2 former PMA heads charged

DAVAO. Together with his legal counsel lawyer Jose Adrian Bonifacio, Dexter Dormitorio, swears in front of Baguio City Prosecutor Margarita DG Manalo on Monday, November 5, 2019. Dexter, brother of hazing victim CDT 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio died on September 18, filed charges against Lieutenant General Ronnie Evangelista and Brigadier General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro at the Baguio City prosecutor’s office for violation of RA 11053, RA 9745; and dereliction of duty. (Photo by Jean Nicole Cortes)
DAVAO. Together with his legal counsel lawyer Jose Adrian Bonifacio, Dexter Dormitorio, swears in front of Baguio City Prosecutor Margarita DG Manalo on Monday, November 5, 2019. Dexter, brother of hazing victim CDT 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio died on September 18, filed charges against Lieutenant General Ronnie Evangelista and Brigadier General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro at the Baguio City prosecutor’s office for violation of RA 11053, RA 9745; and dereliction of duty. (Photo by Jean Nicole Cortes)

TWO former top officials of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) were formally charged for the death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.

Dexter, brother of Darwin, with legal counsel Jose Adrian Bonifacio filed criminal charges of violations of the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018 and Anti–Torture Act of 2009 and dereliction of duty as defined by the Revised Penal Code against former PMA Commandant of Cadets Brigadier General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro and former PMA Superintendent Lieutenant General Ronnie Evangelista.

The supplemental complaint with Dexter’s sworn statement was received on November 4 by Prosecutor Margarita Manalo past 4 p.m. at the Baguio City Prosecutor’s Office.

Bonifacio said the complaint is a supplement to cases earlier filed by Dormitorio on October 8.

“The cases filed today were actually based on investigations and recommendations of NBI. The family was convinced to include them in cases of Hazing, Torture and Dereliction of duty,” Bonifacio said. “We considered the paper trail after a more detailed investigation by NBI, we received statements na nakarating sa kanila iyong nangyari kay cadet Dormitorio, but there were no actions.”

National Bureau of Investigation in Cordillera (NBI-CAR) earlier filed cases versus the two generals, six cadets, and three doctors to be charged with violations of the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018 and Anti–Torture Act of 2009 and or Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code and dereliction of duty as defined by the Revised Penal Code.

The NBI complaint added the inclusion of Bacarro and Evangelista as additional respondents was justified based on the evidence gathered that shows hazing and torture had been ongoing and properly reported to these officers yet they did not perform any act to prevent it.

The panel of prosecutors composed of Edwin Brian Sagsago, Conrado Catral Jr., and Margarita Manalo are still investigating the case earlier filed to the City Prosecutors Office and awaiting for the reply of respondents.

Dormitorio family earlier filed violation of Anti-Hazing Law, Murder, and Anti-Torture law against seven cadets, tactical officers as accomplices and three doctors facing dereliction of duty as defined and punished by article 208 of the revised penal code.

Police investigation shows Dormitorio died September 18 due to injuries he sustained from beatings inflicted upon him several times by his upper class cadets inside the academy.

Bacarro and Evangelista earlier resigned from their posts as a virtue of command responsibility after Dormitorio’s death.

Dexter also asked PMA to file criminal charges to those cadets inflicting hazing against others and questioned Asia’s premiere academy’s seriousness in its fight against maltreatment.

“For PMA, maging seryoso sila sa laban sa hazing. Sila na mismo iyong magkusa na mag-file ng criminal charges,” Dormitorio added. “Most of maltreatment cases reported since September (2019) hanggang ngayon nasa loob pa rin PMA investigation so inuulit ko lang parang hindi ganoon ka seryoso iyong PMA sa laban against sa hazing. Hanggang Administrative charges na lamang ba sila? and holding center.”

Dexter said “Kung seryoso talaga sila sa pagpuksa sa hazing tingin ko po dapat sila mag-initiate ng criminal charges doon sa mga nagmaltrato ng kapwa nila kadete. Hindi pa ba sila convince na laganap iyong cases.”

Dormitorio also asked parents of maltreated cadets not to be silent.

“If iyong mga anak nila nakaranas ng maltreatment, huwag sana silang tumahimik. Because contrary to what is happening na sila iyong takot sa PMA, baliktad po dapat, iyong administration ng PMA iyong natatakot sa magulang. Kasi iyong PMA nanghihiram ng buhay ng mga anak nila. Dapat iyong mga magulang lakasan nila iyong loob nila, they should take action para matapos iyong hazing,” Dormitorio said.

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