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| Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago / photo from Bombo Radyo |
Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Elago condemned the death of Philippine
Military Academy (PMA) cadet Darwin Dormitorio within academy grounds and calls
for an investigation to shed light on the incident.
“The investigation should shed light on why a healthy and
fit 20-year old who passed PMA’s strict requirements died due to “cardiac
arrest secondary to internal hemorrhage” after less than two months as a PMA
cadet,” Elago said
“We also want to know what steps authorities took when
Darwin earlier complained of stomach pain and was seen vomiting hours before
being found unconscious at PMA Mayo Hall Annex Room 209,” she added.
TMS learned that PMA Superintendent Lieutenant General Ron
Evangelista earlier confirmed that the autopsy of Dormitorio showed the
freshman cadet had bruises on different parts of his body.
“We join his parents in looking forward to an investigation
into Darwin’s death. Cadets and students everywhere don’t expect deaths to
happen inside schools, especially in the country’s most prestigious military
academy,” Elago said.
“Could Darwin’s life have been saved if authorities quickly
addressed complaints of stomach pain and brought to the PMA Station Hospital?
Why wait for him to pass out and for his condition to get so worse that he
could not be saved?” the Makabayan lawmaker added.
“I will immediately confer with Cagayan de Oro Reps. Rolando
Uy and Rufus Rodriguez on what we in Congress could do to honor Darwin and his
family, and to make sure his death would be fully investigated,” she said.
“Tayo ay makikiisa sa pagkundena sa hazing at panawagan ng
hustisya!” Elago also said.
Meanwhile, the PMA reportedly announced on Friday that three
upper-class cadets have been identified as “persons of interest” in relation to
the death of Dormitorio.
At least three upperclassmen of Dormitorio were placed under
PMA restrictive custody at the barracks and treated now as persons of interest,
says Manila Bulletin report.
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