Palace: Noy studying PMA cadet’s appeal

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino will give priority to the appeal of dismissed Philippine Military Academy graduating cadet Jeff Aldrin Cudia hopefully before the annual graduation ceremonies in Baguio City on Sunday. 

“I was at the Office of the President earlier and he said that he is studying the appeal,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told Palace reporters in a news briefing yesterday.

Pressed for a specific deadline considering the tight timeline between now and the March 16 PMA graduation rites, Coloma said Aquino is aware of the circumstances and will factor in everything in deciding Cudia’s case.

“It is reasonable to expect that it is one of the factors that is being considered – the timeliness of the decision. All of the relevant considerations will be taken into consideration by the President,” he said.

Coloma said the PMA Honor Code – which Cudia was found to have violated through lying – “is an essential building block on the character formation of future leaders and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).”

The code’s “basic objective is to prepare and fortify the mindset and the value set of the prospective AFP officer as these will eventually be put to a severe test in the battlefield and areas of conflict, where he will be deployed upon commissioning.”

“Truth and fairness are the primary guideposts in deciding this appeal,” Coloma said.