source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=90429

UP assures justice for hazing victim

The Philippine Star

The University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City assured the family of graduating student Chris Anthony Mendez on Wednesday that it will bring “those responsible for his death to face the bar of law.”

In a statement, Chancellor Sergio Cao said UP Diliman “strongly condemns” the incident and extends its condolences to the family of Mendez, who is suspected of having died due to fraternity hazing on Aug. 27.

“UP Diliman strongly condemns the use of violence s a pre-requisite for admission into any organization. It firmly believes that the constitutional provision on the freedom of association ends when life is sacrificed for the fraternity values of barkada and pakikisama,” he said.

According to Cao, rules and regulations governing the conduct of student organizations have been in place and strictly enforced since 1976, or way before the passage of the Anti-Hazing Law (Republic Act 8049) in 1995.

He said successive UP Diliman administrations have even added teeth to these measures in order to make them more responsive to the dynamics of the current interaction among student organizations in the campus.

“Human life, as the ultimate cost in any rite of passage, is an utterly unacceptable price to pay for brotherhood: such distorted values have no place in an institution of higher learning like UP,” Cao said. “Yet the culture of violence continues to exist. It has to stop.”

He appealed to the fraternities, particularly their alumni, “to take the lead in transforming the culture of violence into more productive endeavors to benefit the university and society.”

The 20-year-old Mendez, who was taking Bachelor of Science major in Public Administration, was declared dead on arrival at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center early Monday.

Initial reports disclosed that he was brought to the hospital by a man identified as “Dr. Francisco Cruz.” The man was reportedly in a white van with license plate ZAB-393, which was followed by two other vehicles, among which was another van with license plate XAS-548.

Reports said Mendez was already pale and unresponsive when he reached the hospital, and that he had bruises all over his body, particularly on the back of his arms and thighs.

Mendez, who hailed from Tiaong, Quezon, is the eldest in the family.