacy, so no further details were provided.

Upsilon Sigma Phi is one of the oldest fraternities in Asia and the oldest student organization in UP. It has no chapters outside UP, and one of its prominent members is the UP president himself.

Pascual hopes it would be the last time that an incident of violence would “endanger the lives of our students and produce a climate of fear among the members of the university community and their families.”

“Incidents of violence, done even for the noblest of reasons, have no place in UP,” he added.

While the UP president is currently on official travel, he said he is closely monitoring the UP investigation. Based on university rules, the jurisdiction of matters related to the conduct of students and organizations belongs to the chancellor.

There has been a public clamor against fraternity-related violence since the June 28 hazing incident involving students from the De La Salle-College of St Benilde (DLS-CSB), which DLS-CSB and De La Salle University had condemned in separate strongly-worded statements. 

President Benigno Aquino III had also condemned the incident, saying the June 28 hazing ritual that claimed another life “escapes any logic.”

Guillo Cesar Servando, John Paul Raval, Lorenze Agustin, and a 17-year-old male student were brought to a boarding house in Makati City for the initiation rites.

After the initiation, they were brought back to One Archer’s Place along Taft Avenue in Manila. From there, the students called Patrol 117 for help, and were rushed to the Philippine General Hospital, but Servando was pronounced dead on arrival.

At least 14 suspects from the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity are believed to be behind the hazing ritual.

There are unconfirmed reports on campus that the UP incident happened even earlier than the hazing involving the DLS-CSB students, but the family of the victim and the school reportedly did not immediately disclose it then. – Rappler.com