Monday, July 10, 2006
Family of hazing victim cries foul
KORONADAL CITY -- The family of a fraternity-hazing victim in this city has decried the failure of local police authorities to file criminal charges against 15 suspects who have remained scot-free two weeks after the fatal incident.
Lydia Doctora, grandmother of hazing fatality Mark John Doctora, said only one of the 15 Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity members who were tagged in the June 23 killing has so far surfaced while the 14 others have reportedly gone into hiding.
"The suspects are still free since not one of them has been formally charged or ordered arrested by any court," she lamented.
The Tantangan police station, which is handling the case, tried to file the charges against the 15 suspects last June 27 but government prosecutors deferred the filing of the case to the court reportedly due to the lack of some vital requirements.
She said this forced the Tantangan police to release fraternity member Daryl Marcos from their custody the next day.
The 19-year-old Doctora, an information technology student at the Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU), died during the alleged initiation rites of the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity NDMU chapter.
Tantangan police chief Roberto Callejo said Doctora was pronounced dead upon arrival at the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital early last June 24 due to internal bleeding believed caused by severe beating.
He said Marcos, who brought Doctora to the hospital, claimed the victim suddenly collapsed while resting after undergoing the initiation rites.
Callejo said the 18-year-old Marcos allegedly admitted to have participated in the beating of Doctora and named at least 14 other members of the group as directly involved in the incident. (Allen V. Estabillo)
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(July 10, 2006 issue)
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