MANILA, Philippines - An Army lieutenant colonel was cleared by a military tribunal of molestation charges by a classmate's wife 2 years ago in Zamboanga City.

The Army general court martial headed by Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Palmea, issued a resolution on August 26, restoring Lt. Col. Marlo Guloy, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class '90, to full active duty after he was found to be innocent of the charges.

The court's decision will be deemed final upon the approval of Army chief Maj. Gen. Arturo Ortiz.

Guloy has been placed under the custody of Brig. Gen. Tristan Kison, commander of the Army's headquarters support group in Fort Bonifacio, for violating Articles of War 96 and 97 (conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman, and conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline, respectively), following the accusations against him.

Army Spokesman Col. Antonio Parlade, said the military court found "serious deficiencies" in the testimony of Guloy's supposed victim. He added that the court also gave credence to Guloy's counter affidavit and the witnesses who took the stand for him.

In her affidavit, the complainant alleged that Guloy molested her at the La Vista del Mar Beach and Restaurant in Zamboanga City on May 3, 2008. She claimed that he was with Guloy after the latter invited her to discuss the term of her family's security detail.

When she got drunk, the complainant said Guloy began to touch her private parts and subsequently forced his penis into her mouth. She said she tried her best to resist him, but was "overcome by his strength."

Aside from the case filed before the military court, Parlade said the complainant has also pursued cases against Guloy before the Zamboanga City prosecutor's office, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability (OESPA).

The Ombudsman has dismissed the case referred to them, while the resolution of the cases before the Zamboanga City prosecutor's office and the OESPA are still pending, according to Parlade.

"As far as the Army is concerned, he is cleared from that accusation," he said.