Dismissed PMA cadet Cudia’s case ‘closed and terminated’

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court denied the 3rd appeal of dismissed Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadet Jeff Aldrin Cudia and declared his case “closed and terminated.”

“The Court, acting on the Motion of Reconsideration of petitioner through his relator, denied with finality the motion (it being his third) and considered the case closed and terminated,” the High Tribunal said following its en banc session on Monday, November 16.

Cudia was fighting to get his diploma from the military school. He was supposed to graduate with honors in 2014, but was dismissed for violating the PMA Honor Code.

He supposedly lied about his tardiness in one class. Cudia was 2 minutes late for an English class, saying that he and other cadets were “dismissed a little bit late” in the previous class. (READ: Did PMA cadet Cudia lie? Document shows details)

The PMA honor committee, a powerful body composed of students, found him guilty of lying in his explanation. They found out that he stayed long after dismissal to check his grades. They voted to dismiss him, a decision that was upheld by the academy. 

In its first ruling in February 2015, the SC affirmed Cudia’s dismissal on the ground that the PMA’s honor code should be respected. The cadet filed an appeal a month later and vowed to fight to the end.

In April, the SC again upheld its verdict affirming the cadet’s dismissal from the PMA for violating the school’s honor code. 

While waiting for the court’s verdict, Cudia took and passed the entrance exam to the University of the Philippines College of Law.

To be admitted to the program, however, Cudia needed a college degree. His petition with the SC sought to compel the PMA to grant him a diploma. 

Cudia’s story gained national attention after his sister’s Facebook post became viral online. It prompted calls for the PMA to let him graduate and led to an intense scrutiny of the PMA’s honor code and the committee’s secret proceedings. The Commission on Human Rights backed Cudia.

President Benigno Aquino III himself met Cudia on the eve of the PMA graduation but the cadet failed to persuade him to reverse the PMA ruling. 

The military hierarchy promised reforms in the academy in the wake of the controversy. – Rappler.com