A month after dismissal, Cadet Cudia leaves PMA 

(Updated 3:38 p.m.) As he failed to march with the rest of the Siklab Diwa Class of 2014 on Sunday, dismissed Philippine Military Academy Cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia has left Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City, his home for about four years.

 

Cudia left the PMA premises around 10 p.m. Sunday together with his parents and siblings, and assisted by his lawyer, Major Agnes Flores, PMA spokesperson, told GMA News Online on Monday via phone interview.

 

"He went out voluntarily," Flores said, adding leaving PMA grounds was Cudia's "personal decision."

"Personal na desisyon [ni Cudia] na umalis na. Actually, [even before] he has already an option to go out nung una, habang inaantay nga 'yung finality ng case kaso siya ang nag-decide na 'wag umalis ng PMA," he said.

She explained that Cudia took an indefinite leave effective February 10 after the Honor Committee recommended his dismissal from the military school.

The former cadet may now "start life as a private individual," she added.
 

In February, Cudia was ostracized by his fellow cadets after he opted to stay despite his dismissal.

Cudia had been found guilty by the Honor Committee for lying in his explanation why he was two-minutes late for a class. The former cadet said in his explanation that their professor dismissed him late so that he was tardy for his next class. However, the Honor Committee tagged this as a lie since he was technically made to wait by his professor and not dismissed late.

 

On Sunday, 222 first class cadets graduated from the PMA, excluding Cudia. 

 

Speaking in front of the graduates, President Benigno Aquino III challenged the PMA graduates to uphold the Honor Code even outside the institution. 

 

New appeal 

 

Cudia has pending appeals before the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PMA, the country's premier military school. 

 

On the eve of his class' graduation, Cudia's family and lawyer, Public Attorney's Office chief Persida Acosta, met with the President. 

 

The President then asked Cudia's camp to put the dismissed cadet's appeal into writing, with Armed Forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista tasked to look into Cudia's case.
 

But as of posting time, the AFP has yet to receive Cuida's written appeal, according to military spokesman Major General Domingo Tutaan Jr.

 

Tutaan explained that Bautista has to see the contents of the appeal first before the AFP could identify how to proceed with the case.

 

For her part, Flores said this marks the first time that an internal PMA issue would be investigated by the AFP. All PMA graduates are commissioned officers (2nd lieutenants or ensigns) either in the Army, Navy or Air Force. 

 

"As far as I know, wala pang kaso na ganito. This is the first case concerning the PMA that [the] AFP has to conduct [an investigation]," she said. 

 

Outside the military, Cudia had also asked the Supreme Court to intervene in his case. On March 10, he asked the high court to order the PMA to let him graduate and be commissioned into the Philippine Navy.

Cudia to pay P1.6 million?

 

Meanwhile, the PMA spokesperson clarified that Cudia may not pay the P1.6 million that the government spent for the cadet's scholarship inside the military school.

 

"Hindi siya issue at hindi pa rin masasabi na kailangan niyang magbayad kasi hindi pa tapos ang kaso," she said.

 

"In my knowledge, we have such policy na supposedly ang kadete na hindi makakatapos kailangan niyang bayaran 'yung ginastos ng pamahalaan sa kanya. Obligasyon niya 'yan," Flores said.

 

However, due to "humanitarian" reasons, many cadets who failed to graduate in the past were not required to pay the cost that they have incurred while studying at the PMA, Flores added. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News