UST Civil Law dean: I'm not involved with activities of Aegis Juris

The dean of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law clarified that he was not involved with the activities of the Aegis Juris fraternity after he took a leave of absence from the brotherhood.

"I don't speak for them. I am not involved in their activities. I have long taken a leave of absence (from the fraternity) since I assumed the deanship," Atty. Nilo Divina said in a statement showed in the report of  GMA News' Ivan Mayrina on "24 Oras."

Divina vowed that an immediate probe will be conducted following the death of freshman law student Horacio "Atio" Castillo III.

The 22-year-old student was found dead by a concerned citizen on the sidewalk at the corner of H. Lopez Boulevard and Infanta Street in Balut, Tondo around 8 a.m. on Sunday.

His family learned about the incident when mother Carminia Castillo had received an anonymous text message saying that her son was brought to Chinese General Hospital.

"Investigation shall be immediately conducted to ferret out the truth, determine liability and institute the necessary legal actions," Divina said.

The report also took note of other members of the fraternity, which includes lawyers Arthur Capili and Irvin Joseph Fabella, who are UST Civil Law faculty members.

Court of Appeals Associate Justice Gabriel Robeniol and legal counsel Gregorio Fernandez are also part of the fraternity.

Earlier, Divina ordered the "preventive suspension" of all officers and members of the Aegis Juris fraternity.

"All officers and members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity are preventively suspended from the UST Faculty of Civil Law effective September 18, 2017," Divina said in a memorandum.

"Members of this group therefore would not be allowed to enter the campus or the Faculty of Civil Law or attend classes until further orders." — Anna Felicia Bajo/BAP, GMA News