Now, all that 19-year-old Rolly Maguad has are regrets for joining the Kapatiran ng Kriminolohiyang Kabataan, which is often referred to as K-Cubes and K3.
He also lamented having wasted the chance his parents gave him to achieve his dreams.
Whatever the name that group is referred to, it no longer mattered to him as he only sees it as the very fraternity that destroyed him.
He thought at the beginning that the group was there to protect him and help him in his time of need.
“I never thought I would end up in a hospital. In an instant, everything that I wanted seems to disappear,” said Maguad, a victim of fraternity hazing.
All that the 19-year-old Maguad wanted when he was still a first year Bachelor of Science in Criminology student of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) was to be protected by K-Cubes.
Instead, it was the very group that destroyed him.
K-Cubes is a fraternity of criminology students in several schools, universities and colleges in Negros Occidental.
Maguad said life for him almost stopped when he got hospitalized and was diagnosed for severe stomach pains and intestinal hematoma.
The problem came after he was paddled and mauled during a fraternity hazing activity.
Although his life was saved by a successful surgical operation, it also prevented him from making it through police training as a medical or surgical operation is considered a hindrance.
“I never realized that this would be the effect of joining a fraternity group and participating in the hazing. I regret the choices I made,” Maguad said.
“Some students in the school used to confront me because they have a fraternity they could rely on every time they have enemies. That is why I decided to join the Kapatiran ng Kriminolohiyang Kabataan (K-Cubes) believing that it would make me invincible,” he added.
Based on a police report, Maguad was badly beaten by the leaders of K-Cubes during a hazing activity on February 10 at a portion of a creek in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.
“There were 12 of us including a lady and there were almost 60 of them coming from different schools to include members from Bago City College, West Negros College and La Consolacion College. We only had our brief on as they hit the different parts of our bodies either with a paddle or a fist,” Maguad narrated.
Maguad, a resident of Hacienda Gertrudes, Barangay Mailum, Bago City, has been in the hospital for more than a month already.
His parents are also finding it hard to raise the P300,000 initial bill they incurred to save his life.
For a month already since he was first rushed to the Valladolid District Hospital last February 21, Maguad still finds himself on a hospital bed.
He is currently confined at the Doctor’s Hospital in Bacolod City.
Maguad’s father, Edgardo said, “I wish we could go out (of the hospital) so he could continue with his studies. But we could not simply do that since our hospital fees had already gone up to almost P300,000. We don’t have that kind of money.”
Although hazing is punishable under Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law, Edgardo is yet to file a complaint against his son’s tormentors.
“I’ve been patient and have given all understanding for my son’s ordeal. They (fraternity leaders) promised to help us with our hospital expenses. But now, they could not be reached for help. That is why we have decided to pursue with the filing of the case,” Edgardo said.
“We tried every possible ways and even tried to pawn our land title which had been awarded to us by Carp but it could not be accepted by pawnshops and for that we have no choice but to air this out,” he added.
Nor liable
Carlito Legaspi, University of Negros Occidental Recoletos (UNO-R) Dean of Student Affairs, said Tuesday the school is not liable for the hazing activity.
“We have nothing to do with that or with the hazing since we respect the rights of every individual in joining a group or an organization,” he said.
He also said the school could not file a complaint or institute disciplinary action against the group itself since “K3 is an organization that is out of the jurisdiction of the university.”
“On our part, although (K3) is not accredited, sanctions has to be imposed among all of its members who directly or indirectly participated in the hazing incident,” Legaspi added.
The sanctions may include a week of community service and the giving of aid or contribution for the medical expenses of the victim.
He, however, said that sanctions would be later imposed later since they are observing the final exams.
According to Legaspi, there were 43 academic and non-academic organizations under their jurisdiction and that every time there is an initiation within the organization, the Office of the Student Affairs would have to be informed and that the activity needs to have the school’s supervision.
“We have other fraternity groups existing in the university like the Tau Gamma, Alpha Phi Omega, Beta Sigma and other accredited organizations but this is the first time that an alleged hazing had happened,” he said.
“We always make sure and see to it that every organization here is regulated and accredited for them to know their bounds in organizing their group,” he added.
