Sadists
If his son has not been involved in homicide, it would be better for Francisco Cruz, a physician of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, to surface — preferably with his son — and shed light on the death of Cris Anthony Mendez. The 20-year-old public administration student of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City died of injuries from a severe beating over a week ago apparently during a fraternity hazing.A VMMC security guard identified Cruz as the person who, together with his son, brought Mendez to the hospital early in the morning of Aug. 27 in a Toyota Innova with government license plates SAB-393. Three other vehicles arrived later. Were the passengers members of the Sigma Rho fraternity, which Mendez was reportedly trying to join? The guard was not sure if Mendez was still alive when rushed to the emergency ward.
With so many details available to investigators, perhaps it would be easier to obtain justice for Mendez. Hazing has persisted because fraternities in this country have a twisted concept of brotherhood. Older members who occupy prominent positions in government and the private sector cover up crimes, from misdemeanors to heinous ones, committed by younger fraternity brothers. The judge who convicted members of the Aquila Legis law fraternity for the hazing death of Lenny Villa, for example, has curiously run into a lot of legal troubles. There is little effort among senior fraternity members to put a stop to hazing. Having experienced painful initiation rites, the older members apparently want applicants to undergo the same suffering.
What do these violent, degrading initiation rites promote? It cannot possibly be fraternity. Such rites give full rein to every fraternity member’s inner sadist, with violence inflicted in the cowardice of anonymity. It is tempting to compare this Neanderthal behavior with those of animals, but it would be unfair to the beasts, which kill only for food or in self-defense and never for sadistic fun. If Doctor Cruz and his son are not parties to such inhuman behavior, they should face investigators.
