SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian has called on the Senate to conduct an inquiry into whether the country’s anti-hazing law is being properly implemented.
The senator raised concerns after 19-year-old maritime student Kenneth Alcedo died from injuries reportedly sustained during a hazing incident. Authorities said several members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity, which has been linked to the case, have surrendered to investigators.
Gatchalian noted that despite the ban imposed under Republic Act (RA) 11053, hazing incidents continue to occur and are reported almost every year, raising concerns about gaps in the law’s enforcement.
Gatchalian, one of the law’s co-authors and co-sponsors, said the continued occurrence of hazing-related violence highlights the need to review how the legislation is being implemented and whether stronger safeguards are needed.
The senator said the proposed inquiry should also examine hazing incidents occurring within government-run institutions, including the Philippine National Police Academy and the Philippine Military Academy.
”It’s sad to think that hazing is happening right within our own government institutions that should be setting a good example,” Gatchalian said. “If our own institutions are violating our own laws, we have a big problem.”
He added that institutions tasked with upholding the law should be the first to comply with it.
”I think this time we should also focus on our own government institutions. This shouldn’t be happening in the institutions we trust to enforce the law against hazing,” the senator said.
RA 11053 strengthened earlier laws against hazing by imposing stricter penalties, regulating initiation rites, and holding fraternity officers and school officials accountable for violations.
Despite the measure, several hazing-related deaths and injuries have continued to surface in recent years, prompting renewed calls from lawmakers and advocacy groups for stricter enforcement and cultural reforms within fraternities and similar organizations.
