Richard Yap could not hold back his tears as he mourned the death of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) law freshman who was killed in a hazing incident over the weekend.
The actor shared his grief with ABS-CBN News on Tuesday, saying that he personally knew Horacio Castillo III through his daughter.
"For a parent, grabe iyong sakit," he said. "Nararamdaman mo sa tatay niya kung gaano kasakit na iyong anak mo na inalagaan mo ay papatayin lang just like that, for no reason at all."
Castillo's bloodied body was found on a sidewalk in Balut, Tondo on Sunday, hours after attending the Aegis Juris fraternity’s overnight welcoming ceremony on campus.
He was taken to Chinese General Hospital, where he died a short time later. His family believes he died during hazing rites that were part of his fraternity initiation.
Yap warned those responsible for Castillo's death: "I think they should all come forward and tell the family what happened.
"I don't think you can live with whatever you've done. It would be very cowardly for you to do that.
"Hurting people in the name of brotherhood is not brotherhood. It's just violence so own up to what you did," he added.
He also described the incident as a "waste of life," sharing that he knew Castillo to be a good kid. "Mabait na bata at masipag mag-aral. That's why he was able to go into law school."
UST has already launched its investigation into the incident and has suspended all members of the Aegis Juris fraternity.
The Department of Justice also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe Castillo's death.