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Thursday, July 23, 2015

THE HONOR CODE MUST BE APPLIED TO ALL


By Felizar Mortillero

The Honor Code of the Philippine Military Academy provides, that the military academy's cadets do not steal, cheat and lie and that the academy does not condone any of those practices. Violation of the Honor Code of the Philippine Military Academy tantamount to expulsion, in the case of former Cadet Jeffrey Cudia a candidate for Salutatorian of the just graduated PMA Class of 2014, he was disqualified to graduate for being late for only three minutes in a class, the Honor Code Committee of the PMA disqualified him to graduate not really because he was late for three minutes but because he LIED according to them. Former Cadet Cudia averred that he was late on his next class since he waited for his teacher to give him his class card, hence he was late for three minutes for the next subject, but the Honor Code Committee ruled that he must be disqualified from the Philippine Military Academy and for graduation in the process for lying, since his defense why he was late in his next subject would have been this way "he was told by his instructor to wait". Now the question is this, what is the difference of the two statements that he waited and/or he was told to wait? Does this act of Cudia tantamount to lying?

If former Cadet Cudia is really guilty of violation of the Honor Code of the Philippine Military Academy, and thus being disqualified for graduation from the very prestigious military academy, then it is also my personal belief that this Honor Code must be extended to the other institutions of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. The Honor Code must be applied to all, it should and must be applied to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to members of the House of Senate and House of Representatives, to the members of the Cabinet, to the members of the Supreme Court and its lower courts, to the Local Government Units and if possible it should and must be applied from the President down to the lowliest publicly paid janitors of the land. If the Honor Code of the Philippine Military Academy existed during the time of Jesus Christ, then St. Peter, one of the pillars of the Catholic faith would have been disqualified as one of Jesus Christ's apostles for LYING.

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