The Armed Forces of the Philippines has maintained that it does not tolerate hazing or any kind of action that endangers the lives of its members following the tragic death recently of a plebe of the Philippine Military Academy.
Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., AFP chief of staff, said on Saturday that he has directed the PMA management to conduct a “thorough and speedy” investigation to get into the bottom of the case involving Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio who died of hazing.
“Let it be known that the AFP does not tolerate any kind of action that endangers the lives of all our members, more so future leaders of our organization,” he said.
“We hold every soldier, cadet, and civilian employee with the highest standards of professionalism and respect for human life,” he added.
The military and its training institution came under fire when the death of Dormitorio broke out early this week, with several lawmakers and cause-oriented groups calling for a transparent probe on the case.
However, according to the AFP chief, all individuals who will be found responsible in the death of the 20-year-old cadet will not be coddled by the military as he ordered the PMA to hand them over to the proper investigating bodies.
“The AFP assures that all individuals involved in this unfortunate incident will be made accountable as we continue to uphold the highest degree of accountability and transparency within our ranks,” Madrigal said. (Martin Sadongdong)
