By JUN RAMIREZ • AARON RECUENCO • JAIMIE ROSE ABERIA
One of the suspects in the death of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio Tomas “Atio” Castillo III has already left the country, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said yesterday.
Lawyer Ma. Antonette Mang-robang, BI spokesperson, disclosed that based on the agency’s records a certain Ralph Caballes Trangia left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sept. 19 (Tuesday) aboard an Eva Airways flight for Taipei.
He departed two days after Castillo’s body was brought to the Chinese General Hospital in Manila.
Trangia, who is one of 16 persons of interest named in an immigration lookout bulletin order issued by the Department of Justice, was tagged by police as the driver of the red pickup vehicle that brought Castillo to the hospital.
Trangia is said to be a member of UST’s Aegis Juris fraternity in whose hazing rites Castillo was killed.
Mangrobang said the 15 other persons placed in the lookout list appears to be still in the country.
She, however, added that some of them have namesakes in the bureau’s departure records but there was not enough information to ascertain if they are the same persons included in the lookout order.
Meanwhile, the Manila police district said it has requested the DoJ to also include in the lookout list Antonio Trangia, said to be Ralph’s father in whose name the pickup vehicle was registered.
INTERPOL HELP
In view of this development, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will seek the help of the International Police (Interpol) to arrest Ralph Trangia.
PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said they will also ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel the passport of Ralph who was tagged as one of those who performed initiation rites on Castillo as part of the admission process for Aegis Juris.
“If his passport is cancelled, he will become an undocumented alien in Taiwan and this will expedite the process of bringing him back to the Philippines. We hope that he is still in Taiwan,” said Dela Rosa.
Several members of the Aegis Juris were also included in the departure lookout of the Bureau of Immigration.
For other suspects, Dela Rosa said it would be better that they all surrender rather than playing hide-and-seek with the police. He said operations to locate them all are ongoing.
SURRENDER!
“I am calling them to surrender. I know that you are not bad people you may have been just been carried away by the challenge of manhood in joining the fraternity,” said Dela Rosa.
“You are not criminals and you are even law students so you might as well surrender. Do not turn your back on this problem because this already happened,” he added.
And should policemen catch up with them, Dela Rosa expressed doubts that the wanted fratmen would fight back.
“They are educated, they are law students so I believe if they are cornered, they would easily surrender. But if they fight back, then we have no recourse but to defend ourselves,” said Dela Rosa.
On the other hand, Dela Rosa assured the family of Castillo that they would do everything they could to bring justice to their son.
CRIME RECORD
Manila Police District (MPD) probers learned that Ralph Trangia was involved in a commotion with another fraternity during the bar operations last November, MPD spokesperson Erwin Margarejo revealed yesterday.
“May record siya sa General Assignment and Investigation Section (GAIS) na nakasama siya sa kaguluhan with another frat,” he said.
A Manila Bulletin report showed that a commotion between Aegis Juris and Gamma Delta Epsilon broke out as they are supposed to get “last-minute tips” in preparation for the bar exam.
The report also said that four people were wounded and Trangia, along with six others, faced investigation.
SIGN OF GUILT
Margarejo said that if Trangia has indeed left the country, it might be an indication that he is guilty.
“Indirect indication that there is guilt or you are hiding something,” Margarejo said.