Cudia’s ma submits CHR report to SC

MANILA, Philippines - The mother of Cadet First Class Aldrin Jeff Cudia asked the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to consider a report of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) assailing her son’s dismissal from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

Filipina Cudia filed a motion before the high court with a copy of the CHR report that said the PMA honor committee conducted an unfair trial on her son. The CHR recommended Cudia’s reentry to the PMA.

“Cudia was given nothing but a sham trial, as members of the investigation team were biased and have conflicts of interests against him,” a part of the CHR report said.

Filipina told the high court the CHR findings would prove that Aldrin did not violate the PMA’s honor code. She said her son did not intend to deceive or mislead others.

She said the CHR findings showed Aldrin was deprived of his rights and it was the honor committee that violated the PMA’s honor code by allegedly refusing to accept the “not guilty” verdict on charges of lying against her son.

Filipina said the committee allegedly manipulated the system to suit their desire and motives, and sacrificed the truth and her son’s rights. 

“The honor committee made a mockery of the law on due process. The trial of Cadet Cudia was a sham. The honor committee violated the right of Cadet Cudia to due process, education and dignity, and even his right to life,” Filipina said in her motion.

In a report released on April 30, the CHR said a member of the honor committee, Cadet First Class Dalton John Lagura, was pressured into changing his vote to secure the guilty conviction.

It said Cudia’s tactical officer, Major Dennis Hindang, fell short of his responsibility, which “paved the way to Cudia’s sham trial by the honor committee.”

The report said aside from Hindang, the chairman of the cadet honor committee, Cadet First Class Mike Anthony Mogol, was “bent to pin down and destroy Cudia.” 

It said aside from Mogol, Cadet First Class Noel Raguindin, who was part of the committee’s investigation team that handled the preliminary investigation on Cudia’s case, has a vested interest in the outcome of the case as he ranks second to the latter in the naval first class cadets.

“Raguindin should have inhibited himself from the preliminary investigation. The committee did not see it appropriate for Raguindin to inhibit. This cast doubt and tainted the process in the PMA justice system, even at the preliminary investigation stage,” the CHR report said. 

Raguindin ranked fifth in the PMA Siklab Diwa Class of 2014 in March.

Filipina said the members of the honor committee and the Cadet Review and Appeals Board allegedly cheated when they refused to cooperate with the CHR in ferreting out the truth and for withholding the minutes of the committee proceedings.

She asked the high court to use the CHR report in dispensing justice in her son’s case. Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta accompanied Filipina in filing the motion before the SC.