Adi Joaquim Tolentino

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, author and sponsor of the Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, has called on the accountability of fraternities that promote hazing.

Photo Courtesy of ABS-CBN News/Manila Standard.

In a public hearing on Oct. 1, Zubiri sought justice for the Grade 11 Student, Ren Joseph Bayan, who was reportedly found dead by the initiation rites by the members of the Tau-Gamma Phi fraternity on Sept. 29, 2024.

“I call on the authorities to act swiftly and decisively. Hanapin at papanagutin ang mga responsable sa krimeng ito. There is no excuse for this kind of barbarism, and those who take part in these deadly rites must be brought to justice immediately,” he said.

He urged them to swiftly arrest and prosecute those who are associated with Bayan’s death.

"We can no longer tolerate and protect these fraternities that couch their violence and abuse in the guise of brotherhood. We need to put these suspects behind bars and show these fraternities that their days of violence are over," Zubiri stated.

He expressed that hazing is a crime and those who act within it should be punished.

“Walang dahilan at walang puwang ang hazing sa ating lipunan. It is a crime, plain and simple. Those who participate in or enable such murderous criminal acts must face the full force of the law,” he added.

Despite the Anti-Hazing Act being enacted in 2018, numerous cases have been reported over the years.

The hazing incident was reported by the victim's aunt to the local authorities on the same day.

Based on the aunt and witnesses, two members of the fraternity fled away after delivering the body and remained at large. 

The municipal police have requested assistance from the Nueva Ecija Provincial Forensic Unit for an autopsy for the victim’s exact cause of death.

Prior to this incident, John Matthew Salilig, a 24-year-old chemical engineering student at Adamson University, was found buried in a shallow grave in Cavite, over a week after he was last seen.

He participated in the initiation rites of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity’s Adamson chapter, despite having membership with the Zamboanga chapter.

In March 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted several fraternity members, including Earl Romero (Slaughter) and grand triskelion Tung Cheng Teng Jr. (Nike), for violating the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018.

The department concluded the respondents planned and participated in the hazing of Salilig which led to his death.