The joint Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights and Public Order and Dangerous Drugs has recommended to impose stiffer penalties against schools that would be involved in hazing-related activities. 

Sen. Francis Tolentino (Senate PRIB Photo)

Sen. Francis Tolentino, in presenting the Committee Report No. 92, said the panel is recommending the mandatory conduct of information dissemination campaign at the start of every school year and quarterly, thereafter, to each and every student of the school together with their parents, guardians or nearest kin. 

The Committee Report also endorses a P5-million penalty for any college or university that will fail to conduct mandatory orientation regarding fraternities and sororities and fail to submit a compliance report to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Congress. 

Failure of the college or university to also conduct information dissemination shall also be ground for the CHED to deny the school’s autonomous status. 

“We did this, Mr. President, to ensure that schools will no longer be complacent in the fulfillment of this statutory obligation,” Tolentino said in his privilege speech on Tuesday, August 8.

The panel’s report also seeks to amend the Anti-Hazing Law under Republic Act 11053, recommending to hold all members and officials of any fraternities or other organizations liable for deaths resulting from their welcoming/initiation rites.

Under the bill, fraternity, sorority and other organizations would be made liable to the family of the victim of hazing by making them pay the amount of P20-million for any death or physical injuries that resulted from any of the initiation activities of their group. 

They will also be made to shoulder litigation fees of the victim's family, according to Tolentino.

The senator also said the group's certificate of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shall also be automatically cancelled and declared as an illegal organization. 

The Senate panel’s report stemmed out from its public hearings on the death of Adamson University student John Matthew Salilig, who died due to hazing last February.

“The root cause of hazing deaths is really the culture of violence that is prevalent and being perpetrated by fraternities, sororities, and other organizations," the senator said.

“I myself am a member of a fraternity, but I support the changes being proposed by the committee to strengthen our laws,” Tolentino stressed.

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri expressed his support to the panel’s committee report: “We agree that beyond the individuals involved in hazing, fraternities and sororities must also be held responsible for allowing—and even encouraging—these violent practices in the first place.”

“It is shameful that many groups still continue to perpetrate cruelty and harm under the guise of brotherhood and community. We had hoped to put a stop to these with the strengthened Anti-Hazing Law of 2018, after the death of (Horatio) Atio Castillo, but still there are many fraternities who have just found more covert ways of carrying out their illegal hazing,” he stressed.

‘’As such, we support the recommendations of the Committees towards eliminating this culture of violence once and for all, and bringing justice to John Matthew and the many other bright young people we have lost to hazing,” the Senate leader added.

The two committees increased the penalty to life imprisonment for those who conspired and consented to the use of violent methods during initiation rites and also penalized fraternities and sororities.

They report also recommended that fraternities and sororities in and outside of schools are obligated to register with the data base of the Philippine National Police (PNP). If they refuse refuse, the government will presume that they are engaged in illegal activities.