Mom of hazing victim to frat: Tell me what you did to my son

Carmina Castillo, the mother of alleged hazing victim Horacio Tomas "Atio" Castillo III, on Monday had a message for her son's fraternity brothers: "Just tell me what you did to my son."

"I just want to know how he died. He died alone, without the family. He was suffering. Masakit 'yung mga tinamo niyang palo," she said in an interview on dzBB.

Horacio, 22, a first year law student of the University of Santo Tomas, 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 around 1 a.m. Monday, when Carmina received a text message that Horacio was at Chinese General Hospital.

Horacio's bloated body bore bruises, cigarette and candle wax burns.

Carmina said the cause of death, according to SOCO, was cardiac arrest due to trauma injuries. "Inatake sa puso dahil sa sobrang trauma dahil sa sobrang pagkakapalo sa braso," she added.

She also said the bruises on her son's body were not there before he left home on Saturday.

'Drinking session'

According to Carmina, Horacio said he was being invited to join a fraternity [Aegis Juris, according to his uncle] in UST. He told his parents that one of the frat members even became the dean of the Faculty of Civil Law at UST. Horacio also assured them that the frat is anti-hazing.

"Malaki ang confidence niya na walang mangyayari," she said.

It was on Monday, September 11 when Horacio asked permission to go with fellow frat members for an overnight drinking session on Saturday. He told his parents that the initiation was already over and the drinking session will be just a sort of welcome event. The venue will be at UST, he said. Horacio assured them that he will be back on Sunday afternoon and that someone will drop him off at their house.

"Hinatid namin siya sa school. May class siya sa umaga. Sa hapon pa 'yung [inuman]," Carmina said.

"Usually he would call, 'Mom, I'm here,' or 'Mom, I'm home.' 'Pag overnight, at 7 or 9 in the morning, tatawag sa akin, 'Mom, nandito ako.' Tumawag ako, nagri-ring lang ang cellphone. At 10 a.m. [Sunday], hindi na nagri-ring. Unattended na. Sabi ko dapat tapos na ito," she said.

"Gabi na, wala pa rin. I tried calling him and 'yung nag-invite sa kanya, hindi sumasagot. Masama na ang pakiramdam ko," Carmina said.

Horacio's parents went to UST Hospital before midnight on Sunday to check if he was confined or was brought to the emergency room, but he was not there.

His parents decided to go home hoping Horacio would be home by then. But they got a text message instead from an unknown number saying Horacio is at Chinese General.

They called the hospital to ask if Horacio has been admitted, but the staff said no one going by that name was confined. So they asked again if there was a male aged 22 years old who was brought in with trauma injuries. The staff said yes there was such a person admitted and it was a UST student with an ID. 

"So kinabahan na kami. Sabi sa amin, 'Kinuha na siya ng SOCO. Dinala na sa punerarya.' Meron daw isang Chinese na [nagdala doon sa ospital]. Meron daw nakitang nakabalot sa kumot. Pagtingin niya, tao pala. Dinala niya sa ospital. Hindi dinala [ng mga kasama]," Carmina said.

"Nakita siya sa Tondo, iniwan 'yung katawan niya sa sidewalk. Ang konsuwelo ko lang, I found him. Atsaka wala na eh, hindi na maibabalik ang buhay ng anak ko," Carmina said.

Great dreams

Horacio had great dreams, his mother said. "Marami siyang ambisyon. Gusto niyang maging abogado, senador. They took that all away from him, from my son, from all of us," Carmina said.

"He's only 22 years old. Graduate siya ng political science ng UST. Kaka-enroll lang namin. First year proper siya. We were so excited, eto na, magla-law na siya. Kaka-graduate lang niya. Alagang-alaga namin ang anak namin. He has his own car. Kung walang driver, hahatid namin siya, and yet binugbog siya, then tinapon lang, hindi dinala sa ospital. Wala silang awa... Ni hindi ko siya pinagalitan. Never siyang pinagbuhatan ng kamay [ng father niya]," she added.

UST's investigation

UST said it is investigating the incident and will issue a statement after the probe is finished. —KG, GMA News