CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has lauded the conviction of three former cadets of the Philippine Military Academy in the 2019 death of PMA cadet and Cagayan de Oro native Darwin Dormitorio.

On Friday, the Baguio Regional Trial Court Branch 5 has convicted cadets 3rd class Shalimar Emperial Jr. and Felix Lumbag Jr. of murder and sentencing them the penalty of reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years of imprisonment.

Former cadet 3rd class Julius Tadena was also convicted of hazing, sentencing him also of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.

Dormitorio died on Sept. 18, 2019 due to blunt force trauma resulting from the injuries he sustained by the accused individuals.

In a statement, Rodriguez lauded RTC Judge Maria Ligata Itliong-Rivera for "finally delivering justice in the case of Darwin, a constituent of mine in CdO."

"I wished though that justice would have come [more swiftly]," Rodriguez added.

He said that the death of Dormitorio and the conviction of the three former PMA cadets should prompt AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner to ban hazing and hazing-like activities inside and outside of the PMA.

Brawner took over as acting commandant of cadets at the PMA in 2019 after Dormitorio's death, taking over from Gen. Bartolome Bacarro as commandant.

"I know that General Brawner actively pushed a campaign against hazing during his time in PMA. He should now impose a strict ban," Rodriguez said.

He also urged Brawner to hold the PMA Superintendent, commandant of cadets, and junior officers in charge of cadets to be responsible for any hazing activity "as a lesson from the death of my constituent and to prevent any harm on any trainee.."

Rodriguez believes that the former PMA officers involved in the incident should have been directly responsible for their activities and should have been included in the criminal complaint and should have been convicted as well with the three cadets.

"Clearly, there was negligence on their part, including military doctors at PMA. They should have noticed signs that something was wrong with Darwin from the time his tormentors kicked and punched him on August 19 up to the time of his death a month later," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez reiterated that under the anti-hazing law, officers of an institution or organization with direct supervision of cadets' or students' activities, and those with knowledge of hazing but fail to act, are as guilty as direct hazing participants.