Youth group seeks review of anti-hazing law anew

MANILA -- A youth party-list group asked Congress to finally review the implementation of the Anti-Hazing Law following the death of another freshman law student of San Beda College due to alleged brutal initiation rites.

Last February, the Kabataan party-list group filed House Resolution 2188 directing the committees on higher and technical education, and youth and sports development, to conduct an inquiry on death of Marvin Reglos, who also died of hazing early this year.

No action was taken, so far, by the leadership of the House of Representatives on the request. Five months later, television reports said Tuesday Marc Andrei Marcos allegedly died of hazing.

"We condemn in the most strongest terms the hazing activities and the deaths that arise therefrom for breeding a culture of fear, violence and impunity in schools and universities, which are supposedly centers of free discourse, learning and progressive thought," Kabataan said.

Twenty one years since the passage of Republic Act 8049, the law that regulates hazing and other forms of initiation rites in fraternities and sororities, hazing activities had continued, which resulted in numerous fatalities without single conviction under the law. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)