Senator Sherwin Gatchalian strongly condemned a recent incident of hazing that took place in the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), Camp Castañeda, Silang, Cavite, according to a Friday report.

RH 28 Raymund Dadpaas reported that Gatchalian expressed alarm, as the incident occurred in an institution designed to shape the country’s future law enforcers. He said that if members of this institution itself violate the law, the Filipino people cannot trust them to carry out their duty to ensure public safety and order.

Gatchalian recommended that all suspects be held accountable for violating Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, to ensure all victims are given due justice, and that the Academy implements measures to prevent future recurrences.

Earlier, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that three suspects have already been taken under custody, and that it continues to probe the circumstances of the incident in order to identify their other seven accomplices.

According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the suspects are third class cadets, while the victims are “plebes,” as freshmen are dubbed. Their bodies were allegedly coated in a chemical substance, resulting in burns.