Ex-PMA commandant: I did my best to reform the institution

The former commandant of cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) sent an emissary on the last day of the wake of Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio to express his condolences.

Brigadier General Bartolome Baccaro, who quit his post on Tuesday, asked his aunt to approach Dormitorio's parents to share the message, according to a report by Marisol Abduhraman on GMA's 24 Oras.

"I'm sad it happened, auntie. From day one when I was assigned here, we instituted a lot of changes, auntie, to correct what we saw was wrong. Despite our efforts, may mga hindi pa rin nagbago. Kindly express my sincerest sympathies and apologies to them, auntie. I did my best," the text message read.

No sympathies, however, is enough to a grieving mother who lost a son.  To Dormitorio's father, who was a PMA graduate himself, it was "too late."

Dormotorio's brother, Dexter, admitted he had a grudge against Bacarro.

"Personally, masama ang loob ko kay Gen. Bacarro," Dexter said.

As commandant, Bacarro was in charge training and is considered the "father" of the cadets.

PMA confirmed that Dormitorio died from hazing on September 20.

Bacarro and PMA Superintendent Lieutenant General Ronnie Evangelista resigned at the same time on Tuesday.

Several parents of PMA cadets also attended the last day of the wake.

One of them was the mother of a cadet who Dormitorio had saved after a suicide attempt in PMA. Another mother shared that Dormitorio was the one who encouraged his classmates whenever they felt like giving up.

A crying mother, meanwhile, revealed that she felt scared for her own child who is still in PMA.

"Halo-halo kasi, ma'am. Kaba. Takot. Kung anong nangyari sa mga anak namin doon," she said. —Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News