MANILA, Philippines – Dismissed Cadet 1st Class Aldrin Jeff Cudia is not a part of this morning’s graduation rites of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). In a statement released late Saturday night, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Cudia’s appeal is now elevated to the AFP Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista, whom President Aquino directed to investigate. Gazmin and Aquino had met with Cudia’s family to hear their side. Cudia was dismissed for supposedly lying about the reason why he was late for a class and violating the PMA’s honor code. But his family insists that a member of the Honor Committee was pressured to change his acquit vote to a guilty vote, making the results 9-0 instead of the original 8-1. A unanimous vote is needed for a guilty verdict. The Cadet Review and Appeals Board, however, upheld Cudia’s dismissing, making Malacañang, or the AFP chief, his last hope. -- News Now, ANC, March 16, 2014.