THE parents of hazing victim Horacio “Atio” Castillo III on Monday filed a supplemental complaint with the Department of Justice to include University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law dean Nilo Divina among the respondents in their criminal complaint arising from the death of their son.
Divina, however, filed two separate libel complaints against Lorna Kapunan, the Castillos’ lawyer, over her accusations in connection with the disbarment complaint she filed against him and the hazing death of Horacio Castillo III.
Divina asked for damages totaling P120 million or P60 million each in his complaints filed before the Manila and Quezon City prosecutors’ offices on Friday.
In the complaint filed with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, the law dean and his firm, DivinaLaw, accused Kapunan and Patricia Bautista of maligning his reputation when they publicized the filing of disbarment charges with the Supreme Court on Sept. 25 over the allegations he paid commissions to Bautista’s estranged husband, Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista.
In their supplemental complaint, Horacio Castillo II and Carminia Castillo accuses Divina of violating the Anti-Hazing Law, the same charge filed by the Manila Police District against 18 respondents in Atio’s hazing death on Sept. 17.
They also charged Divina with perjury, obstruction of justice and murder.
Also named in the supplemental complaint filed during the second preliminary investigation hearing were several people, including some Aegis Juris fraternity members and trustees of the Aegis Juris Foundation Inc., as well as UST law professor and Aegis Juris member Arthur Capili.
The additional respondents included other active members of the fraternity: Nathan Anarna, Lennert Bryan Galicia and Chuck Siazar.
The latest charge sheet also included Vicente Garcia, owner of the building where Atioç—´ alleged hazing took place.
The complaint also named as additional respondents the trustees of the Aegis Foundation Inc., which occupies the frat library where the hazing was conducted. They are William Merginie, Cezar Tirol, Oscar Ce, Alexander Flores, Alvin Dysangco, Emmanuel Velasco, Henry Pablo, Gabrial Robeniol, Michael Joseph Fernandez, Allan Christopher Agati, Paulino Yusi, Arnel Bernardo and Edwin Uy. Both Divina and Capili are also trustees based on the complaint while Velasco died in 2013.
The 19 new respondents were in addition to the 18 respondents in the original complaint filed by the Manila Police District for the same charges.
John Paul Solano, a member of the fraternity, was tagged as the primary suspect by police.
Ralph Trangia, another primary suspect who reportedly fled to Chicago a couple of days after the incident, was slapped with the same set of charges.
Fifteen other respondents were also listed in the charge sheet for the same charges: Trangia’s father Antonio, Arvin Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Ranie Rafael Santiago, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Jason Adolfo Robis, Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo, Karl Mathew Villanueva, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Axel Munro Hipe, Marc Anthony Ventura, Aeron Salientes, Marcelino Bagtang, Zimon Padro and Jose Miguel Salamat.
Trangia’s mother Rosemarie was also included in the complaint for obstruction of justice. She accompanied her son to the US.
“The school authorities including faculty members who consent to the hazing or who have actual knowledge thereof, but failed to take any action to prevent the same from occurring shall be punished as accomplices for the acts of hazing committed by the perpetrators,” said the complaint.
The complainants cited as basis Divina’s supposed admission during a Senate inquiry on Sept. 25 that he had knowledge of the hazing.
“Respondent Divina positively admitted that he knew that Aegis Juris was practicing hazing. In fact, he even claimed that after his admission to the fraternity, he allegedly proposed the abolition of hazing,” Castillo’s parents said.
They further alleged that the dean was an active member of the fraternity, contrary to his claim that he took leave of membership after being named dean eight years ago.
