'NO MERCY' PRESIDENT OF A COUNTRY

     The family of Cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia, who was ousted from the Philippine Military Academy, went to the Palace to ask for assistance. But the President of this country did not give them mercy. As the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley said it in 1819, there are "Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know/But leech-like to their fainting country cling."/
    Viva la revolucion en las Islas de Los Ladrones!  

The blogger, as a national awardee in English poetry, poses with the late Kerima Polotan-Tuvera, then one of the country's best writers and essaysts. At the Focus mggazine in the Port Area, Manila. 

                                    

A FUTURE MILITARY LEADER

 
   
      He is the valedictorian of the graduating class this year of the country's top military school, the Philippine Military Academy at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City. Cadet First Class Jheorge Llona is said to be the son of a farming family in the Bicol Region.
      Earlier, Cadet First Class Aldrin Jeff Cudia, was dismissed by the academy for allegedly lying about his being late for two minutes in his class. There was a public outcry for this act and an investigation was made by the Human Rights Commision.The CHR recommended that the cadet be allowed to attend the graduation rites and receive whatever honors bestowed on him as class salutatorian.
          Cudia was not allowed to attend the Sunday ceremonies.
          Llona was quoted to have said the following statement regarding the dismissal of Cudia: "The civilians do not understand the honor system very well."
         Such statement raised a howl of protest from civilians, calling him arrogant and dumb for not thinking of the consequences of what he said.
          Some civilians raised the possibility that Llona, several years after joining the Armed Forces of the Philippines, will not be bound by the academy's Honor Code. And he will fall prey to the temptations of corruption as his fellow PMA alumni did and are doing.
         Remember the debilitating military coups led by PMA graduate Honasan, the infamous Kuratong Baleleng rubout instigated allegedly by Lacson and the ransacking of state funds by Garcia and other misdeeds committed by "PMAyers?"
          We civilians do not understand the honor system? Is there a difference between the honor system of civilians and that of PMA?
          We as taxpayers spent P2-million per year for the education of Llona for him to become an "officer and gentleman."
          Now Llona is insulting us, our intelligence, our brains.

THE 9-0 VERDICT AGAINST THE PMA CADET A LIE?

     It appears that the 9-0 verdict against the Philippine Military Academy Cadet Jeff Aldrin Cudia did not reflect what really happened. The cadet who voted for Cudia not to be ousted from the academy has come out: he was pressured to change his vote. Those who applied the Honor Code on cheating are themselves cheaters?
     Apply the case of the Police Officer who led the arrest of Delfin Lee, accused of large-scale estafa. He was sacked as head of Operation Tugis that bagged Lee. Did PNP Chief Alan Purisima, a PMA graduate, sacked him, or did he promote him? Is Purisima lying to a fellow PMA graduate, who earlier protested his ouster?

THE PMA CADET DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE

   In the front page of the Inquirer, there is this photo of First Class Cadet Jeff Aldrin Cudia in his Philippine Military Cadet uniform. How elegant and brilliant he looks!  He could be an asset to the country plagued by corruption with lawmakers as the biggest robber barons. In fact, Congress has been accused of harboring the biggest criminal syndicate in the Philippines.

     But Jeff will not graduate from the academy this year. For not telling the truth, he was ousted by his peers and the PMA approved the decision of his fellow cadets.
     What a waste of time, effort and money, the taxpayers money. (Two million pesos per year was spent for his education to become an "officer and gentleman.")
     For four years, the PMA nurtured Jeff, only to be expelled from the academy. Reason for the ouster: he allegedly did no tell the truth why he was late for his class by two minutes. By two minutes!
     No forgiveness by the mother and his brothers!
     And Jeff will discard his uniform, throwing it away like garbage?
     Can the mother (PMA) and his brothers (fellow cadets) guarantee that this country will be free of dishonest officials and violent PMA graduates like Honasan and Lacson? How honest are these people? And how about Garcia, a PMA graduate, who stole millions from the state coffers?
     We don't what will happen tomorrow. Who knows Jeff will be a great Philippine leader, an exponent of truth, honesty and integrity?
     The United States of America gives a second chance to erring cadets of West Point, its top military academy. Despite its present troubles, the USA is a great country where millions of Filipinos live.