Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said he believes the current laws against hazing has sufficient penalty provisions for those who would be found guilty of involvement in hazing activities.
Estrada pointed this out in response to the father of John Matthew Salilig, who said he is in favor of reviving the death penalty as punishment for those who killed or harmed a member of a fraternity or sorority through brutal initiation rites.
“You know, we haven’t restored the death penalty as capital punishment. It’s a very complicated issue. But we can debate on it and conduct hearings on these bills,” Estrada said in a Zoom interview on Thursday, March 16.
“But I still believe we have sufficient laws against hazing. We have the Anti-Hazing Law (Anti-Hazing Act of 2018),” he said.
“But I agree with the father of Salilig na kelangan idamay na rin yung mga school officials na pumapayag or hinahayaan yung hazing mangyari sa mga schools (to also hold accountable school officials who allow or just let hazing acitivities happen within the school premises),” Estrada added.
In an interview on ANC, Joeffrey Salilig said he favors amendments to the Anti-Hazing Law that would include death penalty for those who are involved in hazing.
“I am now in favor of this so that these fraternities that are involved in such initiation rites will really observe.. they will do such a thing, if they know there is a stiffer penalty,” the victim’s father said.
The body of the 24-year old chemical engineering student of Adamson University was found in a shallow grave in Imus, Cavite on February 28, days after he was reported missing.
During a Senate hearing, another neophyte had testified that fraternity members declined to bring Salilig to the hospital when he suffered from seizure after the initiation rites.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, March 15, announced that it has indicted seven members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity over Salilig’s death.