A disturbing incident in Kidapawan City has once again exposed the deep-seated culture of hazing and abuse masked as “reception rites” in criminology schools. Reports from Barangay Kalaisan revealed that criminology students were subjected to inhumane initiation rituals, where their bodies were sprayed with a chemical mixture allegedly containing vinegar, chili, and even battery solution. The result: their skin peeled off in painful patches, leaving behind physical scars and a deeper trauma that no student should ever endure.
This practice is not only barbaric—it is illegal and morally reprehensible. What makes it even more alarming is that such incidents are happening inside institutions meant to prepare future law enforcers. If hazing, torture, and cruelty are normalized in their formative years as criminology students, what kind of police, soldiers, or government enforcers are we shaping for our nation? Violence breeds violence, and if this brutality is tolerated in schools, we should not be surprised why some law enforcement officers in the field exhibit abusive, reckless, and “tulibagbag” behavior.
Parents of criminology students have sounded the alarm, urging others to check their children for wounds and scars. Yet, many victims remain silent, paralyzed by fear that their credentials may be withheld should they dare to complain. This culture of silence is as dangerous as the acts themselves—it sustains impunity and allows institutions to wash their hands of responsibility.
The question must be asked: what is the role of the school in this incident? Are administrators blind to the abuses happening within their halls, or worse, are they tolerating it? When a student suffers chemical burns in the name of “discipline,” this is no longer education—it is institutionalized torture.
Authorities have yet to confirm the specific school involved, though netizens have already been speculating. Regardless of which institution is responsible, the point is clear: hazing and violent initiation rites have no place in academic institutions, especially those that mold our future protectors of the law.
The Anti-Hazing Law (Republic Act 8049, as amended by RA 11053) is explicit—these practices are prohibited and punishable by law. No amount of tradition or fraternity-style justification can excuse the deliberate infliction of harm. The Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) must take immediate action. Schools producing criminology graduates must be closely monitored, and violators must face sanctions, suspension, or even revocation of permits.
This is not simply an issue of school discipline—it is a national security concern. Today’s criminology students are tomorrow’s police officers, soldiers, and agents of government. If cruelty is ingrained in their training, they will carry the same cruelty to the streets, to checkpoints, to police operations, and to the very people they are sworn to serve and protect.
Enough is enough. Reception rites that glorify suffering and humiliation must end now. Schools must take accountability, authorities must enforce the law, and students must be empowered to speak without fear of retribution.
We cannot allow our future law enforcers to be nurtured in violence. Because if we do, we are not only breeding officers who enforce the law with cruelty—we are planting the seeds of state abuse that our society will reap in the years to come.