From the Manila Standard Today (Feb 23): PMA cadets ostracize Cudia
THE Philippine Military Academy Corps of Cadets begun on Saturday to ostracize cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia after he filed charges against the nine-member the academy’s Honor Committee that earlier ruled to discharge him from the military service.
Cudia“It was the decision of the cadet corps to ostracize Cudia because they do not like what Cudia is doing,” PMA Spokesperson Major Lynette Flores said in an interview.
The decision of the Cadet Corps to ostracize Cudia emerged after Cudia’s case following the guilty verdict handed by the Honor Committee accusing him of lying was made public, putting the entire cadet corps on the spot.
Flores said it was not the decision of the PMA but the cadet corps itself and Flores said that meant no one will speak or go near Cudia.
“The case of Cudia should not have been made public and should have remained confidential,” Flores said.
Cudia filed a counter honor report to a separate honor committee accusing the former nine members of the committee that handed a resolution of a guilty verdict against him after he found lying.
“The report has already been submitted to the Honor Committee,” Flores said citing that the separate committee would be composed of six members from the graduating class and 3 from the PMA’s second class.
However, Flores said the new honor committee that will hear the case of Cudia has not yet been convened and Cudia remains at a holding center where he is allowed visitors, including his family.
“He is very much free to see them. It’s Cudia’s free will to stay in the academy,” Flores said.
Flores stressed that Cudia has been administratively discharged from the PMA and dropped from the rolls of the armed forces after he was found guilty of violating the Honor Code.
The case of Cudia remained the subject of a serious discussion among ranking military officers, particularly inside PMA while a reinvestigation, in line with the directive of AFP chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista over the intriguing issue.
“We will be undertaking the review of the case as per guidance of the chief of staff,” Flores said.
