MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Military Academy Cadet Jeff Aldren Cudia was dismissed from the Philippine Military Academy mainly because of a violation of the "Honor Code" and not just by being late for class, an academy official said Thursday.
"Cadet Cudia's case is not an issue about being late in class," PMA public affairs chief Major Agnes Lynette Flores said in a statement.
Flores admitted, however, that tardiness also bears some gravity among the institution's rules.
"While it started as a violation of the regulations, which is coming to class late, the findings of the preliminary investigation conducted revealed a possibility of Cadet Cuidia violating the Honor Code which led to the opening of formal investigation by the Honor Committee," she said.
The Honor Committee is composed of cadets and cadettes representing their respective classes in the academy and tasked to uphold the Honor Code and the Honor System.
"The essence of the Honor Code is that the cadets do not lie, cheat, steal nor tolerate among them those who do," Flores said, explaining that the precepts have been in place for "generations."
She said that training and education of young military hopefuls in the academy centers around a "fundamental objective" of character development and integrity.
"The Honor Code is absolute and it does not distinguish between the degree of the offense committed. Once they lied, cheated, stole of tolerated the commission of these offenses, there is only one punishment - separation," the spokesperson said.
Cudia was recommended to be dismissed after he entered a class two minutes late and allegedly lied about the reason. Cudia is the second ranking student in his batch and was voted deputy baron.
But his merits do not weigh upon the committee's decision to let him go.
"While the academy recognizes his academic performance, this does not exempt him from strict observance of the Code," Flores said.
"We are deeply saddened in seeing such great talent go. But the PMA and the Cadet Corps ... cannot be selective in its application of the Code regardless of a cadet's academic performance and even personal circumstance," she added.
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Armed Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista has ordered a reinvestigation of Cudia's case.