CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Just weeks before a regional court in Baguio City handed down its guilty verdict against three former Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadets in connection with the 2019 hazing death of plebe Darwin Dormitorio, tragedy struck the victim’s family in Cagayan de Oro once more. They lost their patriarch.
William Dormitorio, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and member of PMA Class of 1974, did not live to see the verdict that was meant to salve the wound of his son’s tragic death. The 75-year-old Dormitorio succumbed to cardiac arrest in July, a twist of fate that robbed him of the closure he had so desperately sought.
His son Darwin, a 20-year-old cadet in the PMA at the time, was the first known hazing fatality since Republic Act 11053, the Anti-Hazing Act, was signed in 2018 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. It became a law following the death of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horatio Castillo III, who died during initiation rites by the Aegis Juris Fraternity in 2017.
On Friday, August 16, Judge Ligaya Itliong-Rivera of the 5th branch of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Baguio found three former PMA 3rd class cadets – Shalimar Imperial Jr., Felix Lumbag Jr., and Julius Carlo Tadena – guilty in connection with Darwin’s death at the military school five years ago.
Imperial and Lumbag were convicted of murder, while Tadena was found guilty of violating the anti-hazing law. All three were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, which means 20 to 40 years of prison time.
The verdict was bittersweet and offered some comfort to the Dormitorio family, who, while victorious in court, continued to mourn the loss of their patriarch and relived memories of Darwin’s pain and brutal death at the hands of his upperclassmen.
In 2019, William and his family chose not to proceed with the originally planned cremation due to the severity of Darwin’s injuries. Darwin was laid to rest at a private cemetery and given military honors by the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in uptown Cagayan de Oro on September 25, 2019.
A report by Cagayan de Oro-based Mindanao Gold Star Daily at that time quoted Darwin’s aunt, Michelle Usman, as saying before the funeral, “Cremation was the first option, but because it was too painful for the family and we realized that he had suffered too much already, it was agreed that there would be no cremation. He died brutally, and then we burn his body after? He will be buried so his body can rest.”
Darwin’s elder brother, Dexter, also said a request from the victim’s girlfriend, Ashely Ravidas, to see his remains influenced the family’s decision.
During the 2019 funeral, in a moment heavy with the weight of promises that could no longer be fulfilled, Darwin’s grieving girlfriend revealed that he had planned to marry her after his PMA graduation – a future suddenly erased, leaving only the ache of what might have been.
After the Baguio court handed down the verdict on Friday, the family’s lawyer, Jose Adrian Bonifacio, told Rappler, “It has been a long five years to litigate this case. Indeed, it was hard. But today was a blessing, and we dedicate the victory to Darwin and his father William, who incidentally died one month before the decision was rendered.”
In an interview, Dexter said his family was pleased with the court’s verdict and what it meant for people seeking justice, the criminal justice system, and their anti-hazing advocacy.
Dexter said his father died on July 10, five years after he and his family began their quest for justice for Darwin’s death.
He described their pursuit of justice and anti-hazing advocacy as his father and younger brother’s “last mission to make the Academy true to its honor code.”
“Hazing has long been a malpractice at the Academy, but it has finally been brought to light. We, as outsiders, had the courage to stand against hazing. On behalf of those who lost their lives to hazing –whether at the Academy, in fraternities, or other organizations – this victory is for them,” Dexter said. – Rappler.com