Cudia packs up, leaves PMA

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City, Philippines - – Dismissed cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia is now physically out of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) after he packed up his belongings and voluntarily left the premier military institution here Sunday night.

PMA spokesperson Maj. Lynette Flores said Cudia departed the academy grounds at around 10 p.m., taking with him all his personal things.

Cudia’s relatives and lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) accompanied the former cadet.

Flores clarified that Cudia was not detained inside the academy’s holding center because there were no restrictions imposed on him and he could leave the premises anytime.

Cudia was dismissed by the PMA for violating the academy’s Honor Code after he allegedly lied about why he reported late by two minutes for a class.

The PMA Honor Committee that is composed of fellow cadets found Cudia guilty of lying about the reason he was late for class.

The Honor Committee investigates and rules on reports of alleged violations of the Honor Code that compels cadets not to lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those among them who do.

Cudia remained in the PMA holding center for more than three weeks after the Honor Committee rendered the ruling.

“It’s his personal decision to go. He’s on an indefinite leave and he has already an option to go out while waiting for the finality of his case. We released him to his parents, his sister and his PAO lawyer,” Flores said.

Before moving out, Cudia was made to sign several documents, which Flores only described as routine paperwork.

Scheduled to graduate as salutatorian of his “Siklab Diwa” Class of 2014, Cudia was dismissed from the academy weeks before graduation that was held Sunday in Baguio City.

The dismissed cadet had filed a case at the Commission on Human Rights that initially found that the Honor Committee of the PMA violated due process.

Lawyer Harold Kub-aron, regional director of the CHR-Cordillera, earlier said that their initial findings would not preclude their final recommendations that could be raised to the courts.

President Aquino did not allow Cudia to graduate with his Siklab Diwa class on Sunday, but gave him the option to appeal his case.

Not even Cudia’s audience with President Aquino last Sunday before the graduation rites would reverse the dismissal order against him.

“We made sure that they were given the opportunity to air their side, at the end of which we recommended that they formalize their appeal, requests and other concerns in writing,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said last Saturday night.

Badly hurt by the decision, Cudia questioned the ruling and also filed a counter honor violation against the nine members of the Honor Committee who handled and decided his case.

And instead of heeding his dismissal, Cudia brought his case to social media, triggering public outcry in his favor.

While doing so, Cudia refused to leave the academy even after he was already dismissed, hoping that his case would be settled and he would be allowed to graduate.

Honor code beyond PMA

The Honor Code among cadets should not be limited to the PMA alone but should also be practiced and observed in all sectors of society, said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

He said the PMA’s code for cadets should apply “to each and every sector of society – from local musicians and artists, to leaders in industry, to local government officials – as we fulfill the responsibilities that will bring our nation to even greater heights.”

“The President emphasized the value of honor: not just in specific moments, but in each and every day we live our lives and do our part in nation building,” he said, referring to Aquino’s speech delivered at the PMA graduation rites last Sunday.

Aquino, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that has administrative supervision over PMA, underscored the weight of the responsibilities that lie on the shoulders of the cadets, as they enter a new chapter in the lives they have dedicated to serving the country.  â€“ With Jaime Laude, Delon Porcalla