BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong lauded the hazing victim’s family for allowing the death of their son as an opportunity to pave the way for the institution to enforce the necessary reforms that will improve the existing systems inside the Academy that will prevent similar incidents in the future.
The city chief executive said he talked with the victim’s father, who is also a retired military official and a graduate of the Academy, and he was inspired by the latter’s response for all concerned sectors to instead help the premier military institution improve its existing systems that should result in a better training culture inside the Academy in the years to come.
He claimed what the victim’s father has is the noble intention for the improvement of prevailing systems inside the Academy to prevent similar incidents that compromise the lives of hopeful incoming cadets inside the institution and also negatively impacts seriously on the overall image of the premier military institution in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, cadet fourth-class Darwin Dormitoryo, 20, single, a native of Cagayan de Oro City, died after suffering from injuries inflicted by his colleagues who allegedly maltreated him inside the barracks of the Academy.
Based on the victim’s post mortem examination, he reportedly died due to blunt force trauma that caused his pancreas to be heavily damaged, aside from suffering from internal haemorrhage.
According to him, the city government will not interfere in the ongoing investigation being conducted by both the police and military authorities so as not to jeopardize the results as what is important is that all those responsible for the maltreatment of the young cadet that caused his life to be held responsible for their actions.
He expressed the city government’s deepest sympathy and condolences to the victim’s bereaved family for what happened and encouraged them to have faith in the country’s justice system for the immediate just resolution of the incident.
Initially, seven cadets have been identified to have directly participated in the brutal maltreatment of the cadet and four of them stand to face outright discharge from the Academy while the others face suspensions depending on the gravity of the offense where they are involved.
The involved cadets are now in restrictive confinement pending the conduct of the investigation to ascertain the extent of their involvement in the incident that placed the institution in bad light.
For over a decade now, PMA has been producing dedicated police and military officers who shone in their careers as officers in the profession of arms who ensure the preservation and protection of the country’s sovereignty.
By Dexter A. See
