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Students march demanding justice following hazing death of Sigma Rho pledge Cris Anthony Mendez

Officials of the Sigma Rho fraternity in the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, have been slapped with a 30-day suspension, GMA News’ Saksi reported early Saturday quoting an unnamed source from the university.

The report said the suspension came as authorities launched an investigation into the death of hazing victim Cris Anthony Mendez .

UP students on Friday marched inside their campus to demand justice for Mendez.

The march was led by Mendez’s classmates and teachers at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG).

Mendez’s family has blamed the Sigma Rho fraternity for the death of the 20-year-old graduating student.

The marchers wore black shirts and carried placards.

In addressing those believed responsible for Mendez’s death, a student read a statement in Filipino that said: “What you did is unacceptable. Your conscience will never be at peace. We won’t let you be until you stop hiding the truth of what really happened. We hope what happened to our friend won’t befall you or your loved ones.”

Police have not come up with their official findings on the case.

Radio station dzBB reported that the students converged at the Palma Hall in UP.

An organization called on the UP administration and the police to “bring light” to the case.

The Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (Stand-UP) in a statement urged its 13 member fraternities and sororities to “live up to the ideals” Mendez served during his stint as a student council member.

“Living up to these ideals will not only avert fraternities from the deeply embedded culture of violence, but will also mark their significant placement in society,” it said.

By Hank Nuwer

Journalist Hank Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. In April of 2024, the Alaska Press Club awarded him first place in the Best Columnist division and Best Humorist, second place.

He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His current book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Warsaw, Poland and Fairbanks, Alaska. Nuwer is a former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird and former managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska.
Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his “After Darke” column in the Early Bird. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. “The move is a sort-of coming home for us,” said Nuwer. As a journalist, he’s written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Read his musings in his blog at Real Alaska Daily--http://realalaskadaily.com and in his weekly column "Far from Randolph" in the Winchester Star-Gazette of Randolph County, Indiana.

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