Palace blames PMA leadership’s failure to stop hazing on cadet’s death

September 23, 2019

Malacanang blamed on Monday the leadership of the Philippine Military Academy for the death of a cadet due to its failure to stop the culture of hazing in the institution.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Office of the President condemns "barbaric practice of hazing" in all its forms following the death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.

"While we commend the PMA for participating with the Baguio police in identifying the upperclassmen as persons of interest or suspects and investigating the incident with its coordination with government authorities, we at the same time lament that there is a failure in leadership as regards being negligent in not stopping this murderous ritual which has no place in a civilized society," he said.

As a proof Duterte was against hazing, Panelo said Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 to ensure all practices of hazing are checked and all practitioners are penalized with the full weight of the law.

In a press briefing, Panelo suggested there should be a law that would make the PMA head to be accountable criminally and that its superintendent, Lt. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, should quit.

"If I were the boss, how can I be staying a minute longer in my office if I do not know what is happening in my office, isn't it? You are the Superintendent of the PMA then there's hazing, why are you not aware of that? Why can't you stop it? That is precisely why personally I’m suggesting that there must be a law that will make the heads, like the PMA, accountable criminally," he explained. Celerina Monte/DMS