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.