Seven cadets and five officers of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) have been charged with murder and violation of the anti-hazing law in connection with the death of Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio.
Dexter Dormitorio, older brother of Darwin, filed the 34-page complaint against Cadets 3rd Class Shalimar Imperial, Felix Lumbag Jr., John Vincent Manalo, Julius Carlo Tadena and Rey David John Volante; Cadet 2nd Class Christian Zacarias; and Cadet 1st Class Axl Rey Sanopa before the Baguio City Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.
Also charged were tactical officers Maj. Rex Bolo and Capt. Jeffrey Batistiana, as well as medical personnel Capt. Flor Apple Apostol, Capt. Maria Ofelia Beloy and Lt. Col. Cesar Candelaria. The five PMA personnel are facing charges for dereliction of duty.
“I would like to tell my brother, this is just part one of the battle. We will not stop hanggang hindi napapanagot ang lahat (until everybody is prosecuted),” Dexter said.
The complaint was substantiated by affidavits of some 14 cadets and three PMA personnel who said they witnessed how Dormitorio was maltreated by his upperclassmen.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Baguio City Police Office Chief Col. Allan Ray Co all those charged had direct participation in the maltreatment of Dormitorio.
“Yes, sa ngayon sila ‘yung may direct participation kaya sinampahan na sila ng kaso (they have direct participation in the case, thus they were charged),” he told The Manila Times.
Sanopao reportedly ordered Lombag to maltreat Dormitorio over a missing pair of boots. Tadena tasered the victim while Volante kicked him in the head.
Dormitorio died on Sept. 18, 2019 after being discharged from the PMA hospital where he was diagnosed with urinary tract infection.
Co also confirmed that the seven cadets were under the custody of the PMA.
PMA authorities expressed their readiness to turn over to the Baguio City jail the seven cadets once the City Prosecutor’s Office found probable cause and an arrest warrant was issued against them.
PMA officials said the incident was an “isolated case” despite reports that several other cadets were also maltreated and hospitalized.
“This is not the rule, this is an exception, this is an isolated case and it should never happen again in the Academy,” PMA spokesman Major Reynan Afan said.
But newly appointed PMA Commandant Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner admitted that a “culture of silence” has been observed in the academy.
“Definitely some practice that culture of silence,” Brawner told reporters.
Like a virus
Former senator Heherson Alvarez lamented that hazing is like a “virus” that should be eliminated to save the youth.
“We have put legislation, even finally convicted offenders, the rules have even been tightened to terminate this grave social misconduct but it continues the violent destruction of the of lives of our youth. From the great universities, to military institutions and provincial schools, hazing should be viewed like a virus contamination from whence our young must be spared,” he said in a statement.
“The institutions that rear the hope of the Motherland must do better: expel the offenders and the justice system must quickly respond to punish the guilty,” he added.
Instead of violent hazing rites, Alvarez, founder of Earthsavers and chairman of Unesco Dream Center, said fraternities should practice “constructive” rituals such as cleaning the esteros, planting trees and doing community service.
“Our schools must inculcate respect for the gift of life and unveil the deception of a ritual of passage that strips the neophyte of human dignity. Withstanding the rigors of physical assault is not heroic nor the symbol of chivalry. The first blow to the last blow cumulatively kills the man,” he added.
With a reports from DARWIN PESCO
