Cops to zero in on frat hazers with help of condo CCTV

With help from closed-circuit television footage, police investigators are looking to zero in on the suspects behind the fatal hazing of college student Guillo Cesar Servando.

 

The Manila Police District is now analyzing the footage from the 29th floor of the One Archers Place condominium along Taft Avenue, GMA News' Jun Veneracion reported on "24 Oras."

 

Servando was found dead at the 29th floor of the condominium last weekend.

 

Part of the footage showed three males emerging from the elevator, dragging the body of another male wearing short pants, at about 9:34 p.m. Saturday.

 

While the male in short pants was moving, he appeared unable to stand. The footage also showed one of the persons with him appearing to make a call on a mobile phone.

 

The footage also showed yet another male wearing green exiting the elevator, and a man wearing a security guard's uniform helping carry the male who could not stand up.

 

MPD investigators identified the male who could not stand up was Servando, 18. A death certificate showed he died from traumatic injuries to the trunk and lower extremities.

 

Also, police now have leads on the identities of the other men in the CCTV footage.

 

Meanwhile, three companions of Servando were lucky to survive the hazing.  They were identified as John Paul Raval, Lorenze Agustin, and a 17-year-old.

 

Like Servando, they are students of the College of St. Benilde.

 

"Cooperative naman lalo na mga family ng victim witnesses. We are confident in due time magkalinaw na ang insidenteng ito," MPD spokesman Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo said.

 

Red Cross

 

Emergency volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross Manila chapter first responded to the scene after a call was made via Patrol 117, from Unit 2907 of the condominium, where Raval was staying.

 

Red Cross volunteers said they saw Servando sprawled on the floor, no longer breathing and without a pulse.

 

"Napansin ng ating volunteer na yung katawan medyo matigas na.... Ibig sabihin may stiffening ng muscles, posibleng wala nang buhay nang an hour to three hours," said Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang.

 

Despite administering CPR, they failed to revive Servando.

 

Meanwhile, the three other neophytes were lying on a bed, their bodies full of bruises.

 

They initially denied undergoing hazing but narrated their ordeal when police arrived.

 

Investigation showed a general meeting for the initiation rites was held at a fast food outlet near the CSB building Saturday afternoon.

 

At first, one of the victims claimed members of the Alpha Kappa Rho from the University of Santo Tomas administered the hazing but the victims' relatives said it was the Benilde chapter of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity that conducted the hazing.

 

11 suspects

 

The "24 Oras" report said police are looking at 11 members of the Tau Gamma as possible suspects.

 

Following the initiation, the four victims were brought to One Archers Place where one of the neophytes was staying.

 

The guard's logbook showed two men identified as T-Rex Garcia and Hans Tamaring brought the victims there.

 

Meanwhile, Servando's father Aurelio was distraught over the death of his son, a sophomore taking up hotel and restaurant management.

 

He said he last brought his son to the school Saturday, where the younger Servando supposedly had a get-together with classmates. Unknown to the elder Servando, his son was about to take part in initiation rites.

Banned

 

Investigation showed that while fraternities are banned in La Salle colleges, Servando was recruited by a fraternity member hanging out at an establishment near the school.

 

Servando had thought of backing out but was warned that he may be in deeper trouble if he quit.

 

"Paano kayo nakakatulog... Anong klaseng hayop ang nagpaanak sa inyo? Diyos na ang bahala sa inyo," the elder Servando told his son's killers.

 

The Servando family also allowed high school students of La Salle to attend the victim's wake, so they would see the danger of joining a fraternity.

 

Meanwhile, netizens took to social media to show their sympathies. —Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News