Deaths Caused by Hazing

ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group

Posted at Sep 27 2017 08:09 AM

Based on news reports, there were at least 28 deaths caused by hazing or initiation rites of
fraternities and training institutions since 1954, the year when the first hazing victim was
reported.
Gonzalo Albert was the first reported hazing victim in the Philippines. Albert was a student of
the University of the Philippines and was a neophyte of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity.
At least six other hazing victims were reported after Gonzalos death up until 1995 when
Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law" was passed. After the law was passed, at least
21 more deaths due to hazing were reported nationwide.
The 28 deaths due to hazing since 1954 involved 16 fraternities, eight of them allegedly
involving the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternitythe most number of hazing deaths involving a
fraternity.
Of the 28 hazing victims since 1954:
- more than half or 15 were from public learning institutions (State Universities/Colleges, and
a high school)
- 10 were from private schools and institutions
- 1 was from the Philippine Army
- 1 was participating in DepEds Alternative Learning System
- 1 has no available data.
(Data as of Sept. 19, 2017; infographic below excludes 2 hazing deaths, one in Philippine
Army and one in Maritime Academy of Asia.)
New eco-friendly jeepney
prototypes to be unveiled
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Sep 27 2017 12:00 AM

Philippine Parts Makers Association President Ferdie Raquel Santos is revved up for next
month's Philippine Auto Parts Expo. As many as 17 prototypes of new eco-friendly, low
emission jeepneys will be unveiled.
Santos is the lead organizer of next month's expo, where the theme will be "Gawang
Pilipino para sa Pilipino" (Made by Filipinos for Filipinos), emphasizing the country's ability
to produce auto parts.
In preparation for the implementation of the government's Public Utility Vehicle
modernization program, Santos told DZMM that the Philippine automotive parts industry
already locally produces many metal and plastics pieces.
Despite capabilities to make body shells, bumpers, dashboards, and seats locally, the
modern electric and Euro 4 jeepney engines will be built overseas.
-- DZMM, 26 September 2017
Saudi king issues decree
allowing women to drive: state
media
Anuj Chopra, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 27 2017 03:42 AM | Updated as of Sep 27 2017 09:01 AM

A woman sits behind the wheel of her vehicle as she drives in Riyadh, an act that was
banned previously in Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, King Salman ordered that women be
allowed to drive cars. File/Amena Bakr, Reuters
Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive from next June, state media said Tuesday, in a
historic decision that makes the Gulf kingdom the last country in the world to permit
women behind the wheel.
The longstanding driving ban was seen globally as a symbol of repression of women in
the ultra-conservative kingdom and comes after a years-long resistance from female
activists.
The decision, which risks riling religious conservatives, is part of powerful Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman's reform drive aimed at adapting to a post-oil era and improving
its battered global reputation due to its harsh human rights record.
"The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the
issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike," the Saudi Press Agency said. It
added that the decree would be implemented from June 2018.
Conservative clerics in Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy ruled according to sharia law,
have justified the ban over the years, including one who claimed that driving harmed
women's ovaries.
Many women's rights activists were jailed over the years for defiantly flouting the ban.
Euphoria and disbelief
The shock announcement was met in Riyadh with a mix of euphoria and disbelief.
"I am very excited and shocked at the same time... I expected this to happen 10 or 20
years later," Haya al-Rikayan, a 30-year-old bank employee in Riyadh, told AFP.
The announcement follows a dazzling gender-mixed celebration of Saudi national day at
the weekend, the first of its kind, which aimed to spotlight the kingdom's reform push,
analysts say, despite a backlash from religious conservatives.
Men and women danced in the streets to drums and thumping electronic music, in scenes
that are a stunning anomaly in a country known for its tight gender segregation and an
austere vision of Islam.
Women were also allowed into a sports stadium -- previously a male-only arena -- to
watch a musical concert, a move that chimes with the government's "Vision 2030" plan for
social and economic reform as the kingdom prepares for a post-oil era.
With more than half the country aged under 25, Prince Mohammed, the architect of Vision
2030, is seen as catering to the aspiration of the youth with an array of entertainment
options and promoting more women in the workforce.
Tight restrictions
The gambit to loosen social restrictions, which had so far not translated into more political
and civil rights, seeks to push criticism over a recent political crackdown out of the public
eye, some analysts say.
Authorities this month arrested more than two dozen people, including influential clerics
and activists, in what critics decried as a coordinated crackdown.
Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women,
despite ambitious government reforms aimed at boosting female employment.
Under the country's guardianship system, a male family member -- normally the father,
husband or brother -- must grant permission for a woman's study, travel and other
activities.
But the kingdom appears to be relaxing some norms as part of the Vision 2030 plan.
Tuesday's announcement comes at a crucial time for Saudi Arabia.
The OPEC kingpin is in a battle for regional influence with arch-rival Iran, bogged down in
a controversial military intervention in neighboring Yemen and at loggerheads with fellow
US Gulf ally Qatar.
The 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed is set to be the first millennial to occupy the
throne, although the timing of his ascension remains unknown.
Already viewed as the de facto ruler controlling all the major levers of government, from
defense to the economy, the heir apparent is seen as stamping out traces of internal
dissent before any formal transfer of power from his 81-year-old father King Salman.
Submitted By: Krizza Camille A. Baguinat
Submitted To: Mrs. Ria Joy Adora
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