ONE of the suspects in the hazing death of UST law student Horacio “ Atio ” Castillo returned to the Philippines on Tuesday after weeks of staying in the United States and following a police search for him .

Aegis Juris member Ralph Trangia arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 11:40 a . m . on board EVA Air flight from the United States through Taipei in a connecting flight .

In other developments :

• University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina on Tuesday shrugged off the inclusion of his name in the criminal complaint filed before the Justice Department in connection with the hazing conducted by Aegis Juris Fraternity members that resulted in the death of 22-year-old freshman law student Castillo .

“ I am sure it is baseless since I have not breached any law and have always discharged my functions as dean with utmost diligence ,’’ Divina said .

• Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday ordered the Manila Police District to go after the 35 suspects in the death of Castillo .

He tasked the police to hunt down the suspects to ensure justice was served to Castillo ’ s family .

“ If there ’ s evidence , arrest them ,” Estrada said after being briefed by MPD Chief Joel Coronel on the investigation of the case .

“ Let them face the court and answer the charges .”

Trangia arrived with his mother Rosemarie who was with him in Chicago . They were welcomed by airport security personnel and men from the Manila Police District .

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office earlier said Trangia flew to Chicago through Taiwan on a transit flight from Manila on Sept . 19 .

Red Mariñas , head of the Bureau of Immigration Port Operations Division , earlier told ABS-CBN News that the Interpol office in the US relayed to their office details of Trangia ’ s return to Manila .

He said Trangia opted for a voluntary return after the government reportedly planned to revoke his passport after he was tagged in

Castillo ’ s death .

In a statement , the Justice Department said Trangia ’ s return was a welcome development in the case . It said it would assess if Trangia could be a potential witness .

“ While he may be a suspect as of the moment , he could be a potential witness ,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said .

“ And for this reason , the DoJ offers to him and to his family the protection of our Witness Protection Program .”

Trangia , a UST student , along with several other suspects , are facing charges of murder , robbery and violation of the anti-hazing law .

An autopsy report from the Manila Police District concluded that Atio died of a heart attack due to massive injuries from hazing .

Castillo , who was described by his relatives as a humble kid with big dreams ,

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HE IS BACK . Aegis Juris Fraternity officer Ralph Trangia , one of the suspects in the fatal hazing of University of Sto . Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III , returns with his mother to the Philippines Tuesday from three weeks stay in Chicago , Illinois via Taipei where they had gone after Castillo ’ s death . Norman Cruz

It was a “ self-inflicted ” setback that should be taken as a wake-up call by President Duterte and his officials , senators said yesterday , referring to the sharp decline in his satisfaction and trust ratings .

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the issues that led to the decline in Duterte ’ s ratings were of his own making , but clarified it ’ s still too early to tell if the President should expect further erosion in his popularity .

“ But this is just one survey . I will not pass judgment until the next one or two surveys because that will show the trend ,” Drilon said .

He stressed the administration should better take a second look at its policies and the way they are enforced . “ If things don ’ t change , then in the next surveys , this ( decline ) will continue ,” the senator said .

He cited the 90 percent drop in new foreign direct investment in the last 12 months . “ The lack of confidence is not only in the domestic but also in the foreign scene ,” Drilon said .

His Senate colleagues in the minority bloc said the plunge in Duterte ’ s satisfaction and trust ratings was an ominous sign of growing discontent among Filipinos toward his “ authoritarian ” style of leadership .

Sen . Risa Hontiveros noted deep and growing rumbling of discontent across different social classes all over the country with rampant killings , fake news and numerous accusations of corruption .

“ Duterte ’ s authoritarian style of governance is losing its appeal and support among the public ,” she said .

“ The writing on the wall is simple and clear : President Duterte cannot govern based on fear , lies and killings . He cannot govern outside the rule of law and with total disregard for human rights and expect no consequences ,” Hontiveros said .

She said he cannot brag about cleaning the government of corruption when he himself cannot substantially and convincingly satisfy the public ’ s demand for an explanation of his undeclared bank accounts .

Duterte “ has no choice but to go back to the path of democracy even if he thinks he is still popular ,” she said .

“ His supporters may even arrogantly believe that he is a ‘ Teflon president ’ because they perceived that criticisms , blame and scandal are never sticking to him . But even the strongest Teflon is not immune to damage ,” Hontiveros said . Awakening Sen . Antonio Trillanes IV said he finds it encouraging that Filipinos “ are beginning to see the light .”

“ They are now seeing Duterte for who he really is : a lying , rude , amoral , corrupt and oppressive former mayor who is totally incompetent about governance at the national level ,” Trillanes said .

“ Worse , his bloody war on drugs has killed thousands of his own people and created a climate of fear across the country ,” he said .

He predicted Duterte ’ s ratings to fall further in the next poll after the Office of the Ombudsman , he said , “ confirmed ” the existence of Duterte ’ s bank accounts .

It ’ s President Duterte ’ s “ penchant for lying ” that soured the public ’ s perception of him and contributed to the sharp drop in his approval and trust ratings , a Roman Catholic church official said .

Fr . Jerome Secillano , Catholic Bishops ’ Conference of the Philippines-public affairs committee executive secretary , said the drop in the President ’ s popularity was hardly surprising .

“ We ’ re talking about a person who obviously has a penchant for lying . So , how do we expect people to react ?” Secillano said . “ It is not a surprise anymore that his trust rating will dwindle .”

Recently , the President admitted lying about details of

was buried on Sept . 27 .

Also facing charges in connection with Atio ’ s death are Divina and the trustees of the Aegis Juris Foundation .

Divina , an Aegis Juris fratman “ on leave ,” told a Senate inquiry that he had already talked to the Atio ’ s parents and vowed to help them find justice .

Part-time medical technologist John Paul Solano , another primary suspect and also an Aegis Juris member , was released after being detained for seven days .

Solano denied his participation in the hazing . He said he rushed Castillo to the hospital Sunday morning after being called by fraternity brothers to give the neophyte first aid .

( J . Surbano , R . Requero , B . Casas / MS )

the supposed bank accounts of Trillanes . Secillano said a further drop in Duterte ’ s rating is expected if he does not change his leadership style .

“ It will continue to go down unless he shapes up , especially on issues of corruption , extrajudicial killings , police impunity and others ,” the CBCP official added .

Based on the third quarter survey of the SWS conducted from Sept . 23 to Sept . 27 , the net public satisfaction and net trust ratings of Duterte fell to their lowest since he became president in June 30 last year .

The survey , involving 1,500 respondents nationwide , showed the President ’ s net satisfaction ratings sliding by 18 points to a “ good ” + 48 in September from a “ very good ” + 66 in June .

The survey also showed the President ’ s net trust rating dropping to a “ very good ” + 60 in September from an “ excellent ” + 75 in June . ( P . Romero , PS )