PNPA grads to file charges for beating by juniors

Two of six graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) will be filing charges today against their underclassmen for beating them up in the academy compound an hour after their graduation last Wednesday. Philippine Public Safety College president Ricardo de Leon said 34 cadets were identified to have been present in the area when the alleged attack on the PNPA graduates took place.

It was not clear if the son of PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, who belongs to the batch of underclassmen, participated.

“Some of the suspects have been isolated by PNPA Superintendent Joseph Adnol. We intend to file a case, this is already a criminal case,” De Leon told The STAR.

“They will be subjected to criminal charges that could lead to dismissal (from the academy), depending on the results of the investigation,” he added. De Leon said there was talk that the incident was just part of the “traditional dunking” in a swimming pool of graduates by underclassmen. He, however, clarified that the tradition does not exist since there is no longer a swimming pool in the PNPA compound.

“There was no formal ceremony (for the dunking). It was said that this was done by men in bonnets. We are still investigating it,” he added, noting that the Silang, Cavite police is also looking into the incident.

Of the 34 cadets, De Leon said at least 13 were identified to have landed blows on the six cadets while others merely dumped water on the graduates.

Some PNPA alumni and current police officers admitted that the “traditional dunking” does exist but insisted that this is done gently. “Previously, dunking refers to when you are thrown to the pool. Perhaps, this is just an incident that went wrong,” one officer said.

Another police officer, who graduated from the PNPA, said he and his classmates were shocked to hear about the attack. “How could the underclassmen beat up their upperclassmen? They should treat each other as brothers. It is dangerous to be (beating) cadets because the element of violence will always be present,” he opined.

Chief Superintendent Mao Aplasca, regional director of Southern Tagalog, said the two newly graduated inspectors will be filing charges against the PNP cadets involved in the attack.

Superintendent Ritchie Yatar, former PNPA spokesman and also a graduate of the PNPA, said the incident was not new as he urged the academy to revisit and review its curriculum and adjust it with the changing times.

He stressed that entrance examinations should not just focus on intelligence but also consider emotional quotient and character development, pointing out that the academy is not a place for immature adventures.

Yatar added that these things have to be considered because PNPA graduates will one day become the chiefs of police, jail management and fire protection.

“If we don’t put things in order, this is (the kind of incident) that we will reap,” Yatar said.