AFP chief has confidence in Cusi's ability to head PMA –spokesperson

Newly installed Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Noel Clement was confident that maltreatment inside the Philippine Military Academy would be done away with under the administration of officer-in-charge Superintendent Rear Admiral Allan Cusi, the military said on Monday.

"The AFP chief is confident that Rear Admiral Cusi will succeed given his known competence as a trainer, mentor, leader, and commander in various levels of command and staff positions," AFP spokesperson Marine Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.

While Clement acknowledged that curbing and eventually eliminating maltreatment inside the PMA was a "complex and daunting" task, he nevertheless but strongly believed that Cusi was equipped to make "a positive difference."

"Rear Admiral Cusi’s assignment in PMA’s Tactics Group that directly deals with cadet leadership development and training and his recent stint as Commander of Naval Education, Training, and Doctrines Command of the Philippine Navy will be valuable in his new post," Arevalo said.

Cusi was tasked to lead the military school on the heels of the resignation of some of its top officials following the hazing death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.

Arevalo said that, as ordered by the AFP chief, the reorientation of cadets regarding their views on authority and responsibility would be one of Cusi's priority tasks. — Dona Magsino/DVM, GMA News