By AC Putong and Lysander Tiu
UDB verdict remains undisclosed
Former cadet Camillus Rudolf Cataluña of the Silliman University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (SU-ROTC) remains hopeful that the administration will acknowledge the University Disciplinary Board’s (UDB) findings on the alleged hazing case.
“Stronger transparency, psychological safeguards, and clearer reporting channels should not just be written down but institutionalized and enforced,” Cataluña wrote in an email.
He said that he was not included in the closed discussion with the National Service Training Program directors and other internal actors, but stands with the facts that the decision affirms.
However, the UDB, which is responsible for handling judicial cases among students, has yet to issue an official statement on the findings and verdict of the case.
Cataluña noted that it is not difficult to notice a pattern where “protecting the institution’s name and image takes precedence over protecting its people.”
“There is a tendency to keep things quiet, not for the sake of healing, but for the sake of appearance. Ironically, the very reputation they are trying to preserve is undermined by that silence,” he said.
When asked about his other grievances, Cataluña said that he would not file another formal complaint as it would expose him to “the same systemic indifference.”
Meanwhile, Francis Lianro Bulado, UDB student representative and SU Student Government prime justice, clarified that the board has the discretion to decide “whether or not to publicize cases and disclose information” to the public.
He also mentioned that its function is to apply the provisions in the University Manual and the Anti-Hazing Law when there are reported violations, rather than its proactive enforcement.
The Anti-Hazing Law, under R.A. 8049, prohibits hazing and deems university officials responsible for “imposing the appropriate administrative sanctions.”
“When hazing complaints are brought forward, the UDB is tasked with hearing the merits of the case, determining whether a violation has occurred, and imposing appropriate sanctions based on university policy,” Bulado stated.
SU-ROTC probes hazing allegations
The incident involving the complainant party and the respondents happened last Nov. 13, 2024.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, the ex-cadet claimed to be subject to physical abuse, intimidation, and online harassment.
Ten days after Cataluña reported the incident, the SU-ROTC and the National Service Training Program (NSTP) held an internal investigation and endorsed it to the UDB.
Cadets involved in the incident were placed on preventive suspension and instructed to refrain from attending ROTC training while awaiting the UDB’s hearing.
Cataluña also submitted a formal complaint to the UDB, which followed another internal hearing and investigation last March 7.
The Weekly Sillimanian has reached out to the Office of Student Services, which is in charge of implementing the recommendations of the UDB, but has yet to respond as of writing.
