Helping The Families Of Hazing Victims
Seek Justice For Their Loved Ones
Crime does not pay.
As principal author of the Anti-Hazing Law (amended), I am both happy and sad for this monumental decision.
Happy, because justice is served to the victim, Cadet Dormitorio and to his loved ones, even as we know that life snuffed out is gone forever. The Crusade Against Violence, an NGO which remained vigilant in monitoring the trial of the case deserves congratulations. The judge and the prosecution did a good job.
Sad, because the future of three other cadets who were found guilty would face life imprisonment, is now destroyed. (although accused could still appeal the decision but bail is unavailable).
Schools, organizations and training institutions, and families have to continue the education of youth and students on the evils of hazing.
A whole of society approach is needed to eradicate hazing.
Let us remain vigilant.
– Atty. Joey Lina
The Death Grip of Hazing—Why It Must End Now
Mountain Beacon, August 18, 2024
Hazing is a grotesque rite of passage that has no place in any institution that claims to uphold values of honor, respect, and integrity. And yet, it persists—like a malignant tumor—within the walls of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), schools, and fraternities across the nation. It thrives on secrecy, fear, and the twisted notion that suffering is the price of acceptance. But this is not tradition; it is a cycle of violence that has claimed far too many lives. It must end.
Let’s not mince words: hazing is a crime. It’s not a “brotherhood test” or a “character-building exercise.” It is an act of brutality that strips away human dignity and, in the worst cases, life itself. The names of Darwin Dormitorio, Marc Andrei Marcos, and Horacio Castillo III—among many others—should haunt us all. Their deaths are not isolated incidents; they are the tragic outcomes of a culture that venerates cruelty over compassion.
The recent passage of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, championed by Senator Panfilo Lacson, was a step in the right direction. This law mandates stronger penalties for those involved in hazing, including life imprisonment for those responsible for deaths. It also requires schools to implement stricter measures to prevent hazing activities. But a law, no matter how well-intentioned, is only as strong as its enforcement. And enforcement has been lax.
Institutions like the PMA, where hazing has been entrenched for decades, need to take a hard look at themselves. The culture of silence and complicity that protects hazers must be dismantled. It’s not enough to expel a few cadets or suspend some officers; the entire system needs an overhaul. A zero-tolerance policy on hazing should be more than just a slogan—it should be an unbreakable rule, enforced with the full weight of the law.
Schools, too, must recognize that hazing is not just a “college problem.” High schools and even some elementary schools have reported hazing incidents. Educators and administrators need to be vigilant. Anti-hazing programs should be as much a part of the curriculum as any academic subject. Students must be taught that true leadership and camaraderie are built on respect, not violence.
We often hear the argument that hazing builds character, that it forges bonds that last a lifetime. But if those bonds are rooted in shared trauma and abuse, they are nothing more than chains. Real character is built through mutual respect, through shared goals and achievements—not through the infliction of pain.
It’s time for all of us to take a stand. Parents, educators, lawmakers, and even students themselves must work together to put an end to this barbaric practice. We cannot wait for the next tragic headline to stir us into action. The time to act is now.
BROTHERS DO NOT KILL BROTHERS
No amount of tears or consolation from anyone can bring back an untimely lost of a young life… a senseless death lost in a ritual called HAZING.
Crusade Against Violence is headed by Mrs Gerarda Villa, the mother of Leny Villa who died of hazing in 1991. #stophazing
We strongly condemn the criminal act of hazing committed by members of Tau Gamma Phi that claimed the lives of John Matthew Salilig and Ronnel M. Baguio. This devil continues to thrive even with the passage of RA 11053 or the Anti-hazing law of 2018.
Members of organizations and fraternities are not deterred from committing this grave offense as exemplified by the ten (10) lives that were taken after the passage of the anti-hazing law. This leads to the question of whether the law is sufficient to prevent hazing from proliferating.
We believe it’s the right time to review the antihazing law and call on Congress and Senate to conduct an inquiry regarding this matter.
Another impending threat to the welfare and safety of our youth is the impending passage of the mandatory ROTC law. To say that John Matthew Salilig’s death is irrelevant to the proposed bill is an insult to all hazing victims who died mercilessly from the hands of their so-called brothers.
We enjoin everyone, especially the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, Department on National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Justice, to please join our crusade against hazing and prevent this from further happening.
As an organization under the leadership of our president and founder, Mrs. Gerarda H. Villa, we commit to extend our full support to families of hazing victims, and we are hopeful that our battle for the past thirty-two years will bear fruit and finally put an end to hazing.
Photo from left to right: Mr. John Martin Salilig, Ms. Imelda Bermudez-Livioco (CAV), Atty. Persida Acosta, Ms. Ellen Gran (CAV) and Mr. Joeffrey Salilig (father of Mr. John Matthew Salilig)
Clearly, laws alone can only do so much to deter the
ignoble and criminal act of hazing.
The February 2020 National Conference to Stop Hazing encouraged all relevant government agencies and the private sector, specifically the university systems, to synergize all hazing prevention efforts and to raise awareness and prevention, prior the next start of classes. The 2020 Conference reiterated the call for a Presidential Proclamation to harmonize all efforts. With the unified efforts of Solidarity for Anti-Hazing Via Education (SAVE) under the leadership of Atty. Joey Lina and Crusade Against Violence under the leadership of Mrs. Gerarda Villa, Presidential Proclamation No. 907 was signed of Feb. 21, 2022 declaring every 2nd week of February as the National Hazing Prevention Week.
Our Mission
To harmonize and focus hazing prevention efforts of all the relevant government agencies, the private sector and non-governmental organizations, especially schools.
Our Vision
To stop the crime of hazing through a strategic,
comprehensive and sustained building up of
public awareness and values formation
especially among the youth.
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