New law bans all forms of hazing

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that prohibits all forms of hazing.

A series of photos released by House of Representatives Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas on Wednesday showed Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, into law on June 29.

Amending a 1995 law regulating hazing, the new law bans all forms of hazing and orders the regulation of initiation rites – physical and psychological – for recruits in fraternities, sororities and other organizations.

The new law was a consolidation of Senate Bill 1662 and House Bill 6573.

The old law allows regulated hazing as part of an initiation rite if there is a written notice addressed to the school a week before the event.

Under RA 11053, any reckless act that would endanger the physical health or safety of an individual resulting to membership in any organization is strictly prohibited.

“Only initiation rites or practices that do not inflict direct or indirect physical or psychological suffering, harm or injury to the recruit, neophyte, or applicant … shall be allowed,” it added.

Congress agreed to increase the penalties, including for those who do not carry out the act of hazing but are present during the rites.

Both chambers moved to amend the Anti-Hazing Law after the hazing-related death of University of Santo Tomas freshman law student Horacio Castillo III in the hands of the Aegis Juris Fraternity members in September last year.

“With the law, I hope there will be no more repeat of the hazing death of Horacio ‘Atio’ Castillo III in September 2017,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson told Panay News in a text message.

“Let his death serve the purpose of ensuring that the misery of hazing and the employment of appalling rituals will no longer be imposed in the name of brotherhood,” Lacson said.

Hazing is “merely violence and abuse” and it “needs to stop now,” the senator said. “Awareness must be raised as to the fact that there is no unity, no brotherhood, no strength, no honor, no dignity, and no respect in hazing.”

According to Sen. Nancy Binay, hazing “has laid claim to many senseless deaths and has left families of victims in perpetual pain.”

With the new law, “we expect that schools and local government units would seriously check and monitor organizations that are still into the traditional initiations, including other forms of abuse enumerated in the new anti-hazing law,” she told Panay News in a text message. (With a report from Prince Golez/PN)