It was hazing. Three hours of it.

One evening, first-year student Maria Beatrix ‘Bea’ Dela Cruz tried to make her way home. Her legs were already shaking and her head felt light. Bea then attempted to call her father to pick her up, only for him to find her unconscious and collapsed on the ground along Blumentritt in Manila.

Hours later, Bea woke up in a hospital bed with her bruises exposed. Her father worried so much that he could not stop but stare over her daughter’s swollen face and bruises. When asked what happened, Bea shrugged: “Wala, namaga lang sa sampal.”

But it wasn’t just a slap. A nurse later came in with the initial medical diagnosis, indicating that it was physical assault.

Bea convinced herself to focus only on the moment she passed out. But her body remembers. She also vividly recalled the words thrown at her: “Pakatandaan mo, bawal ka magsumbong sa Mama mo, sa Papa mo, at sa propesor mo. Tandaan mo, malapit lang bahay mo sa akin…”

That day, Bea suffered through three-long hours of hazing marred with beatings, punishments, and orders barked at her—all under the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).

They knew they were guilty

“Gustong-gusto niyang maging officer. Yung iba, siguro, nung nahirapan na sila, Hindi na nila siguro kinaya yun. Si Bea, gusto niya pa,” Bea’s aunt told Manila Today.

On November 28, while confined in the hospital, Bea finally opened up to her family.

Four officers, two men and two women, assaulted Bea inside PLM’s ROTC armory at around 4PM. She was then immediately put to blindfold. Her fingers were pinched. She was forced into a bridge pose while being cursed at directly into her ear

“Sa bawat tumba ko ay sinasampal ako. Gamit ang ballpen, pinipilipit ang aking kamay. Nilagyan ng bagay ang aking ulo habang nakabridge. Ang aking balikat ay pinisil nang napakasakit,” Bea described.

Bea’s uniform was already doused with sweat from the tension and shock. All these happened to her while she was forced to sign a certain document.

Her family thought this was Bea’s first time to experience such. Until she also shared an instance where she took the punishment meant for one of her team, assuming that the other wouldn’t be able to endure it. After learning Bea’s narrative, her family reached out to PLM’s ROTC department.

“Ayun nga, the next day, may nagpuntang taga-ROTC sa bahay. Nakita niya yung itsura ng pamangkin ko. Tapos ayun doon niya nga sinabi sa amin na gagawan niya ng report,” Bea’s aunt shared.

Bea’s family surmised that the ROTC officer already knew they were guilty of what had happened.

“in-offeran pa kami na kung gusto ni Bea na mag-cross enroll siya ng ROTC sa ibang school, pu-pwede, sagot nila at papasa siya. Alam nila sa sarili nila na mali yung nangyari,” Bea’s aunt added.

‘Parang kasalanan pa ni Bea’

Bea never finished her first semester at PLM and eventually transferred to another school. She also had to undergo treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Still, her family is determined to pursue accountability and justice for what Bea endured.

Weeks passed, then months, until the results of the investigation finally came out in December last year confirming that the perpetrators were guilty of abuse.

However, Bea’s family became furious as they were not allowed to access the internal findings of the investigation. All they were told was that the perpetrators involved had only been suspended and failed in their NSTP. They were also informed that the findings could not be used for any legal action.

The decision did not sit well with the family, especially knowing that those who slapped, screamed at, and threatened Bea got away with nothing but a failing grade.

They immediately filed a complaint addressed to various departments and offices at PLM, including the President and Vice President. No response came.

Instead, the family even received a show-cause order from PLM dated February 5, accusing them of tarnishing the school’s reputation.

“Ang sabi nila sa amin, “kasalanan ninyo yan, hindi kayo pumunta sa amin agad.” Sabi ko, “Ma’am, sige iaacknowledge ko na kasalanan ko or kasalanan namin pero we were told na huwag na raw kasi sila na ang bahala. Pero hindi namin akalain na aabot tayo sa ganito. Parang lumalabas pa rito na kasalanan ni Bea na nahazing siya, kasalanan ni Bea na bumagsak siya…kasalanan lang niya lahat. Sila (PLM) wala,” Bea’s aunt lamented.

Justice for Bea

On February 6, Bea wrote to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to formally report her case.

The commission had to take five separate follow-ups before PLM responded to the case inquiry on May 28.

Gabriela Youth PLM noted that CHED’s involvement was not spontaneous, rather, it was the result of sustained pressure.

“From Bea’s family, to students, to young women and youth organizations, it was the collective refusal to be silent that kept the demand for justice alive. Through social media campaigns, public statements, and protest actions, they compelled the institutions to act,” Gabriela Youth PLM said in a statement.

Bea’s father also took to social media and posted about her daughter’s case, emphasizing PLM’s continued inaction and denial of justice for Bea.

On May 20, Bea’s family along with various groups held a protest outside PLM to condemn the administration’s silence regarding the incident.

Aside from Bea’s case, they also pushed for a thorough investigation of the entire ROTC program, which they say operates under a system of grave abuse and violence.

According to Gabriela Youth PLM, a large number of first-year students were forced to join ROTC because CWTS slots were “already full” and the ROTC department needed to meet a quota. The group also noted continuing acts of humiliation and discrimination toward LGBTQ+ cadets, particularly transgender students.

“Isa lamang ang kwento ng biktima ng hazing sa ilan pang mga mag-aaral na nakakaranas ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao. Ang umiiral na pasismo sa pamamaraan ng pagdidisiplina ay hindi kailanman magiging katanggap-tanggap sa institusyon kung saan maraming tao ang walang kalaban-laban na matatapakan,” said the group.

The group further urged CHED with five key points to address grave issues about ROTC, especially hazing and abuse.

• Conduct an impartial and thorough investigation into the hazing and abuse in PLM ROTC.
• Ensure support and redress for the survivor.
• Hold accountable those responsible, both within the university and in ROTC command structures.
• Initiate meaningful reforms to end impunity and institutional complicity in violence within ROTC units.
• Investigate the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)’s role in ROTC programs, especially in the context of PLM’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the AFP’s AFP-ADP.

“Dismantle the culture of violence. No to mandatory ROTC. Protect our students. Demilitarize our schools. AFP out of PLM,” Gabriela Youth PLM concluded.