Probers say underclassmen tagged in mauling incident blindly followed some ‘misguided’ cadets

The board of inquiry formed to investigate the mauling incident in the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) on Tuesday bared that the underclassmen implicated in the incident seemed to have “blindly followed” some “misguided cadets.”

National Police College director Romeo Magsalos, who is the chairman of the board of inquiry, said that this small group of misguided cadets had “threatened” the underclassmen that they would be “inflicted with harm” if they did not follow their orders.

Aside from this, the board of inquiry created by the Philippine Public Safety College, also found that there was a “failure to effect arrest and cause inquest proceeding of the perpetrator.”

The board said that the new inspectors who did not file a complaint have the “tendency to accept the harm inflicted by the underclass.”

“Two of them are forgiving because yung iba hindi na nag-file ng kaso except na yung dalawa na talagang they pursued a case,” Magsalos told reporters in an interview.

Probers also found that there was a lack of uniformed personnel to “closely supervise” the activities of the cadets, adding that security guards deployed were “prohibited to access the dormitories.”

As a result of the investigation, the board has recommended the following in order to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident:

• all activities of the corps of cadets should be sanctioned by the duly constituted authorities of the PNPA and should be closely supervised by the Cadet Affairs Office (CAO). In no instance shall any "secret rituals" involving cadets be conducted;
• as a deterrence to misconduct, neglect and undesirable behavior, the PNPA should actively prosecute offenses amounting to criminal acts before the regular courts;
• to strengthen the espirit de corps among the cadets;
• increase the capacity of the PNPA to closely monitor cadet activities; and
• seek the intervention of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the implementation of the policy where deployment to training units under the PPSC is considered as a Table of Organization position.

Six new PNPA graduates were beaten-up by their underclassmen right after their graduation rites that was attended by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 21. The incident occurred between 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. when the upperclassmen were going back to their barracks after the graduation rites.

The underclassmen even used rattan sticks and rocks when they mauled the newly-commissioned officers who suffered injuries.

In a police report from Silang Municipal Police Station, the victims were identified as Police Inspectors Ylam Lambenecio, Arjay Divino, Mark Kevin Villares, Floyd Traqueña, Jan Paul Magmoyao and Jail Inspector Arjay Marcaida Cuasay.

Lambenecio and Divino has already filed a case of physical injury against their nine underclassmen.

Nine of the underclassmen who inflicted injuries were identified by witnesses as: Cadet 2nd Class Donald Ramirez Kissing, Cadet 2nd Class Delos Santos, Cadet 2nd Class Jem Camcam Peralta, Cadet 2nd Class Clint John Baguidodol, Cadet 2nd Class Christopher De Guzman Macalalad; Cadet 2nd Class Loreto Aquino Tuliao Jr., Cadet 2nd Class Calamba, Cadet 2nd Class Coplat and Cadet 2nd Class Amanon.

Based on PNPA's initial investigation, PNPA director Chief Superintendent Joseph Adnol said that the underclassmen may have wanted to "get even" with the upperclassmen.

While the nine cadets are facing criminal charges and may be dismissed from the academy, the 39 others involved may face a “turn back” in the academy.

“Demerits lang, short of dismissal so turn back to some extent,” he said.

A total of 44 cadets who are involved in the mauling incident are currently confined within the academy as part of their sanction.

“For the meantime confined to barracks sila, confined to dorm. In fact nung bakasyon supposedly the cadets were out, sila nandon lang muna,” Magsalos said. — MDM, GMA News