EMBATTLED university dean Nilo T. Divina was questioned anew on an alleged visit to his office by hazing victim Horacio “Atio” T. Castillo III, about two weeks before Mr. Castillo, a recruit of the Aegis Juris fraternity, died following initiation rites at the fraternity library.

Mr. Divina, dean of the College of Civil Law of the University of Santo Tomas, was among those invited to the Senate’s continuing inquiry on Monday, Nov. 6, on the Castillo case. Also invited were the slain Mr. Castillo’s parents, Horacio Jr. and Carminia, as well as fraternity members so identified in a Senate summons.

Senator Grace Poe revealed in the third Senate hearing on Horacio “Atio” T. Castillo III slay case on Monday, Nov.6, that “the owner of the Pacific Star Building is owned by Century Properties and their corporate secretary is a senior partner of the Divina Law Firm; the same of owner of the building, which is the Century Properties, is also the owner of the Novotel Hotels and Resorts” where members of the Aegis Juris allegedly met to plan a cover-up of the death of Atio.

“[T]here are a few connections here that we need to seriously note,” Ms. Poe said regarding Mr. Castillo’s alleged visit, based on CCTV footage, at the Pacific Star Building where Mr. Divina and his partners held office.

She noted that Pacific Star “is owned by Century Properties, and their corporate secretary is a senior partner of the Divina Law Firm. The same owner of the building (Pacific Star), which is the Century Properties, is also the owner of the Novotel Hotels and Resorts.”

This was where members of the Aegis Juris met to plan a cover-up on Mr. Castillo’s death, according to a leaked Facebook chat presented to the Senate on Oct. 18 by police investigator Joel Coronel of the Manila Police District.

According to Ms. Poe, the slain Mr. Castillo texted his mother, Carminia, on Sept. 12, informing her that he was at a law office at the Pacific Star Building.

For his part, Horacio Jr. told the hearing: “It looks very much like him. In that picture, you [can] see his blue jacket. His mom bought that jacket. He is wearing black pants and black shoes and also the hairstyle.”

Mr. Divina, however, maintained: “One thing is for certain. He did not set foot in Divina Law. We installed 16 CCTVs in our office, and those have shown, in fact, that he has not set foot in the Divina Law Office.” He also said: “I did not see Atio in Pacific Star.”

Ms. Poe suggested that the three law offices in the building should be asked to determine which office Mr. Castillo visited that day.

What is clear, the senator said, is that “he was going to a law office so it will be one of the three, not necessarily Mr. Divina’s office.”

Meanwhile, Marc Anthony B. Ventura, the ‘provisional’ state witness in the case, shared that he once visited the Pacific Star Building along with his fraternity batch mates in 2016, but denied they met up with any lawyers connected to the Divina Law Office. He said they only met their brothers from Divina Law after the initiation rites.

Also presented at the hearing was a chat message from alleged frat member Eric Fuentes who relayed the request of a certain “big brother” for all Aegis Juris members to attend the Senate hearing and visit John Paul Solano, one of the suspects in the case.

“Big Brother requested all the Brods, [e]specially the alumni, to show our support by attending the Senate investigation and visiting Brod. Popoy [Solano],” screenshot showed.

Mr. Fuentes did not reveal the identity of the “big brother,” saying “big brother is a generic term that we give to all our GPs (Grand Prafectus) or elders.”

Mr. Ventura, on the other hand, identified the so-called big brother as “Atty. Bernardo” (or Atty. Arnel Bernardo, one of the incorporators and founding members of the Aegis Juris Foundation) who in turn claimed he is not aware he is “being called a big brother.”

“(Soon, this will be authenticated, and) P/CSupt. Joel Napoleon Coronel of Manila Police District (MPD) made it clear it will form part of their evidence to be submitted to the DOJ (Department of Justice) and eventually to the court,” said Mr. Lacson, the chairperson of the committee on public order and dangerous drugs, one of the three Senate bodies investigating the Castillo case. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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