MEMBERS of the Aegis Juris fraternity acted like a “criminal syndicate” when they tried to cover up the death of hazing victim Horacio Castillo III, Senator Miguel Zubiri said Monday.
“I was appalled. It was not just shock. I was appalled at what they were saying [in the chat group],” Zubiri told ANC.
“They were acting like a criminal syndicate reminiscent of drug syndicates and triads. As I said in the committee hearing, if this is what is happening to lawyers, I feel sad for the law profession.”
During last week’s Senate hearing of the public order committee, the police said they discovered a chat group created by members of the Aegis Juris fraternity hours after Castillo’s death.
Some of the members, who are practicing lawyers, advised their fraternity brothers to make sure the fraternity library where the initiation rites were held was cleaned up and no CCTV footage was in the area.
Zubiri, a friend of Castillo’s father, said the victim’s family will file obstruction-of-justice charges and seek the disbarment of the lawyers in the chat group.
Castillo, a freshman law student at the University of Santo Tomas, died after undergoing hazing rites of the Aegis Juris last month.