(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Friday urged full cooperation in identifying and turning over those responsible for the hazing death of a first-year maritime student in Cavite
Secretary Remulla confirmed that 17 members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity were now considered suspects, with authorities expecting to take them into custody soon.
“This is unacceptable,” Remulla said in a media briefing. “We expect Tau Gamma Phi, a 1-million-strong organization, to cooperate fully in locating and turning over their members. This will not go unpunished. We will pursue all of them.”
He also urged the fraternity’s senior leadership to take proactive measures to end the culture of violence in initiation rites.
“The manifesto against violence by the senior leadership does not protect them from tragedies. Real accountability is required,” he added.
The case of Mark Kenneth Alcedo, 19, marks the second hazing-related death in Remulla’s province involving the same fraternity in four years.
“Someone has to take responsibility for what happened. We cannot blame or quarrel forever. The fraternity has promised to cooperate fully and to reform the culture of violence in their initiations,” Remulla said.
Surrender
The Tau Gamma Phi fraternity urged its members allegedly involved in the fatal hazing to surrender and assured the government of its full cooperation in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The 57-year-old fraternity has expressed condemnation of the hazing rites and other neophytes last March 1 and offered its sympathies and condolences to the family of the victim who died of blunt force trauma due to severe beating.
“Sec[retary]. [Jonvic] Remulla asked us for our commitment. We gave them the commitment that we will assist them in all angles of the investigation. They already have the names, [what we will do is find out] where they’re at. We will ask our members, those who have committed the crime to surrender,” Tau Gamma spokesmann Martin Asturias told reporters in a briefing in Manila urging implicated members to go to the nearest police station and turn themselves in.
Remulla met with Tau Gamma Phi and asked its senior leadership to pursue measures ending the culture of violent initiations for neophytes seeking membership into the fraternity.
Following the surrender of one of the suspects, authorities have 21 names now considered suspects in violation of Republic Act 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018.
“This will not go unpunished,” Remulla said.