AIRPORT officials on Thursday confirmed that Ralph Cabales Trangia, one of the suspects in the hazing death of Horacio Castillo III, 22, a first-year law student at the University of Santo Tomas, left the country for Taipei early on Tuesday morning.
Trangia left for Taipei a day after Castillo’s body was found in Tondo, Manila. Castillo had already been dead when he was brought to a hospital on the night of Sept. 16.
Marc Red Mariñas, head of the Immigration Port Operations Division at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, said the 22-year-old Trangia boarded EVA Air flight BR262 for Taipei and then Chicago at 1:53 a.m. on Sept. 19.
In other developments:
• Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said he will seek the cancellation of Trangia’s passport. He also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to coordinate with Interpol to locate Trangia abroad.
Trangia is one of 16 people who have been placed under Immigration’s Lookout Bulletin Order issued by Aguirre on Wednesday.
• The Manila Police District said Thursday it had “solid leads” against the suspects in Castillo’s killing, and that it could complete its investigation by next week.
“We have strong and solid leads and evidence pointing to the culpabilities and liabilities of the suspects,” said MPD Director Joel Coronel.
He said investigators are closely working with the lawyers of the Castillo family.
“Hopefully, by next week, we will be able to complete the case: The complete identification of the suspects involved, the place where the initiation was conducted and also the possible coverup of certain alumni in the investigation of this case,” Coronel said.
He said he also welcomed the lifting of the suspension of the members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity by UST Faculty of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina, which he said had earlier hampered their investigation of the case.
Trangia was allowed to board his plane because he was not yet in Immigration’s watch list at the time of his departure.
Mariñas said they received the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order only at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Trangia, his father Antonio and UST law student John Paul Solano are now being hunted by the police.
Police reports said the older Trangia owned the vehicle used to transport Castillo’s body to the hospital.
Reports also said that Solano, Antonio and the younger Trangia provided the police false information.
Castillo died after attending the initiation rites of the Aegis Juris fraternity Saturday night.
A Senate inquiry on Castillo’s death has already been set for Sept. 25 for the purpose of amending or repealing the 22-year-old Anti-Hazing Law.
Zubiri has filed Senate Resolution 504 that condemns the death of Castillo due to hazing and calls for a Senate investigation in aid of legislation.