The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday announced the surrender of five Tau Gamma Phi fraternity members over the fatal death of 19-year-old maritime student Mark Kenneth in hazing rites in Cavite last week.
At the weekly press briefing in Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said the surrenderees are now in the custody of the Cavite Provincial Police.
"Isa sumuko sa mayor ng Dasmarinas City. Apat sa Mayor ng General Trias. Sa Dasmarinas is 19 year old. Sa General Trias, isang 22 (years old), isang 21, isang 18 at 19," Tuaño said.
Earlier, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that four members of Tau Gamma Phi had surrendered to the General Trias Component City Police Station on Sunday night in connection with the incident. Remulla identified those who surrendered as John Lee Tuliao, 22; Archie Rosil, 21; Kenneth Ompod, 18; and John Rey Torrecampo, 19.
He said the four suspects were accompanied by Tau Gamma Phi National Council representatives, Police Regional Office-Calabarzon Intelligence Unit personnel, and two lawyers.
“Kahapon sa provincial director ng Cavite police. Sinurrender sila ng city authorities. Ayun ang pinangako ng national leadership ng Tau Gamma. Isu-surrender daw nila. So, I gave them three days. So, two days pa lang. Tignan natin hanggang bukas kung masu-surrender nila lahat," Remulla, in a telephone interview with Camp Crame reporters, said.
“Syempre, natutuwa naman ako na nakikisama sila, pero hindi pa kompleto yan. Hindi naman pwedeng installment ang bigayan dito, 'di ba?” he added.
The Tau Gamma leadership last week assured Remulla of their commitment to assist in surrendering all those involved.
“They promised to help so I gave them three days. It’s day two today (Monday) so let’s see if they would be able to surrender them all tomorrow,” said Remulla.
While he appreciates the cooperation of the fraternity, Remulla said the organization must show sincerity by making sure that all those involved face the consequences of their actions, especially since it resulted in the death of an individual.
“We will not allow installment-like surrender. They should not wait for the time that the entire forces of the law will run after them,” Remulla said.
He also warned the relatives and friends of the 13 fratmen who remain at large, saying they too could be held liable for obstruction of justice and harboring a fugitive.
Remulla earlier called on Tau Gamma and other fraternities to change what he described as a culture of violence in fraternity groups during recruitment and in welcoming new members.
Alcedo and two more neophytes were allegedly hazed during the initiation rites of the local Tau Gamma Phi chapter at an open field beside a subdivision in Dasmariñas City on March 1.
Later that day, three of the fraternity members aboard a Mitsubishi Mirage brought Alcedo to the General Trias Medical Center and fled the scene. He was declared dead that afternoon.
An autopsy report showed that Alcedo had died of blunt force trauma to the lower extremities, with police investigators noting that they had found fruits and chili seeds on his groin and buttocks.