(UPDATED as of 4:49 p.m.) UST has kicked out eight Faculty of Civil Law students involved in the hazing death of Horacio “Atio” Castillo III.
In a statement, the University administration said a committee investigating the hazing death had issued its first resolution finding eight law students “guilty of violating the Code of Conduct and Discipline and imposing the supreme penalty of expulsion.”
The committee, formed by UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. last Sept. 19, said it observed due process and conducted hearings in the presence of representatives of the Legal Education Board.
The panel, composed of six UST administrators and a representative from the Central Student Council, said it would continue its probe until all students involved are held liable.
The statement did not include the names of the eight law students who were expelled.
The Varsitarian was able to reach Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina and UST Legal Coordinator Alfonso Versoza but both declined to release the names of the expelled students, citing the Data Privacy Act.
Saying it was committed to “ferret out the truth, determine liability, and impose the appropriate sanctions,” UST also assured the public it would continue to work for justice for Atio and his family, and for truth to prevail.
“The University reiterates its commitment to ferret out the truth, determine liability, and impose the appropriate sanctions. In the Eucharistic Celebrations held at the UST Faculty of Civil Law, at the Santuario de San Antonio during the wake and at the UST Chapel during the day of mourning for the death of Horacio, UST has always been one with the Castillo family in the steadfast call for everyone to pray and work together to achieve justice for Horacio and for truth to prevail,” the statement added.
The University also cited its efforts to help in the investigation of the Manila Police District and the National Bureau of Investigation that led to the indentification of Aegis Juris Fraternity members implicated in the hazing death.
“It recommended a comprehensive review of the Student Handbook and the accreditation process for organizations. It issued an indefinite moratorium on the recruitment and all other activities of all fraternities and sororities in the University,” the statement read.
The 22-year-old Atio died in September of last year after undergoing hazing in the initiation rites of Aegis Juris, a law-school based fraternity that counts Divina as one of its most prominent alumni.
