The Philippine National Police yesterday revealed that one more cadet has been named as suspect in the hazing death of Philippine Military Academy Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.
Police Brig. Gen. Israel Ephraim Dickson, director of the Cordillera Police Regional Office, said the latest to be named as a suspect is a cadet second class or a third year student.
The Baguio City police last Thursday said that two cadet third class or second year students were also considered as suspects in the death of Dormitorio.
Three cadets have earlier been named as suspects. This brings the total number of suspects to six.
Police Col. Allen Rae Co, director of the Baguio police, said Dormitorio was first hospitalized from Aug. 20 to 27 after he suffered maltreatment from two of his upperclassmen.
Dormitorio narrated the maltreatment he suffered in a handwritten letter that was made public by the Baguio police yesterday.
In the letter, Dormitorio said the first years were asked by their upperclassmen about the current status of their allowance “to track the allowance spending of the plebes.”
The 20-year-old cadet said he had spent almost half of his allowance, which was supposed to last for one month. Dormitorio said this was considered an “offense” to Cadet 3rd Class Felix Lumbag and Shalimar Imperial, who were his “buddies.”
Dormitorio said Lumbag got so angry that he was made to do a series of exercises, including “knuckles out,” “bridge under bunks,” and “pumping.”
Dormitorio said he repeatedly failed to do the “bridge under bunks” correctly so Lumbag told him to raise his arms. Lumbag then allegedly hit Dormitorio in the abdomen repeatedly, which caused his first hospitalization.
According to Co, the letter was written by Dormitorio in an attempt to explain to the PMA management why he was hospitalized. As a result, Lumbag was recommended to be suspended and declared off-limits to the plebes, especially to Dormitorio.
However, Co said Lumbag violated the punishment handed out to him as the maltreatment was again repeated in the morning of Sept. 17. (Martin Sadongdong)
