THE Baguio City Police yesterday said two staff members of the Fort Del Pilar Station Hospital of the Philippine Military Academy will be included in the list of those who will be charged in connection with the death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio.
Col. Allen Rae Co, chief of the Baguio City Police, said this brings to nine, the total number of suspects who will be charged either today or tomorrow with murder and violation of the anti-hazing law and of the anti-torture law.
Co earlier said seven cadets have been identified to have had direct participation in Dormitorio’s death.
Co did not identify the two staff members of the PMA hospital pending the filing of formal charges against all the suspects.
He said the two did not directly participate in the hazing of Dormitorio but they are considered suspects because “they are also liable under the provisions of the anti-hazing law as well as criminal neglect.”
“We are just finishing the investigation and hopefully we can file the charges either on Monday or Tuesday,” Co also said.
Co said the PMA leadership and witnesses have been very cooperative with investigators.
He said the family of another cadet who has been maltreated and hospitalized expressed intention to file charges.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has said Dormitorio’s upperclassmen beat Dormitorio him to quit from the academy after the plebe “squealed” on his upperclassmen by identifying those who beat him up, which caused his confinement at the PNP hospital from August 20 to 27.
After Dormitorio was discharged from the hospital, the upperclassmen continued to beat him up. The severe maltreatment Dormitorio got was on the day before he died on September 18. An autopsy report said Dormitorio’s kidneys, liver, and pancreas were damaged.
Police have identified Cadet First Class Axl Rey Sanopao Cadets Third Class Shalimar Imperial and Felix Lumbag as primary suspects. They were dismissed from the academy.
Several other cadets have been dismissed or suspended while several PMA officials have been relieved.
