THE Philippine National Police Academy Alumni Association said Tuesday the mauling incident involving cadets following the graduation rites in Silang, Cavite, last week was an “isolated incident.”
The group said beating up seniors in the academy was not a tradition, contrary to what PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa had said earlier.
“There is no tradition of hurting fellow cadets or any person for that matter,” the group said in a statement.
“What happened was an isolated case and we do not condone such demeanor.”
Dela Rosa earlier said the mauling of seniors by several underclassmen was an “on-and-off tradition” in the academy, and that it must stop.
The PNPA Alumni Association condemned the mauling incident and said it had no place in the academy or in a civilized society. It said the cadets, if proven guilty, must face the consequences.
The group said the nine cadets who mauled and injured six of senior students, as identified by witnesses, will face criminal and administrative charges.
A National Police Commission official said those proven guilty would face dismissal.
Twenty other cadets will face administrative charges for their alleged involvement, PNPA Chief Joseph Adnol said.
The cadets allegedly waited for the end of the graduation rites on Wednesday before beating up their seniors. They reportedly harbored ill feelings toward the upperclassmen for imposing strict rules on them.