SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Second Regular Session
SENATE
Senate Bill No. 1591
'17 SEP 19 P6:36
Introduced by SENATOR JUAN MIGUEL F. ZU BIR I
AN ACT
PROHIBITING HAZING AND REGULATING OTHER FORMS OF IN IT IA T IO N  
RITES OF FRATERNITIES, SORORITIES, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, AND 
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF, REPEALING FOR THE
PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8049
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Since its enactment in 1995, there has only been one conviction under Republic 
Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law. Justice was served for Marlon Villanueva, a neophyte 
of the University of the Philippines Los Banos' Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity, who died 
during the group's initiation rites in 2006.
However, this is only one of the many cases filed over the past 22 years 
relating to deaths caused by hazing. The long list of hazing victims include Alexander 
Miguel Icasiano, Ace Bernabe Ekid, Dominante Tunac, Edward Domingo, Rafael 
Albano, Jeoffrey Corto, Dennis Africa, Marlon Villanueva, Mark Rodriguez, Roland 
Cequiha, Cris Anthony Mendez, Chester Paulo Abracia, Josephus dela Rosa, Elvis 
Sinaluan, Menardo Clamucha Jr., EJ Karl Intia, Marvin Reglos, Marc Andre Marcos, 
Guillo Servando, Ariel Inofre, Christian dela Cruz, and Anthony Javier. On 17 
September 2017, Horacio Tomas Castillo III, a neophyte of the University of Santo 
Tomas' Aegis Juris Fraternity, joined this list after suffering extensive traumatic 
injuries, which ultimately led to his death.
Despite the existence of an Anti-Hazing Law, fraternities, sororities and other 
organizations continue the practice of subjecting neophytes to severe physical and 
psychological suffering or injury. This bill seeks to once and for all end the senseless 
killings by prohibiting the practice of hazing, regulating other forms of initiation rites of 
fraternities, sororities and other organizations, and providing for stiffer penalties for 
those involved in this barbaric ritual.
JUAN MIGUEL F. ZU BIR I


SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Second Regular Session
V  r'T'-''
SENATE
Senate Bill No. 1591
■'17 
SEP 19 
P 6 : 3 6
RU
Introduced by SENATOR JUAN MIGUEL F. ZUBIR I
AN ACT
PROHIBITING HAZING AND REGULATING OTHER FORMS OF IN IT IA T IO N  RITES 
OF FRATERNITIES, SORORITIES, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, AND 
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF, REPEALING FOR THE
PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8049
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House o f the Representatives o f the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Hazing
2 
Act of 2017."
3 
SEC. 2. Definition o f Terms. - For purposes of this Act:
4 
a. Hazing -  refers to any physical or psychological suffering, harm, or
5 
injury inflicted on a recruit, member, neophyte, or applicant as a form of an
6 
initiation rite or practice made as a prerequisite for the admission or a
7 
requirement for continuing membership in a fraternity, sorority, or organization.
8 
This shall also include any activity, intentionally made or otherwise, by one
9 
person alone or acting with others, that tends to humiliate or embarrass,
10 
degrade, abuse, or endanger, by requiring a recruit, member, neophyte or
11 
applicant to do menial, silly, or foolish tasks.
12 
b. Organization -  refers to an organized body of people which includes but
13 
is not limited to clubs, associations, and groups.
14 
c. Schools -  refer to colleges, universities, and all other educational
15 
institutions.
16 
SEC. 3. Prohibition on Hazing. - All forms of hazing shall be prohibited in
17 
fraternities, sororities, and organizations in schools, including Citizens' Military


2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1
and Citizens' Army Training, or their equivalent. It shall likewise be prohibited in 
fraternities, sororities, and organizations not based in schools, such as those 
which are community-based. In no case shall hazing be made a requirement for 
the employment in any business or corporation.
SEC. 4. Regulation o f Initiation Rites. - Only initiation rites or practices, 
which do not inflict direct or indirect physical or psychological suffering, harm, or 
injury to the recruit, neophyte, or applicant of a fraternity, sorority, or 
organization, shall be allowed: Provided, That:
a. 
A written application to conduct initiation rites shall be made to the 
proper authorities of the school not later than seven (7) days prior to the 
scheduled initiation date;
12 
b. The written application shall indicate the place and date of the initiation
13 
rites and the names of the recruit, neophyte, or applicant to be initiated;
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21
22
23
24
c. The initiation rites shall not last more than three (3) days;
d. The application shall contain the names of the incumbent officers of the 
fraternity, sorority, or organization and any person or persons that will take 
charge in the conduct of the initiation rites;
e. The application shall be under oath with a declaration that it has been 
posted in the official school bulletin board, the bulletin board of the office of the 
fraternity, sorority, or organization, and two other conspicuous places in the 
school or in the premises of the organization;
f. The application shall be posted from the time of submission of the 
written notice to the school authorities or head of organization and shall only be 
removed from its posting three (3) days after the conduct of the initiation rites;
25 
The school, organization, fraternity, sorority shall provide for their
26 
respective bulletin boards for the purposes of this Section.
27
28
29
30
The appropriate authorities of the school shall have the right to approve 
or disapprove the application, and the reason thereof shall be stated clearly and 
in unequivocal terms in a formal advice to the fraternity, sorority, or organization 
concerned taking into consideration the safety and security of participants to


1 
conduct initiation rites by a registered fraternity, sorority, or organization shall be
2 
promulgated by the appropriate school officials not later than sixty (60) days
3 
after the approval of this Act.
4
5
6 
7 
0 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
School officials shall have the authority to impose, after due notice and 
summary hearing, disciplinary sanctions to the head and all other officers of the 
fraternity, sorority, or organization which conducts an initiation without first 
securing the necessary approval of the school as required under this Section. All 
member of the fraternity, sorority or organization, who participated in the 
unauthorized initiation rites, even if no hazing was conducted, shall also be 
punished accordingly.
In case the written application for the conduct of initiation rites contains 
false or inaccurate information, appropriate disciplinary sanctions shall be 
imposed, after due notice and summary hearing, against the person who 
prepared the application or supplied the false and inaccurate information and to 
the head and other officers of the fraternity, sorority, or organization concerned.
SEC. 5. Monitoring o f Initiation Rites. - The head of the school or an 
authorized representative must assign at least two (2) representatives of the 
school to be present during the initiation rites. The representatives of the school 
who were present during the initiation shall make a report to the appropriate 
officials of the school regarding the conduct of the initiation.
SEC. 6. Registration o f Fraternities, Sororities, and Other Organizations. - 
All existing fraternities, sororities, and other organizations otherwise not created 
or organized by the school but has existing members who are students or plans 
to recruit students to be its members shall be required to register with the 
proper authorities of the school before it conducts activities whether on or off- 
campus, including recruitment of members.
A newly established fraternity, sorority, or organization in a school shall 
immediately registry with the proper authorities of the school during the 
semester or trimester in which it was established or organized: Provided, That 
the new fraternity, sorority, or organization has complied with the requirements 
prescribed by the school in establishing a fraternity, sorority, or organization: 
Provided, further. That schools shall promulgated their guidelines in the


1 
registration of fraternities, sororities, and organizations within their jurisdiction
2 
not later than sixty (60) days from the approval of this Act.
3 
Upon registration, all fraternities, sororities, and organizations shall submit
4 
a comprehensive list of members, which shall be updated not later than thirty
5 
(30) days from the start of every semester or trimester, depending on the
6 
academic calendar of the school.
7 
School officials shall have the authority to impose, after due notice and
8 
summary hearings, disciplinary penalties to the head and other officers of the
9 
fraternity, sorority, or organization who fails to register or update their roster of
10 
members as required under this Section.
11 
SEC. 7. Faculty Adviser. - All fraternities, sororities, and organizations
12 
must be assigned a faculty adviser responsible for monitoring the activities of the
13 
fraternity, sorority, or organization. The faculty adviser must be a duly
14 
recognized active member, in good standing, of the faculty adviser at the school
15 
in which the fraternity, sorority, or organization is registered.
16 
SEC. 8. Role o f Educational Institutions. - Schools shall implement an
17 
information dissemination campaign at the start of every semester or trimester
18 
to provide adequate information to students regarding the consequences of
19 
conducting and participating in hazing.
20 
An orientation program relating to membership in a fraternity, sorority, or
21 
organization shall also be conducted by schools at the start of every semester or
22 
trimester.
23 
Schools shall encourage fraternities, sororities, and organization to engage
24 
in undertaking that foster holistic personal growth and development and
25 
activities that contribute to solving relevant and pressing issues of society.
26 
SEC. 9. Registration o f community-based fraternities, sororities, or
27 
organizations. - All new existing community-based fraternities, sororities, or
28 
organizations shall register with the barangay or municipality or city wherein it is
29 
primarily based.


2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
Upon 
registration, 
all 
community-based 
fraternities, 
sororities, 
or 
organizations shall submit comprehensive list of members and officers which 
shall be updated yearly from the date of registration.
SEC. 10. Regulation o f initiation rights for community-based fraternities, 
sororities, or organizations. - Only initiation rites or practices which do not inflict 
direct or indirect physical or psychological suffering, harm, or injury to the 
recruit, neophyte, or applicant of a fraternity, sorority, or organization shall be 
allowed. Provided, That:
a. A written to conduct the same shall be made the Barangay captain in 
the barangay or the municipal or city mayor in the city or municipality where the 
community-based fraternity, sorority, or organization is based not later than 
seven (7) days prior to the schedules initiation date;
b. The written application shall indicate the place and the date of the 
initiation rites and the names of the recruit, neophyte, or applicant to be 
initiated;
c. The initiation rites shall not last more than three (3) days;
d. The application shall contain the names of the incumbent officers of the 
community-based fraternity, sorority, or organization and any person that will 
take charge in the conduct of the initiation rites;
e. The application shall be under oath with a declaration that it has been 
posted in the official bulletin board of the barangay hall or the municipal or city 
hall where the community-based fraternity, sorority, or organization is based and 
the bulletin board of the office of the community-based fraternity, sorority, or 
organization;
f. The application shall be posted from the time of submission of the 
written notice to the barangay captain or municipal or city mayor and shall only 
be removed from its posting three (3) days after the conduct of the initiation 
rites.
SEC. 11. Monitoring o f initiation rites o f community-based fraternities, 
sororities, or organizations. - The barangay captain of the barangay or the 
municipal or city mayor of the municipality or city where the community-based


1 
fraternity, sorority, or organization is based must assign at least two (2)
2 
barangay or municipal or city officials to be present during the initiation. It shall
3 
be their duty to see to it that no hazing is conducted during the initiation rites.
4 
The representatives who were present during the initiation shall make a report to
5 
the barangay captain, or the municipal or city mayor regarding the conduct of
6 
the initiation.
7 
SEC. 12. Nullity o f Waiver and Consent. - Any form of approval, consent,
8 
or agreement, whether written or otherwise, or of an express waiver of the right
9 
to object to the initiation rite or proceeding which consists of hazing as defined in
10 
this Act, made by the recruit, neophyte, or applicant prior to an initiation rite that
11 
involves inflicting physical or psychological suffering, harm, or injury, shall be
12 
void and without any binding effect on the parties.
13 
The defense that the recruit, neophyte, or applicant consented to being
14 
subjected to hazing shall be available to persons prosecuted under this Act.
15 
SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Commission on
16 
Higher Education (CHED), together with the Department of Education (DepEd),
17 
Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of
18 
the Philippines (AFP), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG),
19 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and National Youth
20 
Commission (NYC), shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations
21 
implementing within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.
22 
SEC. 14. Administrative Sanctions. - The responsible officials of the
23 
school or of the police or military may impose the appropriate administrative
24 
sanctions, after due notice and summary hearing, on the person or the persons
25 
charged under this Act even before their conviction.
26 
SEC. 15. Penalties and Liability o f Those Involved in Hazing. -
27 
a) The following penalties shall be imposed:
28 
1. The penalty of reclusion temporal and a fine of one million pesos
29 
(P1,000,000.000) shall be imposed upon the participating officers and members
30 
of the fraternity, sorority, organization, business or corporation involved in the
31 
hazing.


2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
1
2. The penalty of reclusion perpetua and a fine of two million pesos 
(P2,000,000.00) shall be imposed upon the members of the fraternity, sorority, 
organization, business or corporation who were intoxicated or under the 
influence of alcohol or illegal drugs when they actually participated in the hazing.
The same penalty shall be imposed upon the non-resident or alumni 
members of the fraternity, sorority, organization, business or corporation who 
actually participated in the hazing.
3. The penalty of reclusion perpetua and a fine of three million pesos 
(P3,000,000.00) shall be imposed upon those who actually participated in the 
hazing if, as a consequence of the hazing, death, rape, sodomy, or mutilation 
results therefrom;
4. A fine of one million pesos (P l/000,000.00) shall be imposed on the 
school if the fraternity, sorority, or organization filed a written application to 
conduct an initiation which was subsequently approved by the school and hazing 
occurred during the initiation rites or when no representatives from the school 
were present during the initiation as provided under Section 5 of this Act.
5. It shall be unlawful for any person to intimidate, threaten, force, or to 
employ, or administer any form of vexation against another person for the 
purpose of recruitment in joining or promoting a particular fraternity, sorority, 
organization, business or corporation. The persistent and repeated or join the 
proposed fraternity, sorority, organization, business or corporation shall be prima 
facie vexation for purposes of this Section. Provided further, that the violation of 
this section shall be punished by prision correccional \r\ its minimum period.
b) The owner of the place where hazing is conducted shall be liable as a 
principal when he has actual knowledge of the hazing conducted therein but 
failed to take any action to prevent the same from occurring or failed to promptly 
report the same to the law enforcement authorities if he can do so without peril 
to himself or his family.
c) The school authorities including faculty members as well as barangay, 
municipal, or city officials shall be held administratively liable for hazing 
conducted by fraternities, sororities, and other organizations, if it can be shown 
that the school or barangay, municipal, or city official allowed or consented to


1 
the conduct of hazing or where there is actual knowledge of hazing, but failed to
2 
take any action to prevent the same from occurring or failed to promptly report
3 
to the law enforcement authorities if the same can be done without peril to the
4 
person reporting or his family.
5 
d) The officers, former officers, or alumni of the fraternity, sorority,
6 
organization, business or corporation who actually planned the hazing although
7 
not present when the acts constituting the hazing were committed shall be liable 
y 
as principals. A fraternity, sorority, or organization's faculty adviser, who is 
9 
present when the acts constituting the hazing were committed and failed to take
10 
the action to prevent the same from occurring or failed to promptly report the
11 
same to the law enforcement authorities if he can do so without peril to himself
12 
or his family, shall be liable as principal.
13 
e) The present of any person during the hazing is prima facie evidence of
14 
participation therein as principal unless he prevented the commission of the acts
15 
punishable herein or promptly reported the same to the law enforcement
16 
authorities if he can do so without peril to himself or his family.
17 
f) The incumbent officers of the fraternity, sorority, organization, business
18 
or corporation concerned shall be jointly liable with those members who actually
19 
participated in the hazing. The prima facie presumption that arises herein shall
20 
be rebutted only by the individual defense of desistance and renunciation by the
21 
accused.
22 
g) Any person charged under this Act shall not be entitled to the
23 
mitigating circumstance that there was no intention to commit so grave a wrong.
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
h) In the case of businesses and corporations, the president, manager, 
director, or other responsible officer of a corporation engaged in hazing 
shall likewise be liable under this Act.
This section shall apply to the president, manager, director or other 
responsible officer of a corporation engaged in hazing as a requirement for 
employment in the manner provided herein.
i) Any judgment of final conviction shall be reflected in the scholastic 
record, personal, or employment record of the person convicted, regardless of 
when the conviction is arrived at.


1 
SEC. 16. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is
2 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not
3 
affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
4 
SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. - Republic Act No. 8049 is hereby repealed.
5 
All other laws, decreed, executive orders, proclamations, rules and regulations,
6 
or parts thereof inconsistent with provisions of this Act are hereby amended,
7 
repealed or modified accordingly.
8 
SEC. 18. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take fifteen (15) days after its
9 
publication in the Official or in any newspaper of general circulation.
10
11 
Approved,
12 
13