MANILA – Are we producing lawyers like these? An anxious Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri wondered aloud on Wednesday, after senators heard a long exchange, from an apparently leaked Facebook chat among Aegis Juris fraternity members and alumni, just after freshman law student Horacio Castillo III was killed Sept. 17 during initiation rites.
Some of the those who joined the conversation badgered the older members to provide guidance to the younger members, worried about the future of aspiring lawyers who may be detained while the case is prosecuted.
The most brazen attempt at concealment came from someone who said the frat library – where the hazing was apparently done – should be cleaned up quick before a search warrant is obtained by Castillo’s parents. And the paddles – where Manila cops later lifted blood samples confirmed to be the victim’s – must be removed, this fratman reminded the group.
In all, senators at the hearing called by Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s Public Order committee were dismayed by the apparent, single-minded goal of the chat group: everything about damage control, and nothing about concern or empathy for the victim’s family.
The senators promised to give the prosecutor general’s office a copy of the leaked exchanges presented by the MPD.
Here’s the exchange, as shared with media by the office Sen. Joel Villanueva:
