Dormitorio family files criminal charges against suspects in hazed freshman’s death

The family of Darwin Dormitorio filed criminal charges yesterday in Baguio City against 10 people who were allegedly behind the hazing, torture, and killing of the late Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadet.

Read: Freshman cadet Darwin Dormitorio allegedly killed over missing boots

Darwin’s older brother, Dexter Dormitorio, filed the complaints against seven cadets, three doctors, and two tactical officers of the PMA before Baguio City Prosecutor Erwin Sagsago, according to ABS-CBN News.

The seven cadets have been identified as Cadet Third Class Shalimar Imperial, Felix M. Lumbag Jr., John Vincent Manalo, Julius Carlo Tadena, Rey David John Volante, Cadet Second Class Christian Zacarias, and Cadet First Class Axl Rey Sanopao.

Tactical officers Major Rex Bolo and Captain Jeffrey Batistana were tagged as accomplices in the crimes. Dexter also filed a complaint against three PMA station hospital doctors for dereliction of duty, namely Captain Flor Apple Apostol, Major Ofelia Beloy, and the Military Hospital’s commanding officer, Colonel Cesar Almar Candelaria, Rappler reports. Apostol and Beloy allegedly reported that Darwin was suffering from a urinary tract infection when he was brought to the hospital after he was allegedly tortured by his schoolmates.

Everyone charged in the case was among those identified by Baguio City police as persons responsible for Darwin’s death.

Read: Dormitorio tortured and suffocated with bag days before death: police

The complaint was formally filed two weeks after Dormitorio’s shocking death. Dormitorio died of cardiac arrest after he was rushed to the PMA Station hospital, but Baguio City Police announced that he died due to internal bleeding caused by hazing.

Three cadets — Imperial, Lumbag, and Sanopao — were initially dismissed and identified as main persons of interest after police investigations alleged that the cadets beat Dormitorio over a pair of missing boots.

During his torture, Dormitorio was allegedly suffocated with a plastic bag and was tasered in the genitals. He was rushed to the hospital after enduring a beating but was released upon the orders of PMA station hospital doctors Apostol and Beloy.

Dormitorio’s death has prompted several groups to stage protests, and forced the resignation of two top Military Academy officials, Lt. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, the PMA chief, and Bartolome Bacarro, the school’s commandant of cadets.

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