Dismissed PMA cadet Cudia fails to get SC relief

By MARK MERUEÑAS, GMA News

Published February 24, 2015 2:11pm

(Updated 2:39 p.m.) The Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of Cadet Jeff Aldrin Cudia from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

In its ruling, the SC said the PMA did not violate Cudia's right to due process when it enforced its rules on discipline, including the Honor Code, for lying.

The high tribunal said the case is "subsumed under (PMA's) academic freedom" because the establishment of rules governing unversity-student relations, particularly those pertaining to student discipline, may be regarded as vital, not merely to the smooth and efficient operation of the instution, but to its very survival."

The SC found Cudia guilty of "quibbling" which constitutes "lying," when he explained that he and his previous "class" were "dismissed" a bit late, causing his tardiness for his next class.

The SC defined quibbling as a situation where a person creates a false impression to his listener by "cleverly wording what he says, omitting facts or telling a partial truth."

"(Cudia) cunningly chose words which led to confusion... There is manipulation of facts and presentation of untruthful explanation constitutive of an Honor Code violation," added the high court.

The SC said Cudia was considered to have "quibbled" because "by no stretch of imagination can four constitute a 'class.'" Cudia claimed he was with three other classmates when they were supposedly dismissed late by their previous class.

Cudia's petition seeking a reversal of the dismissal was filed by Cudia and his father Renato on March 15, 2014. Cudia's mother, Filipina, on March 25, 2014 moved to intervene in the case.

The family has since formally asked the high tribunal—through separate motions for resolution—to finally decide on the matter.

In February 2014, the PMA Honor Committee found Cudia guilty of lying about his reason for being late for a class, a violation that led to his dismissal from the academy.

The PMA, the PMA Honor Committee of 2014 and the PMA Cadet Review and Appeals Board, through the Office of the Solicitor General, filed their consolidated comment last June 17, 2014. The comment was countered by Filipina in a reply on July 14 and later adopted by Renato Cudia.

Cudia filed his first motion on July 21, 2014. With no response from the high court, Cudia, on September 30, 2014, filed a second motion.

In his latest motion filed last December, Cudia and his family said the immediate resolution of the petition would be beneficial not only to them but to the country as well.

"He cannot possibly seek further education or engage in a promising career—all because of the tight grasp the Philippine Military Academy has put him in," the Public Attorney's Office, which is legally assisting Cudia, said at the time.

Cudia did not march with the Siklab Diwa batch during the PMA’s graduation rites in Baguio City last year since his appeal was still pending before the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PMA at the time.

Cudia’s classmates ostracized him after he opted to stay in the PMA even after the Honor Committee recommended his dismissal.

His family, however, has claimed there were irregularities on how the committee voted on his case, and asked President Benigno Aquino III to overturn the decision.

Cudia's family insisted that the PMA Honor Committee should have acquitted the cadet because one of its members had originally voted in his favor. Under PMA rules, an accused can be acquitted with just one "not guilty" vote. —KG, GMA News

Tags: jeffaldrincudia, supremecourt, philippinemilitaryacademy