SC tells PMA officials to respond to Cudia's petition to get school records

The Supreme Court has ordered concerned officials of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to respond to the petition filed by dismissed cadet Aldrin Cudia regarding his records at the academy.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, SC spokesman Theodore Te said the high court requires PMA Superintendent Major General Oscar Lopez and other officials to respond to Cudia's motion for reconsideration within 10 days from notice.

Cudia is asking for the release of necessary documents from the PMA as they are among the requirements for him to enroll in the University of the Philippines College of Law.

In another motion for reconsideration filed this month on her son's dismissal, Filipina Cudia asked the tribunal to reverse its February ruling, citing the SC's favorable decision on Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile's bail petition.

In its February ruling, 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 said the PMA did not violate Cudia's right to due process when it enforced its rules on discipline, including the Honor Code. It said the case is "subsumed under (the PMA's) academic freedom" because the establishment of rules governing university-student relations, particularly those pertaining to student discipline, may be regarded as vital, not merely to the smooth and efficient operation of the institution, but to its very survival."

Cudia's camp sought but failed to have the SC ruling reversed last April.

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 on June 17, 2014.

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. —Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KBK, GMA News