MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE – 1:51 p.m.) Aegis Juris Fraternity officer Ralph Trangia, one of the suspects in the fatal hazing of University of Sto. Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III, returned to the country on Tuesday.
Trangia and his mother Rosemarie arrived onboard EVA Air flight BR271 from Taipei, which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at 11:40 a.m.
They arrived from three weeks in Chicago, Illinois, where they had gone after the death of Castillo.
Immigration officers invited Trangia to their office for verification before turning him over to police.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said in a radio interview that Trangia would not be arrested by the Manila Police District or National Bureau of Investigation but be invited for questioning on arrival.
In a statement released Tuesday, Aguirre also offered to place Trangia and his family in the Witness Protection Program.
“While he may be a suspect as of the moment, depending on what he will tell our investigators, he could be a potential witness,” Aguirre said. “I encourage Mr. Trangia and his family to fully cooperate, to tell the truth and, as a future lawyer, to work for justice.”
Trangia flew to Chicago on September 19, two days after Castillo was brought to the Chinese General Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
According to Manila police investigators, Trangia and his father Antonio transported the unresponsive Castillo to the Chinese General Hospital.
Antonio has also been named a suspect in Castillo’s death while Rosemarie might face obstruction of justice charges.
