Hazing is not part of training

Good morning to our respected teacher Sir Banny Asbucan and my dear classmates, I am
humbled by your presence my topic for today is all about hazing

According to merriam webster, hazing is the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks
as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation."army cadets were hospitalized for
injuries caused by hazing". According to Alexander Golts, "hazing is not breaking the rules, it is
the rule itself.

According to rappler.com, on the flipside of the PMA’s long and proud history of churning
out military and police generals is a list of cadets who died as the result of hazing, or the culture
of torturous loyalty that deadens upperclassmen’s hearts to the plight of plebes too eager to prove
themselves worthy, or else too afraid of the price of being judged disloyal should they “squeal” on
their taskmasters. In 1978 Manuel Salas, Four days before the end of their plebe year, on February
13, 1978, the Bravo Company lay on their backs as their upperclassmen dropped shot puts – heavy
metal balls – onto their bare stomach. One of the plebes, Cadet 4th Class Manuel Salas, was killed.
Another one hemorrhaged and almost died: . In November 1981, Cadet 4th Class Andres Ramos
Jr also died of traumatic shock from beatings by some of his upperclassmen.The following year, a
military court sentenced a cadet to 5 years of hard labor for his participation in Ramos' hazing.
Another cadet was suspended from the academy for one year, for not reporting the incident. He
was the son of Philippine Constabulary regional commander Brigadier General Andres Ramos. In
2000
Cadet 4th Class Ace Bernabe Ekid was on his second try joining the academy after having taken a
yearlong sick leave when he collapsed during war games at the Philippine Marines base in Ternate,
Cavite, in June 2000.A medic was able to bring Ekid back to consciousness, but the 21-year-old
plebe was delirious and incoherent, the Philippine Star reported. Then moments later, he started
convulsing and was rushed to a hospital where he died just over an hour later. Although the PMA
after an investigation ruled out hazing as the cause of Ekid’s death, his family and friends insisted
he had been singled out for 5 hazing by some upperclassmen because he was good-looking and
from a wealthy family.Ekid’s official cause of death was heatstroke. On March 10, 2001, 23-year-
old Cadet 4th Class Edward Domingo was beaten up by several 2nd Class cadets in their dormitory
as an initiation rite of passage to his second year in the academy.Domingo was reportedly hit eight
times with a pipe on his buttocks and then punched many times on his abdomen until he collapsed.
He then died of a “cardio-respiratory attack” at the PMA Station Hospital.Barely a month later, on
April 7, Cadet 4th Class Monico de Guzman died while being treated at the Baguio General
Hospital for injuries he sustained from severe beatings he received in the academy. In november
2019 the last month of his life, Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio lived according to the whims
of some upperclassmen in his squad. They humiliated and tortured him over petty things such as
a missing pair of combat boots and for screaming “like a faggot” when they electrocuted his
genitals.The 20-year-old plebe soldiered on until his body gave way to the countless kicks and
punches inflicted on him by his fellow cadets.After he died of cardiac arrest as a result of internal
bleeding on September 18,
the police sinvestigating his case said Dormitorio's time at the academy had been a “living
hell''.The PMA had also earlier asked help from the PNP Scene of Crime Operatives to process the
crime scene.His death is the latest linked to hazing even with the enactment of a stronger anti-
hazing law meant to end the practice. Republic Act No. 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018
prohibits hazing and imposes harsher penalties on organizers and participants of hazing.

In my opinion, hazing is most appropriate prerequisite that had ever existed because it
doesn't simply bring a benefit for the applicants/neophytes and it only creates risk of injuries,
discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, ridicule, force consumption of alcohol, placing the
individual into danger and even death and other consequences. We should end up hazing in all
military academies as part of their traning. Hazing yet motivate no one, it only hinders academic
achivements, destroy selfsteem, causes emotional and physical pain in an individual. It also the
biggest fear of every students who want to enter academies. They always hear about the living hell
of every plebes that enter academies. Their desire to be a successfull soldier someday just stop
because of that rumors in the world of academy. Hazing will always continue in the world of
military. Because of the existence of the lowerclassman-upperclassman relationship. Break the
chain that binds this relationship, and hazing will disappear. If not, no matter how much band aid
is applied, Murphy’s Law — “whatever can go wrong will go wrong” — will take its endless
course.

Simply put, I mean that no upperclassman should ever or can ever exercise power over a
lowerclassman. Only the officer corps at the PMA should exercise this power. It means, too, that
it is only an officer who can order a cadet to do anything. Lastly, it means that the cadets at all
levels are on equal footing.To my mind, this is the way to break the chain, and so, as the chain is
broken, let the cadets, from among themselves, develop respect, friendship and camaraderie with
each other. The rigorous training must continue and preserve the high academic standards that
make the PMA a prestigious institution.Eliminate hazing, and better qualified young boys and girls
will be attracted to enter the PMA. The result will be a better officer corps and, hopefully, the
military dynasty now controlled by PMA graduates in the whole security apparatus of the Republic
will slowly fade away. Thats all for today, My name is Bosco Canao. Thank you for listening.
Bosco Canao Jr. (10-Carnelian)