Lunes, Agosto 27, 2018

Jailed Col. could Answer Lost Pay of Pinoy Cadets Abroad





By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The court martial’s conviction of Army Lt. Colonel Hector Maraña, treasurer of the cadets of the Philippine Military Academy, his eventual dismissal from the service, and his trip to the slammer in Muntinlupa as ordered recently by President Rodrigo Duterte could probably answer the complaints of Filipino foreign military cadets in the U.S particularly at the United States Military Academy and South Korea about their deprived allowances the PMA owed them.
Image result for Lt. Col Hector Maraña
Cashiered Army Lt. Colonel Hector Maraña
   In my previous column’s Filipino Cadets BareSad Plights at West Point I wrote that USMA Second Class Cadet Jesson Peñaflor whined that he and his fellow- West Point, New York based cadet have to pay each $2,000 (P105, 270.00) their education and training supplies and equipment at USMA before they trudge their four years military and academic courses.
A Filipino in a military academy in South Korea wrote: “We are 15 here in Korea, sir. Three cadets are sent to the army air force and the naval academy (sic) every year here, sir and three are at the language institute studying the required language, sir. There are also cadets in Japan, Australia and Canada, sir. Every one of us are experiencing the same thing, sir but for the service we want to give in the future we are trying to keep ourselves firm and strong so none of us will even think of quitting and leaving the service,” one of the 15 cadets, who asked for anonymity, said.