Honor violations are internal to the cadets but senior alumni eventually talk about them. When Cudia was asked why he was late, he supposedly said: The professor dismissed them late. One by one the cadets went through the Honor Committee investigation. The Honor System is central to the rewiring of the cadets from civilians to soldiers. found guilty  of lying about the reason he was late in a class. A PMA insider told Rappler that the story is “deeper” and that the case involves a violation of the sacred PMA Honor Code. In 1956, the entire cadet corps threatened to resign when outsiders intervened in their internal proceedings. PMA alumnus Dado Enrique is opposed to the change. Can’t find it? Exiting the registration flow at this point will mean you will loose your progress. But lack of transparency always raises questions. Even if we lose this fight many people are now aware of what really happened.). For violating the Honore Code, one cadet in the 1990s was discharged shortly before his graduation. What they discuss and the processes they execute are completely confidential even to the PMA command – unless complaints are brought up to the superintendent. It is better to admit your mistake than wait for others to report you. Can’t find it? The PMA’s Code of Conduct: Not something that can be applied to civilians By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Until but a few days ago, the Honor Code of the Cadet Corps, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was hardly bruited about outside the walls of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) since its existence decades and decades ago. “The unthinkable happened," Arzadon posted on Facebook February 11. Military training at PMA, largely patterned after the US armed forces, may have helped instill the concept of civilian supremacy in soldiers, he argues. "Ito pong recent honor case ng isa po nating cadet, just like all honor cases in the PMA, has also gone through the due process, the honor committee, and the board of senior officers of the PMA. It was exactly what they had studied on review night. Document show details. The Honor Committee that implements the code is composed entirely of PMA students. FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio CityA top official of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) said the recent decision of the Supreme Court (SC) upholding the dismissal of cadet first-class Alvin Jeff Cudia because of grave violation of the Academys age-old honor code has strengthened the institutions standards for due process and academic freedom. Check your spam & junk mail. or "AWOL, Sir!". "Civilians will never understand," they told us in interviews. Larry was devastated to discover that not much has changed since he was "unfairly" forced to leave PMA three decades ago. Explained Llave: "People focus on the process as if finding fault in the Committee when the real fault is... Cudia's lying. We just sent a link to your inbox. How much of the proceedings can be kept confidential when at stake is the future of promising cadets? They were surprised, said Larry, but most of them kept quiet about it until one cadet reported it to the Honor Committee. The military hierarchy appears to be ready for reforms. The following day, they took the exam. Larry said he certainly did not want to leave. Click the link to continue signing in. It serves as a deterrence to do something wrong.". Click the link to continue signing in. As a senator, Lacson once angered fellow PMA alumni when he invoked the PMA Honor Code and publicly questioned an upperclassman’s integrity. It is all about the Code. Cudia has filed honor violation charges against fellow cadets composing the Honor Committee who voted to dismiss him from PMA. A few months before graduation in November 2013, Cudia was reported to the Honor Committee (HC) for violation of the Honor Code. Lo and behold! The real test is a challenge to ourselves. They don't talk to you. (READ: Did Cadet Cudia lie? "The PMA should also teach justice, not only honor," said Larry. He supports an earlier proposal of graduated penalty for violators – demerits and touring for the first offense, suspension for a second offense, and dismissal for a third. 'Yun ang basic (That will not change. He resigned but he was able to join the military through the Officer Cadet School (OCS). And they're right. It was decided that he lied and violated the Honor Code. This was after Guillermo was tried for “several months” by the PMA’s Honor Code Committee composed of cadets from fourth to first class. “The problem is not the whole culture or institution but a few bad eggs," she said. Document show details). Check your spam & junk mail. "Nagpapalakas sa amin ang madaming taong tumutulong at nagdadasal para sa amin. Click the link to continue registering. They vandalize your room and your uniform. In the past, a son of a high-ranking general and even the chairman of the Honor Committee were forced to resign over supposed violations of the Honor Code. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, newly-resigned commandant of the Corps of Cadets, said the following were sanctioned for violating the PMA Honor Code: "Do not cover up the 8-1 that became 9-0 and explain to me that it is the current practice. Hindi ba pareho lang naman yun?," Anavee wrote. By signing up you agree to Rappler’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy. This massive cheating committed by Larry's PMA class in the late 1980s has become legendary in military circles. "A half lie is still a lie," he said. "A cadet found guilty has lost his moral ascendancy and is no longer effective within the cadet corps. It is a group that is utterly feared because it can make you leave the PMA. Since Rappler broke the story on Cudia's dismissal, we received several leads about other alleged injustices committed by the Honor Committee. Cadets are wired differently. "Aso ang trato sa iyo," explained a graduate. Some would be so dedicated to the code that they report themselves for honor violations. Both at the start and end of the day, we say, we say "all right, sir" when no one is looking,” he said. Other rooms turned empty. The PMA Honor Code is a set of rules which govern the behavior of its cadets and alumni. He has another option: to stay in the service but face ostracism. (A company is a military unit composed of anywhere between 80-200 soldiers). The cadets enforce and police the system themselves. "Mayroon kailangan pag-aralan kasi may mga hindi na angkop (Some aspects have to be studied since some are no longer appropriate)," Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters on Sunday, March 16, after the graduation rites. It is not about justice nor fair play nor reason. The Code is simple but sacred to them: a cadet does not lie, cheat, steal [or] tolerate [the] violation of the Code [by] his or her fellow cadets. Shame on you all," he posted on his Facebook page. One cadet who decided to go against the system chose the other option: stay but get ostracized. "We have all the power and we have low salaries. (READ: 2 minutes late for class, PMA cadet dismissed?). – Rappler.com, He monitored the national controversy over the dismissal of Cadet Jeff Cudia, who was. "Although outsiders find them silly, the endless rituals of haircuts, saluting, and recitations are all statements of subordination," writes Alfred McCoy in Closer than Brothers, a book on how the PMA molded officers who eventually shaped the history of the country. It was 1986, and an entire company of PMA cadets was accused of participating in a cheating ring, a violation of the PMA Honor Code. The SC ruling said, however, that the PMA Honor Code should be respected. The defense-military establishment said it is reviewing the honor system to make it suitable to the times. In the PMA tradition, a junior cannot question an upperclassman in public. Like in the case of Cudia’s foster parents, there have been previous attempts “to go against the system.”. The PMA Honor Code was copied from West Point. But his deeply ingrained commitment to the absolutes of the PMA Honor Code prevailed. The controversy raises questions about the secretive nature of this military process. But after years of reflection on the 1986 incident, Larry realized that there is something missing in the PMA honor system. It also made alumni realize that the honor system has been tweaked through the years. “[Our honor code is] perfect in itself but the implementation is sometimes different among the cadets, among the company,” Brawner noted. Did Cadet Cudia lie? Some of Larry's former classmates are still active in the military. Cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia, the controversial Philippine Military Academy cadet dismissed for violating the Honor Code, will not join the graduation rites on Sunday, March 16. The controversy comes at a perfect time because the PMA system is currently under review. This kid worked so hard and endured so much (never cheated) for 4 years to be among the top then for such a flimsy reason, you will deprive him of serving the country?,” wrote Ched Estigoy Arzadon in a Facebook post on February 9. Cadets are trained to follow orders. Philippine Military Academy Cadet Jeff Aldren Cudia was dismissed from the Philippine Military Academy mainly because of a violation of the "Honor Code… What makes the case heartbreaking is that Cudia is supposed to graduate with honors in March. Under the PMA's Honor Code, Cudia was expected to "resign honorably." PMA Honor Code primitive Proof that 1st Class Cadet Aldrin Jeff P. Cudia did not lie in his explanations why he was late for two minutes in his English class It turns out that the PMA is primitive in implementing the Honor Code it copied from the US Army Academy (West Point). "We do not wait to be challenged by another cavalier. Was Cudia’s offense so grave as to merit a dismissal? The Honor Code governs the behavior of the Corps of Cadets as well as PMA alumni, and ensures that cadets “will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” Most cadets with problems often clam up when interrogated by academy officials, Evangelista said. (We now have laws that were not there during our time, like International Humanitarian law, [International] Human Rights [Law]. But he chose to fight back – filing an appeal, accusing Honor Committee members of breaking the code themselves, and seeking an audience with the commander-in-chief, President Benigno Aquino III. FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — Saying “it was wrong for a cadet to die in the hands of his fellow cadets,” the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) has said officials may use the Honor Code to compel cadets to reveal cases of maltreatment occurring inside the state’s premier military school. "When you impose a harsh and cruel penalty on a small offense, it is an injustice.". The post also claims that the committee vote asking him to quit was not unanimous, but that the one who wanted to absolve Cudia was supposedly persuaded to change his mind. A Cadet Honor Code is a system of ethics or code of conduct applying to military cadets studying at military academies. West Point's own cheating controversy in 1976 led to modifications to its honor system to allow a "developmental alternative" to the previous single sanction of permanent separation. We did not violate anything because back then, there were no such laws.). He filed a case against the members of the Honor Committee who declared a guilty verdict on Cudia. How much of the proceedings can be kept confidential when at stake is the future of promising cadets? It binds PMA cadets to the following principle — “We, the cadets, do not lie, cheat, steal, nor (sic) tolerate among us those who do.” That honor code should also apply to PMA officials. Larry was devastated to discover that not much has changed since he was "unfairly" forced to leave PMA three decades ago. Rappler has been trying to get the side of the academy since Saturday, but the spokesperson refused so far to give a statement. Even the institution that the PMA looked up to as a model, the US Military Academy at West Point, introduced changes in its honor system after a cheating controversy 3 decades ago. He had a good reason because a teacher in an earlier class dismissed them late. You will be re-directed to our payment partner to complete your payment. On review night, cadets gathered to help each other study for the exams. Ang masaklap ay HINDI SYA KINAUSAP ng mga matataas na opisyal sa PMA at nakinig lamang sa tactical officer at sa Honor Committee." According to the academy’s website, the PMA’s honor code is a “unique system” administered by the cadets to themselves. Apparently, they were dismissed on time but the professor asked them to wait after class because he was going to give them something. This was another incident when the PMA's Honor System grabbed headlines. While he knew he was guilty of violating the Honor Code, he felt that his infraction was not commensurate to a resignation. It was such a sad time at the academy, recalled an underclassman of the batch involved. During the nightly room inspections, many reported their missing roommates to be either "Resigning, Sir!" The cadets are told that the Honor Code is absolute. But not honor violations. The Honor Code is a curious culture inside the academy that binds alumni together. But it was not carried out. ", Larry, however, argued: "Character formation is a process. You eat alone in the mess hall. A PMA cadet who violates the Honor Code is required to undergo a trial by his peers, in this case, a cadet honor committee representing all cadet levels. Click the link to continue registering. Like courts, the honor committee will determine the facts and rule on the guilt or innocence of a fellow cadet. He avoided Lacson's question and replied: “Your honor, I’m still under oath.”, Years later, after getting dragged into the "pabaon" corruption scandal in the military, Reyes committed suicide in 2011. All throughout the controversy, the PMA had been tightlipped about the details of Cudia's case. But he would not elaborate. Cudia is getting a lot of sympathy as the family’s Facebook posts continue to spread in social media.