Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No 20 | Page 31

October 16 - 31 , 2017
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UPDATE : Frat Man turns Hazing Witness

5th paddle killed Atio – DoJ chief
THE Department of Justice ( DoJ ) now holds a vital witness to the hazing death of UST law freshman Horacio Castillo 3rd , tapping one of the top officers of the Aegis Juris Fraternity as a government witness .
Mark Ventura signed up for the witness protection program ( WPP ) at 3 p . m . on Wednesday , accompanied by his mother Merlene Ventura and lawyer Ferdie Benitez , and bared all that he knew about the September 17 hazing rites that killed Castillo , the DoJ said .
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd told reporters that based on Ventura ’ s testimony , the initiation rites of the law fraternity started at 1 a . m . on September 17 , and lasted for more than three hours .
Ten Aegis Juris men joined the brutal rites while others served as lookouts outside the fraternity library on Laon-Laan Street in Manila , including a female . There was drinking , and loud music blared .
“ The first physical punishment or initiation was he ( Castillo ) was punched on the arms … they had a term for it , hanggang hindi pumuputok sa kanyang braso ay tuluytuloy lang sila ng pagsuntok ( they kept on punching until the arms swelled ),” Aguirre said .
“ When the arms swelled , they used a spatula to calm the muscles .”
After hitting Castillo with a spatula , he was hit three times with a paddle , Aguirre said . On the fourth time , the 22- year-old neophyte collapsed . The frat men used candle wax to revive Castillo .
“ Third paddle against Atio , tinanong pa siya kung kaya pa niya , sumagot pa siya na kaya pa ( he was asked if he was still okay , he said ‘ yes ’),” Aguirre said .
“ Fourth paddle … he collapsed already … nung nagkakamalay na , pinaddle ng panglima , nagcollapse uli tapos naging panicky na members ng frat ( when he regained consciousness they paddled him for a fifth time , he collapsed again and the frat members panicked ),” Aguirre said .
Aguirre said Ventura , listed by the Manila Police District as secretary and “ master initiator 2 ” of Aegis Juris , first went to his office on Tuesday afternoon and was accompanied by his mother and lawyer .
“ Mr . Ventura gave us the names of the persons who were present during the initiation rites of Mr . Atio Castillo 3rd . After hearing the narration of Mr . Ventura , I immediately decided to place him under provisional acceptance into the WPP ,” he added .
Ventura has executed an affidavit for his formal admission into the WPP .
The WPP entry of Ventura is on the premise that he does not appear to be the most guilty of the crime , Aguirre said .
With his admission to the WPP , Ventura will no longer be indicted if the panel finds probable cause against other respondents .
The MPD welcomed Ventura ’ s admission to the WPP on Wednesday .
Castillo ’ s parents have filed complaints against 18 persons , including Ventura , Axel Munro Hipe and fraternity leader Arvin Balag for the death of their son .
Balag was cited in contempt during a Senate inquiry into Castillo ’ s death last October 18 , and was detained at the Senate basement .
Sen . Joel Villanueva warned the Aegis Juris fratmen to tell the truth in the next Senate hearing on Castillo ’ s death , or else be cited in contempt . Worse , they may end up in Pasay City Jail as there was not enough room for them in the Senate , he said .
( Jomar Canalas , TMT with B . Tamayo and J . Pilapil )

CBCP slams fake news , denies mourning Hapilon , Maute deaths

MANILA- The Catholic Bishops ’ Conference of the Philippines ( CBCP ) denied on Tuesday that they regret the killing of terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute .
Outgoing CBCP President
Archbishop Socrates Villegas said no such statement was made and decried how they were again the “ hapless victim of fake news .”
Villegas was reacting to a social media post that falsely stated that the CBCP
condemned the brutal killing of the 2 terrorists .
“ Going viral on social media is a ‘ report ’ that the CBCP regrets the killing of Messrs . Hapilon and Maute . The CBCP never made such
a statement ,” Villegas said .
Villegas emphasized that the CBCP lauds the efforts of government troops to liberate war-torn Marawi City .
“ On the contrary , we laud the gallantry of our soldiers and their heroic efforts to free
Marawi City . We will gladly join the government in rebuilding the city in the measure we are able ,” he said .
Hapilon and Maute were killed in a military assault early Monday . ( abs-cbn )

Marawi residents return home

MARAWI CITY — Residents of this Lanao del Sur provincial capital , where Islamic State ( IS ) supporters waged a brutal five-month battle , began returning home on Tuesday , but gunfire greeted them as soldiers scoured devastated neighborhoods for remaining militants .
The military announced on Monday that the fighting , which claimed more than 1,100 lives and left the eastern half of Marawi in ruins , had ended following a final clash in a two-story commercial building in which dozens of gunmen were killed .
The militants had occupied Marawi on May 23
in what President Duterte and security analysts said was a bid to establish a Southeast Asian base for IS . Washington ’ s top diplomat in the Philippines said the United States provided surveillance aircraft and other equipment to help monitor and assess the militants ’ positions during the campaign .
The assistance was critical to the successful outcome of the fighting , Ambassador Sung Y . Kim told a small group of American reporters on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs with their Asian and Western counterparts at Clark Freeport in Pampanga
province .
The campaign to oust the militants turned into the Philippines ’ longest urban war , forcing about 400,000 people to flee their homes as the pro-IS fighters defied almost daily bombing raids by hiding in basements , tunnels and mosques .
Lomontong said her house had survived , although it had been looted .
“ Anything easy to take away was gone — television sets , laptops ,” she said .
Only a few dozen civilians could be seen on Tuesday morning on the outskirts of the mostly destroyed eastern half of Marawi , where regular bursts of gunfire and
occasional explosions could still be heard .
However , the sounds of war did not mean there was renewed fighting , according to Col . Romeo Brawner Jr ., deputy commander of the military ’ s Joint Task Group Ranao .
He told they were due to soldiers going through buildings looking for militants who may still be hiding , while troops were also detonating bombs that the gunmen had planted .
“ It ’ s possible that there were some [ militants ] left behind . In every war , that is the SOP ( standard operating procedure ),” Brawner said .
“ So the firing is part of the
mopping operations , because if there are holes , tunnels ( in buildings ), then the troops fire first into the hole before they check with their flashlights ,” he said .
In the western half of the city , which largely escaped the fighting , hundreds of residents had begun returning .
“ I feel a mixture of joy and sadness ,” businessman Gonaranko Mapandi Jr , 46 , said as he stood close to a military checkpoint . “ I ’ m happy because we are able to return . But I ’ m very sad at what happened to my city .” ( Inquirer / With reports from AFP and AP )
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