Every February, the country is reminded that hazing incidents ought to be reduced to zero. Under Presidential Proclamation No. 907, series of 2020, the second week of the month is designated as National Hazing Prevention Week.

The proclamation states that the “Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall lead, coordinate, and supervise the nationwide yearly observance of the National Hazing Prevention Week, with the main objective of strengthening the campaign to end hazing and other fraternity-related violence.”

It also calls on all government agencies, local government units, state universities and colleges, the private sector, civil society, and professional groups to actively participate and support the effort.

On paper, it is supposed to be a whole-of-government effort. Yet in reality, last week’s observance was again barely visible. There was no prominent nationwide theme, no sustained information drive, no unmistakable sense that the sweeping mandate of Proclamation 907 was in full force to protect the youth.

Hazing has caused immeasurable anguish to parents whose children were robbed of their dreams. Gerarda H. Villa, who heads the Crusade Against Violence, knows the anguish too well. Her son, Leonardo “Lenny” Villa, a freshman Ateneo law student, died in 1991 after undergoing violent initiation rites, leading to the passage of RA 8049, the Anti-Hazing Act of 1995, which I authored during my second term as senator.

“Looking back at what happened, it is still painful, especially as a parent,” she said at the Kapihan sa Manila Prince Hotel last week. When UST law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III died in 2017 under similar circumstances, she said the pain returned with full force. “Every time you see someone the same age as your child, the pain pierces your heart.”

“That is why we should also raise awareness among parents and encourage them to guide their children and remind them not to allow themselves to be subjected to this kind of violence,” Villa said.

She also urged parents to be careful about what their children watch on TV, which she said shows programs filled with too much violence. Indeed, potential perpetrators of hazing, who are themselves young, ought to be constantly reminded of the dire consequences of their actions and of the physical, emotional, and psychological damage inflicted by violent initiation rites.

Other Kapihan guests included Brig. Gen. Nelson Aluad, Cadet Commandant of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA); Corinna Frances Cabanilla of the Office of Student Development and Services, Commission on Higher Education (CHED); and Imelda Livioco of the Crusade Against Violence.

The PMA has implemented reforms in pursuit of a “zero tolerance policy” on hazing after the 2019 death of Cadet Darwin Dormitorio due to hazing. Among the reforms, BGen. Aluad said, are the physical segregation of first-year cadets from upperclassmen to prevent abusive hierarchies and strengthened mentorship systems. Full-time tactical officers trained to handle new cadets are now in charge of freshman cadets.

The 2024 conviction of three former PMA cadets for Dormitorio’s death should serve as a powerful deterrent to the crime targeted by RA 8049 and strengthened by RA 11053, which imposed tougher penalties. So, too, is the conviction of all 10 accused in the hazing death of Castillo.

The wheels of justice may have ground slowly, but in the end, the courts’ decision to convict all of the accused, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, demonstrates the effectiveness of the Anti-Hazing Law when the criminal justice system does its job.

There have also been landmark affirmations of the law’s strength. In 2015, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity members for the fatal hazing of UP Los Baños student Marlon Villanueva. The Court declared that “the law is rigorous in penalizing the crime of hazing.”

But court victories, however significant, come after lives have already been lost. Prevention remains the greater aspiration.

The Anti-Hazing Law mandates schools to implement information dissemination campaigns to educate students and parents about the consequences of hazing. Proclamation No. 907 recognizes that curbing hazing requires the active participation not only of government agencies but also of the private sector and civil society to raise awareness of its dangers.

The Kapihan forum reinforced a crucial truth: laws alone cannot eradicate hazing. Real change must begin within families, schools, and organizations. Parents and educators must instill in the youth an understanding that hazing is not a rite of passage but a criminal act.

True brotherhood is forged in shared ideals, not shared trauma. There must be creative ways for fraternities to transform initiation rites from violent ordeals into positive undertakings—reforestation drives, cleaning esteros, garbage removal campaigns, and community-building projects. Let shared service, not shared suffering, become the badge of brotherhood.

National Hazing Prevention Week is an opportunity for a massive information drive—campus assemblies, social media campaigns, and televised discussions—warning young people about the physical, emotional, and psychological devastation wrought by violent initiation rites.

The triumph of the law has been demonstrated in our courts. The triumph of prevention must be demonstrated in our campuses and communities. ([email protected])