Horacio Castillo Jr., the father of hazing victim Horacio "Atio" Castillo III, demanded accountability from the University Santo Tomas, following the guilty verdict of the 10 fraternity members of Aegis Juris.
In a radio interview, Castillo Jr. said the university lacked "safeguards" in the process of recruiting members to campus fraternities.
He said the UST College of Civil Law should be strictly monitoring the initiation practices of the fraternities among neophytes.
"Ang sinasabi po namin, ang naging kapalit po nito ay ang buhay ng anak namin. He is not statistics. He is not a casualty (What we're saying is, it was our son's life that was taken here. He is not statistics. He is not a casualty)," he stated.
The father appealed to the university to speak up and address their grievances.
"Sana po maintindihan nila na ang eskwelahan po ay gusto naming magsalita or siguro managot sila. Seven years po ang inilaban namin and hindi madali ang ipinaglaban namin (I hope they understand that we want the school to speak up or maybe be held accountable. We fought for seven years and it was not easy)," he added.
Related story: https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/1/atio-castillo-s-parents-laud-conviction-of-10-fratmen-involved-in-son-s-death
He recalled how their family did not lose hope within the seven years of hearing the case.
With the help of their private counsel, lawyer Lorna Kapunan and Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors, he said, they have achieved the justice they have been waiting for a long time.
He said there were relatives of the 10 convicted Aegis Juris members who attempted to talk to them but they needed to go through the DOJ's process.
Atio was a 22-year-old freshman UST law student who died in 2017 from the injuries he allegedly sustained from hazing by members of the Aegis Juris fraternity.
Read more: https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/1/atio-castillo-s-parents-laud-conviction-of-10-fratmen-involved-in-son-s-death