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Duterte denounces hazing in fraternities


President Rodrigo Duterte has denounced violent hazing practices inflicted on neophytes during fraternity initiation rites, saying killing a hapless individual does not make one a man.

"You cannot be more of a man even to yourself if you kill another human being na helpless, hindi naman makaganti [who cannot fight back]," Duterte said in his prerecorded Talk to the People aired on Wednesday.

Duterte recalled that when he was studying at San Beda College of Law, he and some of his colleagues wrote to their fraternity, Lex Taliones, to stop severe physical punishment.

"We wrote our fraternity to stop this nonsense of inflicting severe pain," he said. "Yang masakit masyado, hindi yan para sa kapwa mo tao, kapwa mo lalaki '[You should not inflict severe pain to your fellow men]."

The President narrated that after his initiation rites, he went home to Davao City and was hospitalized due to severe hematoma.

Duterte said he would not be happy hearing his fraternity "killing neophytes."

Duterte, whose war on illegal drugs has been blamed for alleged extrajudicial killings by human rights groups, urged fraternities to "stick to moderation."

"Just moderation. The word moderation is a good word on everything that you do. Stick to moderation," the President said.

In June 2018,  Duterte signed into law the measure imposing a fine of P3 million aside from 20 to 40 years in prison for hazing rites that would result in death, rape, sodomy or mutilation.

The law, Republic Act 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, amended Republic Act 8049 that already provided for a prison term of reclusion perpetua — 20 to 40 years in prison — for hazing rites that would result in death.

The new law banned all forms of hazing as requirement for admission into membership of a fraternity, sorority or organization in schools and uniformed service learning institutions such as the Philippine Military Academy and Philippine National Police Academy.

Just last March, 18-year-old Raymark "RR" Rabutazo died due to bleeding and head trauma after undergoing initiations of the Tau Gamma Phi in Laguna. —KBK, GMA News

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