MANILA, Philippines — A Baguio City court issued a warrant of arrest against Philippine Military Academy cadets over the fatal hazing of Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio in 2019.
Baguio Regional Trial Court Branch 5 Presiding Judge Maria Ligaya Itliong-Rivera ordered the arrest of Cadet Third Class (3CL) Shalimar Imperial Jr. and 3CL Felix Lumbag Jr. who are facing a murder charge.
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Law enforcers were also ordered to arrest 3CL Julius Carlo Tadena, who was indicted on a violation of the anti-hazing law and less serious physical injuries.
No bail was recommended for Imperial, Lumbag and Tadena.
Meanwhile the court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Capt. Flor Apple Apostol, Maj. Maria Ofelia Beloy and Lt. Col. Ceasar Candelaria, who also face murder charges over their “gross failure to provide adequate medical care to Dormitorio” which caused his death.
Apostol and Beloy are PMA doctors while Candelaria was commanding officer of the PMA hospital. The court set their bail at P200,000.
The warrant of arrest is dated July 7 but was released only on Wednesday.
Dormitorio, a 20-year-old cadet from Cagayan de Oro, died due to hazing on Sept. 18, 2019. He was considered the first casualty of hazing after the tougher anti-hazing law was signed last year.
In indicting the accused PMA cadets and officials, Baguio prosecutors said: "Looking back at hindsight, the untimely demise of Dormitorio was the result of several missed opportunities and a series of mishandling of facts and decision-making.”
The prosecution also held that the “repeated maltreatment and physical abuse suffered by Dormitorio is by no less cruel, harsh, and vicious.”