Family, friends call for justice as Atio laid to rest
by Angelika Ortega
Wearing black and white shirts, family and friends bid their goodbyes as slain law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III was laid to rest at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City, yesterday afternoon, Sept. 27.
The 22-year-old freshman student of the Faculty of Civil Law died of heart attack due to the hazing rites performed by some of the members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity.
“If I have to fight, with the help of the people of the Philippines, I will get justice for Atio,” said Gerardo Castillo, Atio’s uncle, during his last message on the funeral.
He added, “You’ve lost a great boy. You’ve lost a great member, a great neophyte. This is the end of your fraternity, believe me. I don’t know if a neophyte will ever join your [organization].”
Castillo’s father, Horacio Jr., also expressed his regret on the lost of his son during his eulogy.
“He was a good son, the perfect son, the best son that any family could ever have,” he said. “Atio, we will miss you, but you can now go into the light,” Horacio Jr. added.
The father also lambasted the fraternity “brothers” involved in the death of his son.
“[The] so-called fraternity brothers robbed him of his dreams and his aspirations,” Horacio Jr. told as he recalled his memories and the life of his son.
Former UST Secretary General Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P., who presided the mass, urged the public to remain hopeful amid these grieving times.
“Hope is the message of this Catholic mass. […] Hold on. We can be strong again,” Cabading encouraged.
Cabading also slammed the brutal murder of Horacio III in his homily.
“How many deaths should there be before we realize that there’s something wrong in a brotherhood that seeks to harm in order to bond?” Cabading stated.
Meanwhile, David Amor, Atio’s godfather and Horacio Jr.’s best friend, called for support through donation and raising awareness of Horacio III’s death after the mass.
The family and relatives started a fundraising campaign for Horacio III to “fight a very powerful law firm.” However, he didn’t mention the name of the law firm.
