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Atio's family now open to possibility of making Solano a state witness


Carminia Castillo, mother of hazing victim Horacio "Atio" Castillo III, on Wednesday urged John Paul Solano to disclose all information about the death of her son.

"He should tell all," Carminia said in a brief interview on Unang Balita.

Carminia said that should Solano reveal all he knows about the hazing that led to the death of Atio, her family would be open to possibility of him becoming a state witness.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, a friend of the hazing victim's father, had said that Solano revealed to the senators what he knows about the death of Horacio.

Zubiri said Solano gave them at least six names of people involved in Horacio's death.

The Castillo family had earlier said they did not want Solano to be used as a state witness.

Carminia, meanwhile, said that the family is satisfied with the investigations being conducted by the Manila Police District into Horacio's death.

She called on people who have information that can help the police solve the case to come forward.

"Tulungan nila kami to find justice for my son, Atio. So para magkaroon na ng closure, magkaroon na ng, para makita na ng lahat na hazing, dapat hindi na ginagawa ang hazing," she said.

On Monday, the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs conducted a hearing on Castillo's death.

Solano said he was supposed to tell all during the hearing, but the filing of criminal complaints against him prevented him to do so.

During the hearing, Solano invoked his right to remain silent when asked certain questions about the involvement of Aegis Juris fraternity members in the death of Castillo.

Solano turned himself in to Senator Panfilo Lacson last Friday after he was named as principal suspect in the hazing death of the freshman law student.

He initially claimed to have found Castillo "half dead" and "unconscious" at the corner of H. Lopez Boulevard and Infanta Street in Balut, Tondo but police investigators later on discovered that he gave a "false statement."

Solano had admitted that members of the Aegis Juris fraternity told him to give the false testimony on the death of Castillo.

The MPD charged Solano, along with 17 other individuals, with murder, perjury, obstruction of justice, robbery and violation of the Anti-Hazing Law.

Castillo died after attending the "welcoming rites" of the Aegis Juris fraternity based in the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law on September 16.

The victim's family learned about the incident in the morning of September 18, when Carminia received an anonymous text message saying that her son had been brought to the Chinese General Hospital.

Castillo will be interred on Wednesday at the Manila Memorial Park.

During the Unang Balita interview, Carminia said Aegis Juris members are not welcome at the burial rites.

"Hindi siguro para sa kanila," she said when asked if the interment is open to all, including the fraternity's members.

A mass will be held at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, Makati City at 2 p.m. before the funeral convoy proceeds to Parañaque City for the burial. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/ALG, GMA News

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