A police investigation determined that Salilig died from blunt force trauma as a result of the 70 blows he sustained during the initiation.

8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law was first enacted in 1995 following the 1991 death of Lenny Villa, a student from Ateneo de Manila University.

[8] On February 18, 2023, John Matthew Salilig attended the initiation rites conducted by Tau Gamma Phi in an apartment in Biñan, Laguna, according to his brother.

[9][22][10] The autopsy report stated that Salilig died from severe blunt force trauma to the lower extremities.

[23][24] Salilig's remains were flown back to his home in Zamboanga City and interred at Forest Lake Memorial Park[25] on March 4, 2023, after a funeral.

[15] One person of interest, a member of Tau Gamma but not a student,[30] reportedly died from suicide on February 28 – the same day Salilig's body was found.

[31][32] Another Adamson student and neophyte fraternity member who underwent hazing alongside Salilig turned himself in to the Biñan police on March 1, where he positively identified six persons of interest.

[13] On March 3, the Philippine National Police (PNP) warned the public not to interfere with the investigation into Salilig's death.

[11] On March 9, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) publicly released the group chat messages of Tau Gamma, which detailed the circumstances prior to Salilig's death.

[13] The university stated that it held no liability for Saliling's death, as it did not condone fraternities or hazing and the incident took place off school premises.

[38][39] House Speaker Martin Romualdez offered a ₱500,000 reward to anyone who could provide information that would lead to the arrest of the persons behind the hazing.

[40] ACT Teachers described the proposed mandatory ROTC as "militaristic" and "violent", citing the death of Mark Chua in 2001.

[41] Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Win Gatchalian – principal authors of the mandatory ROTC bill – objected to the proposal.