The hashtag “#JusticeForVince” was launched on social media after a second-year cadet of a maritime academy in Laguna died after allegedly being punished for an emoji sent in a group chat.
Reports said Vince Andrew delos Reyes, a 19-year-old second-year merchant marine cadet of the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy in Calamba City, lost his life on July 8 after doing strenuous exercises as alleged punishment ordered by an upperclassman.
The exercise consisted of 100 repetitions of squat thrusts, followed by 100 repetitions of pumping.
Reports said Vince collapsed while doing the star jump exercise. He suffered from shortness of breath and lost consciousness.
The cadet was rushed to the infirmary but was transferred to the Global Medical Center of Laguna due to a weak pulse rate.
He was declared dead on arrival.
The punishment was ordered by a certain “Nathaniel,” who told Vince to do the exercises for accidentally sending a thumbs-up emoji instead of a formal answer to a group chat of the corps of cadets.
In another report, an investigation of the Philippine National Police Regional Office IV-A revealed that Vince was full and had just finished dinner when the incident occurred.
Ana delos Reyes, the mother of Vince, said that it was impossible for her son to collapse since his health has always been in good condition.
“A classmate said that it’s easy for Delos Reyes to do 300 [push-ups]. His body is fit, and he can even do 1,000,” she said in an interview.
“It is impossible that he’ll have a heart attack. They are very strict with their medical [checkup], and he also underwent one,” Ana added.
She said that while Vince’s body underwent an autopsy, the results showed that the cause of death was “undetermined.”
The upperclassman involved has been placed under the custody of the Calamba City Police Station and is facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
The Commission on Human Rights said it had launched an investigation into the incident, adding that it denounces any form of violence against students.
“The Commission has zero tolerance for such actions. Such practices not only jeopardize the physical well-being of the student but also violate their dignity and rights,” CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc said in a statement.
He also said the incident was a “blatant violation of a student’s fundamental right to life and safety.”
“Severe physical punishments have no place in any educational institution,” the CHR official said.
The incident has caused some Filipinos to pepper the social media posts of the maritime academy with the hashtag “#JusticeForVince” as they call for accountability for the cadet’s death.
“Justice for your cadet!” a Facebook user commented on a graduation class picture posted on the school’s page.
“#JusticeForVince,” another online user commented on the same post.
“Congrats, a cadet died in your care!” wrote a different Pinoy in the comments.
The phrase “#JusticeForVince” was also used at least twice in the comments section of a video post featuring the graduation of Class 2022 “Batch Firmus.”
On the other hand, there were some who talked about the incident in the comments of the school’s social media posts.
“Nakakatakot pala mag-enroll dito, baka mamatay ka sa tig-100 na squat thrust, pumping at star jump,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Delikado ang school na ito, nakakamatay,” another user commented.
Based on a report, the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy said that it is willing to cooperate with the local authorities and conduct a full review of their policies and codes of conduct to avoid similar instances in the future.
NYK-TDG Maritime Academy is a maritime school that provides quality officers for Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line vessels in partnership with the Transnational Diversified Group, a Filipino-owned conglomerate.