Campos’ mistahs cry for justice

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — It was a cry for justice for their fallen mistah.

Members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1987 wore black armbands as they paraded along with the academy’s cavaliers in yesterday’s grand alumni homecoming despite an earlier call on all alumni not to make a "show" during the annual event.

The black armbands were meant to call attention to the still unsolved killing of police Superintendent John Campos in Parañaque City last Dec. 5.

Campos’ mistahs donned blue vests with stickers with the words "Justice for Police Superintendent John Campos." Their class pennant was also festooned with black ribbons.

"We are expressing sympathy for what had happened to him as it could also happen to anyone of us. We do not need to be convinced (to join)," said one of Campos’ mistahs, who declined to be identified.

Also expressing sympathy for the cry for justice were members of PMA Classes 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Superintendent Reinere Espina, Class 1987 president, said they will also be releasing a statement calling for a swift solution to Campos’ killing.

He, however, admitted that it would be difficult to give investigators any deadline to solve the case.

"We know investigation takes time and no investigations have timeframes," he said.

The "sympathy" action of Class 1987 was in defiance of the call of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. (PMAAI) for PMA alumni to refrain from turning the annual alumni parade into a "circus."

In a letter addressed to all cavaliers, Brig. Gen. Samuel Bagasin, PMAAI president, said such antics tend to turn what is supposed to be a solemn ceremony into a carnival.

"Every year, the practice has become more and more of a joke than an opportunity to view the state of morale and discipline of the corps. Thus, in the eyes of the young men in gray uniforms, this part of the military ceremony can be made into an instant chance to show off," Bagasin said.

He lamented that such antics appear to have been "institutionalized."

Earlier, Maj. Edgard Arevalo, PMA spokesman, told reporters that cavaliers who would defy the PMAAI’s order, could be reprimanded.