Darwin’s journal bares beatings at PMA for minor offenses, even for ‘trip lang’

Not wanting his family to know about his ordeal inside the Philippine Military Academy, Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio dealt with his pain in detailed journal entries and in a drawing.

According to Marisol Abdurahman's report on GMA News' 24 Oras on Friday, the victim of a fatal hazing incident wrote about being demoralized and thinking about resigning from the corps because of the excessive punishments that he had been getting.

There were times, Dormitorio said in his journal, that he and his fellow plebes would get hit for no good reason.

"Minsan din kaming mga squad nagkaka-gripes dahil sobrang onti lang na offense, sobra-sobra yung natatanggap namin," read a journal entry.

"Minsan pa ay dumadating pa sa trip trip lang," he added.

Dormitorio wrote about being of "low morale".

"Minsan kasi parang takot ba kaming gumalaw pag nandyan na ang buddies. Baka onting galaw lang na chop o kabog at sipa na kami," Dormitorio wrote.

"Kahit anong offense pa yan, masakit pa din yan," he added.

In another entry, Domitorio lamented that life was so difficult inside the PMA that he was already thinking of resigning.

"Mahirap talaga dito sa Regular corps at naiisip ko na mag resign na lang after every endorsement na nagagawa ko," Dormitorio wrote.

He said that a "Cdt. Imperial" would hit cadets in the face.

Cadet Third Class Shalimar Imperial is one of several upperclassmen facing criminal charges in connection with Dormitorio's death.

"Di nakapunta yung parents ko sa PMASH (PMA Station Hospital) dahil ayokong malaman ang nangyari sakin. Yung kuya ko naman di din alam kung ano talaga nangyari," Dormitorio said.

"Di alam ng parents ko na nahospital ako, yung kuya ko lang," he added.

The journal was one of Dormitorio's belongings that has been examined by the police.

Another was a drawing that seemed to be made up of faces that are laughing at a human figure in the middle. 

The art is said to indicate Dormitorio's suffering inside the academy.

"It is still very much possible na baka meron pang madagdag," Baguio City chief of police Police Colonel Allen Rae Co said as regards suspects in the fatal hazing case.

"As of now, halos complete na po yung timeline na nabubuo namin as well as the injuries sustained by Cadet Dormitorio," he added. —NB, GMA News