Government prosecutors recommended the filing of criminal charges against several officials and cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) for the hazing death of Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio last year.
The Baguio City Prosecutor’s Office, however, dismissed the charges filed against former PMA Superintendent Lt Gen Ronnie Evangelista and Brig Gen Bartolome Vicente Bacarro who resigned after an investigation found that Dormitorio’s upperclassmen were liable.
The prosecutors recommended the filing of murder charges against 3rd Class Cadets Shalimar Imperial and Felix Lumbag Jr.
The two will also be charged for violating Republic Act 11053 or the “Anti-Hazing Law.”
Also to be charged with murder are Capt. Flor Apple Apostol, Maj Ofelia Beloy and Lt Col Ceasar Candelaria, all of the PMA Station Hospital.
The resolution approved by Prosecutor Elmer Manuel Sagsago said the PMA doctors were also liable for the death of Dormitorio.
The lawyer of the Dormitorio family said he had mixed emotions over the resolution.
Jose Adrian Bonifacio said he felt “a sense of relief because finally they issued the resolution seven months after we filed the cases.”
At the same time, he said, “We need to reflect on the coming days if we (with my clients) are satisfied with the resolution.”
Bonifacio admitted being dismayed with the dismissal of the charges against Evangelista and Bacarro, who were charged with hazing, torture and dereliction of duty.
Dexter Dormitorio, the cadet’s older brother, insisted that Evangelista and Bacarro should be indicted as accomplices in violating the Anti-Hazing Law.
Bonifacio said the elder Dormitorio’s complaint was based on the case filed by the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) Cordillera office against Evangelista and Bacarro.
The NBI found that Evangelista and Bacarro did nothing to stop the events that led to Dormitorio’s death.
Before the cases were filed against Evangelista and Bacarro, the Dormitorios filed hazing, torture and murder against 1st Class Cadet Axl Rey Sanupao, 2nd Class Cadet Christian Zacarias, and 3rd Class Cadets Rey David John Volante, Julius Carlo Tadena, John Vincent Manalo, Felix Lumbag Jr and Shalimar Imperial.
Tadena was indicted for less serious physical injuries and Zacarias for slight physical injuries.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PMA welcomed the resolution of the Baguio City Prosecutor’s Office. Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesman, said the military looks at this development with optimism since “the wheels of justice grind for all of those involved in the case.”
“We are committed to assist in the dispensation of justice,” Arevalo said in a statement on Thursday. “We are keenly interested as the parents of the late Cadet Darwin Dormitorio, the community of PMA Alumni — active and retired — and the Filipino nation are in ensuring that justice is served.”
Arevalo gave assurances that the Armed Forces would provide any assistance that courts may require for the trial.
He said that the Armed Forces already instituted the filing of charges against six cadets for violating Article of War 97 or the Conduct Prejudicial to Good Order and Military Discipline in connection with Dormitorio’s death.
“But more than the filing of cases to eliminate hazing from the Academy, holistic measures were adopted by PMA to stop the malpractice. Segregation of cadets by class by building is one of them,” the military spokesman added.
The PMA also welcomed the development on Dormitorio’s case, assuring that the academy would comply with any court order if they would be required to appear, bring documents or testify.
“The PMA is in solidarity with the nation in continually praying for justice to be served,” said Maj. Cheryl Tindog, the PMA spokesman.
“We shall continue also to implement the necessary reforms and interventions we have been doing so far in order to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again and to end all violations of our regulations for a better PMA.”
The cadets tagged in the death of Dormitorio were transferred to the AFP’s general headquarters for the court martial proceedings,
Tindog said.
Dormitorio: unfortunate death
