How could Cadet First Class Aldrin Jeff Cudia of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), who got an average grade of聽 98 percent (he got a grade of 100 percent six times), have lied about his tardiness which led to his dismissal?
Cudia鈥檚 grades in conduct are enumerated thus: Conduct I, 97 percent; Conduct II, 97 percent; Conduct III, 100 percent; Conduct IV, 100; Conduct V, 100; Conduct VI, 100; Conduct VII, 100; Conduct VIII, 99 percent; Conduct IX, 100 percent; Conduct X, 99; Conduct XI, 96.
Cudia was found by the Corps of Cadets鈥� honor committee to have lied when he was asked why he was late for the next class.
Cudia said he was late because the instructor in the previous class, Dr. Maria Monica Costales, dismissed her students聽late.
The honor committee said Cudia鈥檚 claim was a lie.
But Costales, who teaches statistics, backed up Cudia鈥檚 statement.
鈥淚 agree and consider that because Cadet Cudia is under my instruction to wait and the other cadets still have (sic) business with me, it is reasonable enough for him to say that 鈥極ur class was dismissed a bit late,鈥欌�� Costales said in her affidavit.
So, how could the honor committee have found him lying when his instructor herself said he was telling the truth?
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The honor committee, composed of nine cadets, was not unanimous at first in deciding if Cudia was lying. The decision was 8-1, a 鈥渉ung jury,鈥� which would have acquitted him.
If one member of the committee gave a 鈥渘ot guilty鈥� verdict, Cudia would have been acquitted.
But the committee, composed of fellow cadets who would be his potential rivals for the position of Armed Forces Chief of Staff or Navy flag-officer-in-command later (Cudia chose the Navy as his branch of service), pressured the cadet who voted 鈥渘ot guilty鈥� into changing his vote.
First Class Cadet Dalton John Lagura told Cmdr. Junjie Tabuada, head of the academy鈥檚 naval warfare department, about the pressure.
Here鈥檚 Tabuada鈥檚 account of his conversation with Lagura:
鈥淟ags (Lagura鈥檚 nickname), came here and he approached me and I let him sit down in the chair in front of my table. I asked him, 鈥楥udia got it, eh 鈥� what happened.鈥� He replied, 鈥楳y vote was really not guilty, sir.鈥� And I asked him, 鈥極h, why was the verdict guilty when I know that if one voted not guilty, the concerned cadet would be acquitted?鈥� 鈥楾hey had me chambered, sir, they had me justify my not guilty vote, so I was pressured into changing my decision, sir.鈥� So I told him (Lagura), 鈥榃hat a waste, he鈥檚 so intelligent and well-behaved,鈥� and he replied, 鈥榊es, sir.鈥欌��
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Despite constant criticisms from this corner and becoming the laughingstock of her fellow lawyers, Para帽aque Regional Trial Court Judge Noemi Balitaan continues to hear the case against Dr. Elizabeth de Guia-Godino.
Godino was charged by her husband with car theft, which is an impossible crime because the car is conjugal property.
I鈥檓 almost tempted to ask, 鈥渉ow much?鈥�, but I鈥檇 rather not.