Enraged senators urge immediate probe into killing of PMA cadet

MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Friday urged the government to conduct an immediate investigation into the death of Darwin Dormitorio, who was a plebe or freshman at the Philippine Military Cadet (PMA).

“This is unacceptable and must be investigated immediately! We cannot turn a blind eye to this kind of violence in the country’s premier military training institution,” Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said in a statement.

Police earlier revealed that Dormitorio died of hazing in the hands of at least three fellow cadets.

Pimentel expressed dismay as the tragic incident happened despite the passage of Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, which imposed harsher punishment on organizers and participants of hazing.

READ: Police confirm PMA cadet died due to hazing

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, likewise, condemned Dormitorio’s death, urging the Philippine National Police (PNP) and PNP to act swiftly to penalize the perpetrators.

“I call on the PNP and the PMA leadership to act swiftly so that those behind the death of Cadet Dormitorio will face the full force of the law and answer for their crimes,” Gatchalian said in another statement.

Gatchalian also asked the PMA to fully comply with the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 which prohibits all forms of hazing.

“I also call on the officials of the PMA to ensure that this brutal and inhumane tradition will once and for all be eradicated from the Academy,” he said./ac