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Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Foster parents fear for safety of PMA cadets
By May Anne Cacdac
BAGUIO -- Several foster parents of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadets expressed concern Tuesday for the safety of their sons and daughters following the drowning to death of a fourth class female cadet in the academy's own swimming pool on Monday afternoon.
Also on Tuesday, a practicing lawyer said he is of the opinion that PMA authorities could not be held responsible for the untimely demise of cadet Mary Rose Cabuenas Nabong who was formally recognized as a regular member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Cadet Corps two days before her death.
"They have no liability whatsoever as there was really no will to kill the cadet. They were undergoing a routine exercise," the lawyer explained, adding that the PMA may have to let incoming cadets sign a waiver stating the institution will not be held liable for any untoward incident that may happen to them while in training.
But a foster mother told Sun.Star that "someone has got to take responsibility for this (incident). This is a result of negligence on the part of the academy."
While the foster parents admitted there is a risk factor involved in being a cadet, they lamented it is most unfortunate that Nabong had to die under very unusual circumstances.
"Mas matatanggap pa siguro ng mga magulang kung namatay ang anak nila (Maybe parents will find it easier to accept if their child died) in the line of duty. Not this way -- not in the academy's swimming pool where safety measures should have been implemented to prevent any untoward incidents," another foster mother said.
The lawyer also said the circumstances surrounding the death of the female cadet, the first ever to die within the walls of the premier military institution since the academy started accepting and training female would-be military officers, was "incredible."
"It is hard to believe that she was not missed and that no other cadet was concerned enough to look for her. There were so many of them who entered the pool area. If there was (indeed) a first class cadet supervising the activity, he should have been the first one who have gone into the pool to save (Nabong)," the lawyer added.
"But being a parent, my reasoning may already be clouded. I could just imagine the pain (Nabong's) parents are going through. It is as if the PMA has robbed them of their hope. The cadet could have prospered in her military career and lived until at least 60 years old," the lawyer said.
A statement released by PMA through its spokesperson, Marine Major Edgard Arevalo, said "Nabong went to a swimming practice together with 34 other fellow cadet swimmers from other companies. They were reported to have started the practice at about 3:45 p.m. (September 8). Since there was no time specified for the duration of the practice, the cadets individually left the pool."
"At about 5:10 p.m., after failing to locate her in the barracks, squadmates of Nabong went to the pool to search for her (and) saw a pair of rubber shoes and athletic uniform apparently belonging to the victim. When they failed to find her in the vicinity of the pool area, cadet-members of the Swimming Corps Squad dove into the pool to search for her," it added.
Arevalo said it was after three dives that one of the cadets spotted Nabong at the bottom of the 12-foot deep portion of the pool. She was declared dead by doctors at the Fort del Pilar Station Hospital where her rescuers rushed her as indicated by her dilated pupils.
Nevertheless, attending doctors still endeavored to revive her by applying immediate resuscitative measures for about 40 minutes.
A former cadet told Sun.Star "it seems that (PMA) has this peculiar penchant for using intramurals practice as their scapegoat whenever there are incidents like this. This is the third case in just the span of two months."
Late last month, cadet fourth class Jonathan Sarausas, Nabong's classmate, was rushed to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center for injuries reportedly sustained during a boxing match. Doctors extracted two liters of blood from his stomach. He is now recuperating at the PMA Station Hospital.
Last July, still another of Nabong's classmate, cadet John Francisco, was also admitted to the SLU Sacred Heart Hospital intensive care unit after sustaining a head injury during a taekwondo match with a 3rd class cadet.
He was hit with a roundhouse kick and fell, his head hitting the pavement. He is now undergoing further treatment at AFP's V. Luna Hospital after he was diagnosed to have sustained "head trauma secondary to the taekwondo practice match."
Arevalo said the intramural's athletic games are integral part of a cadet's well-rounded training, adding that safety measures are already in place to ensure that no untoward accidents happen. He said cadets are required to wear gloves, groin and head protections during combat matches.
The intramural is part of the 16-unit physical education and competitive athletic programs that cadets have to undergo to build strength, endurance, and confidence to lead men amidst the harsh realities of field assignments.
Meanwhile, a PMA graduate, who is now an officer of the Philippine Air Force, on the other hand, said "there could only be two sides to that story. Either this class is really malas or minamalas sila sa mga upperclass nila (unlucky or they are unlucky with their upperclass cadets)."
"There are things that go on within the walls of the PMA that may never be divulged to the public. One thing is for sure, the academy's policy on anti-hazing will never hold water within its walls," he stressed.
(September 10, 2003 issue) |
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