PMA punishes 4 cadets but says incident not 'hazing'

The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) said that four cadets have been punished for hurting their classmate but the reported incident was not considered as “hazing.”

In a television interview, PMA public information office’s Lieutenant Jesse Saludo said the cadets faced punishments based on the degree of their participation in the incident.

“The involved cadets were given appropriate punishments depending on the degree of their participation,” Saludo said in a report of Marisol Abdurahman on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita on Monday.

“The PMA has a strict, zero tolerance on maltreatment and hazing, and such acts have no place in the institution,” he added.

However, contrary to the complaint of the victim, Saludo said the incident does not fall under the definition of hazing in the Anti-Hazing Act.

“The injuries were caused by their classmates venting out their frustration on their squadmate, which because they believe the performance of their classmate is affecting their squad,” Saludo said.

“The incident does not fall under the legal definition of hazing as stated in the Anti-Hazing Act, which requires acts of violence or abuse to be committed as part of the admission process in the organization,” he added.

Based on its investigation, the Baguio City Police said the victim, a 4th class cadet, allegedly experienced “physical abuse and humiliation” from September 2 to 29, 2024.

The police noted that the “acts of maltreatment were not isolated but were carried out regularly inside the barracks.”

These alleged physical abuses, which the complainant noted as “animalistic tripping,” include punches and excessive physical training, which caused him to collapse due to exhaustion.

After allegedly receiving a heavy punch on September 29, 2024, the victim nearly lost consciousness and was admitted to a hospital in Quezon City, where he underwent medical and psychological treatment.

“He was admitted for recovery in October and remained hospitalized until mid-December,” PMA public information office’s Lieutenant Jesse Saludo told GMA News Online.

“He was admitted to Fort Del Pilar Station Hospital (PMA Station Hospital), then evacuated in [V. Luna General Hospital] for further evaluation. Then he returned back to PMA Station hospital on October 18 and stayed there until mid-December,” he added.

After this, Saludo said the cadet returned to duty.

Saludo clarified that the cadet was hospitalized again in March this year but this was not related to the injuries he sustained from the September 2024 incident.

“Sometime in March, he was hospitalized again; however, I would like to emphasize that this was due to a condition unrelated to the injuries sustained in September,” he said.

“While I would like to provide more information regarding his recent hospitalization, we are to strictly abide by the provisions of the Data Privacy Act in order to respect and protect his personal health information,” he added.

The cadet was discharged on June 30. — Joviland Rita/RSJ/AOL, GMA Integrated News