Philippine Army Chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete ordered an immediate halt to all “reception ceremonies” for new soldiers amid public backlash over hazing and similar practices in the military.
This came following reports of fatalities and injuries allegedly linked to the reception ceremonies being conducted during the entry of new trainees, the latest of which involved the late 22-year-old Private Charlie G. Patigayon.
Reception ceremonies are traditional initiation rites for recruits that involve physically demanding endurance activities and historically, they are considered a “welcoming” or baptism of fire for new soldiers.
“There was an instruction to stop all the reception ceremonies within the Philippine Army. These differ from the reception ceremonies performed when a soldier begins his training, so this will continue because it’s part of the system of the training schools. But some units are conducting reception ceremonies for new soldiers on their own, that’s what he wanted to stop,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
“These reception ceremonies are unwritten traditions that should be stopped to avoid the loss of lives,” he added.
The Army has conducted an investigation to determine what transpired during the reception ceremony of the Bravo Company under the 6th Infantry Battalion (6IB), 6th Infantry Division (6ID) on July 30 at the headquarters of the 6IB in Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur.
Patigayon collapsed while undergoing the reception ceremony and was rushed to a hospital where he expired a day later due to kidney failure. His family has requested an autopsy of his remains.
It turned out that the reception ceremony was done by the Bravo Company “on its own” and “without the knowledge of the 6IB leadership”, according to Dema-ala. (Martin Sadongdong)
