Court orders arrest of 10 Aegis Juris members over Atio death

A Manila court has ordered the arrest of 10 members of the Aegis Juris fraternity indicted over the death of freshman law student Horacio "Atio" Castillo III in September last year.

Judge Alfredo Ampuan of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 on Thursday ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against the following individuals for the non-bailable offense of violation of Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 8049, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 1995:

• Mhin Wei Chan
• Jose Miguel Salamat
• John Robin G. Ramos
• Marcelino Bagtang Jr.
• Arvin Balag
• Ralph Trangia
• Axel Munro Hipe
• Oliver Onofre
• Joshua Joriel Macabali
• Hans Matthew Rodrigo

"Upon personal evaluation of the resolution of the DOJ Panel of Prosecutors as well as all the supporting evidence on record, this Court finds probable cause and that there is a necessity for placing all the accused under the custody in order not to frustrate the ends of justice," the order read.

No bail was recommended.

John Paul Solano, who is charged separately with obstruction of justice and perjury, was not among those ordered arrested. 

All 10 accused were present at a hearing last Friday, where Ampuan denied Trangia's motion to suspend the issuance of a warrant of arrest against him.

The judge also ordered that the granting and fixing of bail, as included in the motions of four of the fraternity brothers, can only be set for hearing after the court determines probable cause, which it did on Thursday.

The 10 were indicted for hazing based on the "believable" testimony of Marc Anthony Ventura, who is now under the government's witness protection program.  Charges against him were recommended dismissed.

Castillo, 22, died of "severe blunt traumatic injuries" after attending the "welcoming rites" of the Aegis Juris Fraternity.

His death reignited discussions on hazing, triggered a Senate probe, and led to the expulsion of eight law students of the University of Santo Tomas, his alma mater. — RSJ, GMA News