Lex Leonum alumnus says brods in Beda faculty blameless on 'hazing' death

San Beda professors who are members of Lex Leonum Fraternitas have no influence on the organization’s day-to-day activities and therefore must be spared from the case filed in connection with the death of Marc Andre Marcos.   This was according to former Quezon Councilor Ariel Inton, himself an alumnus of the fraternity whose violent initiation rites were blamed for the death of Marcos, a San Beda law freshman, last July 30. Marcos' death has raised questions on the effectivity of the law passed criminalizing hazing activities among members of fraternities and sororities in campuses.   “May kaso ngayon sa Cavite, sa tingin ko ‘andun ang mga pangalan ng respodents at kung wala ang pangalan ng professors hindi ko alam kung bakit dapat idawit ‘yung mga professors ng San Beda na alumnus ng Lex Leonum,” said Inton in an interview with GMA News TV’s News To Go on Friday.    Inton was reacting to the appeal of the Marcos to the San Beda administration to dismiss faculty members who are members of the fraternity.   “If San Beda is true to their vision to produce Christian lawyers, then the school should remove all members of the fraternity, both students and teachers,” according to the statement given to GMA News on Thursday by Mariemeir Marcos-Rivera, the victim’s aunt who acts as the family’s legal counsel.   They also appealed to other law schools not to accept the students kicked out from the school as a result of the hazing.   San Beda has approved the penalty of exclusion against 27 of its students who were members of Lex Leonum. The police have also filed murder charges against 37 suspects involved in Marcos’ death.   No influence   Inton said the alumni have no influence on the current fraternity members.   “'Yun pong alumni, kami po ay separate sa resident brods (brothers) in the sense na hindi kami nakikialam sa internal na activities ng resident brods unless na humihingi sila ng tulong like bar operations at iba pang activities na official function,” he said.   “Yung day to day activities ng fraternity, ‘yan po ay hindi nakikilalam ang alumni. I can say that because during my time, when I was a resident brod, wala akong natatandaan na ang mga alumni namin nakikialam internally sa fraternity,” he added.   Asked if there is a need to implement change in the fraternity’s initiation rites, Inton said he cannot say as it was the first time such incident happened since the organization was founded in 1968.   “Hindi po ganun ang initiation namin gaya ng naisasalarawan sa media na parang very barbaric, wala po kaming ganyang initiation. Ang initiation namin from 1968, kung kelan founded ‘yung fraternity namin [ay] walang nangyaring ganyang kaso, ngayon lang po  nadawit ang fraternity,” he said.   He also could not comment on the possibility that other schools would heed the call not to accept those involved in Marcos’ death.   “Depende po ‘yan sa mga law schools na page-enrollan. If mag-eenroll, hindi natin saklaw ‘yun. Hintayin natin. Polisiya po ‘yan ng isang paaralan kung tatanggapin o hindi just in case mag eenroll. Sa ngayon wala kaming hakbang laban d’un o whatever dahil hindi pa dumarating sa punto na nag-eenroll yung mga estudyante sa ibang paaralan,” Inton said. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News