Clement confident new PMA leaders won't tolerate hazing

BAGUIO CITY - Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Noel Clement on Tuesday was confident that that the new leaders of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) would not tolerate hazing.

"Under the new leadership of the Academy, this unfortunate incident, however isolated it may be, will not happen again," Clement said during the PMA change of command ceremony.

"The new commandant has declared 'war on hazing' and we will definitely win," the chief of staff added.

During the ceremony, Rear Admiral Allan Cusi and Brigadier General Romeo Brawner assumed posts as PMA superintendent and commandant of cadets, respectively.

Cusi replaced Lieutenant General Ronnie Evangelista while Brawner replaced Brigadier General Bartolome Bacarro, both of whom resigned over the hazing death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.

The AFP chief meanwhile reiterated that maltreatment had no place in the PMA, and apologized to the grieving Dormitorio family.

"Words may not be enough to convey our most profound apologies, our thoughts and prayers are with you and we could only hope for you understanding," Clement said.

Clement also emphasized that the military would always give importance to human life and human dignity.

"We do not condone the use of sheer wanton violence in any way, shape or form. We uphold and abide by the commitment to justice and will do our utmost to contribute to its achievement," Clement said.

The AFP chief also revealed that Inspector General Antonio Ramon Lim had given him the report on Dormitorio's case.

"The inspector general has submitted to me his report and what I asked of the inspector general is to look into the process and the systems that have to be looked into to correct what happened to Cadet Dormitorio," Clement said in a separate interview with reporters.

Clement then said this would be the basis for his marching orders to the PMA leadership. — DVM, GMA News