PMA: Honor Code to be used to compel cadets to admit hazing

GRIEF. The flag has been raised at half-mast inside the Philippine Military Academy as teachers and military officers mourn the death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio, who died from internal injuries on Sept. 18 from an apparent hazing incident. Photo by Vincent Cabreza

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — Saying “it was wrong for a cadet to die in the hands of his fellow cadets,” the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) has said officials may use the Honor Code to compel cadets to reveal cases of maltreatment occurring inside the state’s premier military school.

It was one of the last acts of Lt. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, who submitted his resignation to the office of the Armed Forces Chief of Staff on Tuesday after concluding PMA’s investigation into the hazing of slain Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.

Dormitorio, the son of a retired military colonel, died at the PMA Station Hospital on September 18. Diagnosed earlier with a urinary tract infection, the plebe was revealed to have suffered internal injuries following a police autopsy.

He belongs to PMA Class of 2023, which was incorporated officially into the Corps of Cadets in July. All of the plebes or freshmen cadets have undergone medical examinations to determine if more cadets suffered injuries like Dormitorio’s, said Brig. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, commandant of cadets, who also tendered his resignation.

To prevent hazing rituals from being performed secretly, Evangelista has authorized the use of the honor system to compel plebes to notify their tactical officers or their upperclassmen if they are being hurt.

The Honor Code governs the behavior of the Corps of Cadets as well as PMA alumni, and ensures that cadets “will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”

Most cadets with problems often clam up when interrogated by academy officials, Evangelista said.

He said PMA officials could not ordinarily use the honor system to make cadets admit offenses involving school regulations, but the academy now believes the Honor Code can make cadets talk about cases of maltreatment, which is a crime.

Criticized for how he handled the latest hazing scandal, Evangelista said: “PMA has initiated a series of reviews to evaluate the internal health care system, leadership behavior, cadets, and training culture that will eradicate any possibility where maltreatment occurs… These actions will not bring back the life of [Dormitorio] but it is PMA’s responsibility to hold people accountable and prevent any occurrence of maltreatment in the future.”

This underground military school ritual had officially been outlawed in PMA since 1997.

Evangelista has initiated the process of expelling four cadets directly tied to the death of 20-year-old Dormitorio.

The PMA investigation concluded that Cadets Third Class Shalimar Imperial and Felix Lumbag, both squad mates of Dormitorio, and Cadet First Class Axl Ray Sanupao, were the primary suspects in Dormitorio’s mauling. Sanupao allegedly ordered the two cadets to beat up Dormitorio, Bacarro said at a Tuesday news conference.

Dormitorio’s squad leader, Cadet Second Class Nickoel Termil, had also been separated from the academy for command responsibility, while Cadet First Class Irwin Sayod, the platoon leader, and Cadet First Class Elbert Lucas, the company commander, were suspended for a year.

PMA did not disclose when the beatings took place. Details of what transpired were not released because of the criminal case being prepared against Dormitorio’s upperclassmen, Bacarro said. /kga